E8400 vs q9650

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hstorm101

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Hey guys. So I know both of these CPUs are a bit outdated now, but I still have a question about them. I currently have an e8400 @ 3.6ghz on a p5q pro motherboard. I have the ability to pick up a new q9650 for next to nothing. What are your opinions on this switch? I believe the q9650 is at 3.0ghz, but it is a quad core.

I only really play first person shooters, mainly BF3. From what I understand, BF3 takes advantage of quad cores.. I believe. Assuming I were to not attempt an OC on the 9650, would I gain or lose performance on shooters like BF3? BTW I am playing on a ATI 6870. Also, does anyone know of a power usage comparison between the CPUs? thanks
 
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I actually made this exact upgrade about 1 year ago and I have to say it was...

CDdude55

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If the cost is next to nothing as you say then without a doubt grab the Q9650. From what i have heard (i have not checked out my CPU usage during BF3 myself) it does take advantage of multiple more. So you should see a decent bump in performance, but even then gaming is still very much GPU dependent.

As stated, it would overall be better you saveed your money to move over to a stronger and more relevent platfrom.
 

shanky887614

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actually in cpu hirearchy

its rated lower than the core i3.


the slower ram speeds will slow it down a little as well.


considering you can pick up a cheap board for £50, ram for £20 and i5 2500 for 150. £220 isnt much for a more upto date pc

(probably closer to 250)
 

hstorm101

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I appreciate the responses guys, keep them coming. I would like to emphasize the point that the swap is for an extremely cheap q9650 with an e8400. I have no interest in building a new PC (for the next few years). I am not even really sure I want to remove my current CPU/heatsink at all, it worries me to mess around with those expensive parts. But if you guys think there will be a significant benefit in having that quad core for playing BF3, let me know.
 

Ray Charles

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I actually made this exact upgrade about 1 year ago and I have to say it was worth it and I do not even overclock. In game that take advantage of more than 2 cores like GTA 4 and BF2 BC it was like day and night but others it was marginal but the overall feel of my system was generally better I think the improvement in BF3 would be noticeable.All that said 1 year ago I pay $150 for a used q9650 I would not advise paying more and today I might even say $150 is a bit too much now (not outrageous though) $100 is more suitable at max but it is a good upgrade and is based on what you mean by 'next to nothing'!
 
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thlillyr

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If its really cheap it a good upgrade from the 8400. More and more games and apps are getting higher thread counts. So you will outdate slower than the 8400. Unless your planing on rebuilding your system this year the quad core would be a solid investment.
 
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with a p5q pro and an after market cooler you can hit 3.6Ghz on air. 4Ghz with a water cooling solution.
 
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