Quad Core vs Dual Core

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inSaneELF

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Primarily gaming. I'm getting an 8800GTS 512MB and will have 4GB of RAM.

Also, when I said I'm not leaning towards the dual core, I meant I AM leaning towards it (typed not for some reason :p).
 
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bornking

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Well you can OC the Q6600 to 3Ghz easily with the right hardware...and some time, so with 4GB of ram and a 3GHz quad core you are in a good position.

If you are not into OCing then get the dual core.

Also if you are not running a 64bit OS then stick with the dual core: because the 32 bit OS will not use all 4GB of ram, and it is in a sense a waste to rely on 4GB of ram that is not recognized and add to that two cores (from the quad) that are rarely used for games and you have a waste of money.

Anywho the most I can see the Quad make at 3GHz is 10-15fps from a base of more than 60 (with your 8800GTS 512) so you won't notice a huge diff...

Stick with the Dual...unless you want to OC or want to OC AND have a 64 bit OS.

Have fun!
 
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lobofanina

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I like quads especially the q6600 for the best value. Do you ever encode avi(s) to dvd, use dvd shrink, utorrent (azereus), firefox, avg(other virus scanners), maybe throw in a few dvd decrypter sessions, and run folding at home SMP all at once, then throw a cpu intensive game like Supreme Commander Forged Alliance on top of all that and still have it run fine. I do that stuff daily and couldn't go back to computing any other way. Make sure you get enough ram though.
 
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LoneEagle

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You should be able to overclock the Quad to 3.0GHZ (with retail heatsink). At that point, you have two extra free cores! :) With a better heatsink, you could go may be 3.2.

If you go with the Quad, just make sure it's a G0 core stepping.
 
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lobofanina

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B3 is fine, mine is at 3.2ghz. Anand did a comparison and didn't find much of a difference. I doubt one would find any B3s left anymore but if that's what a store sells the b3 q6600 overclocks fine.
 
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jevon

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Q6600 for sure. Overclocking it to 3.0Ghz is ridiculously easy, many call it a 'free' overclock on a P35 or X38 motherboard because those boards run at 1333 while the Q6600 is stock @ 1066. All you need to do is literally change the fsb in bios for the Q6600 from 266 to 333 and boom, 3Ghz Quad Core (dont need to change any voltages or anything).

Also consider that newer games and apps are already taking advantage of quad cores, and 'older' ones that are only optimized for one or two cores will still run very well on a Quad; it's the difference between playing at say 100fps (dual core) vs 80fps (quad core), it's not noticable except in benchmarks :)
 
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inSaneELF

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So you guys are saying I just buy the quad core and OC it to 3.0 in the BIOS (that's all it takes right? I have no experience OCing), and I just use the stock fan?
 
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LoneEagle

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It will take you 1 minute to overclock. Really easy. :)
 
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lobofanina

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If you get a G series stepping q6600 the stock intel heatsink/fan would work, with the B3 series stepping I would upgrade to a heatsink/fan with some heatpipes.

What's your motherboard by the way, you need a 680/780 nvidia or p35/38 intel motherboard for core overclocking to be painlessly easy.
 
cptdread

cptdread

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Not sure on that MB, but on a abit IP 35Pro, OC was as simple as they say. But, with 4gb beware, I have heard some people say Windows Vista will not initially boot with 4gb.

If you are going to any multitasking, then I would recommend the Q6600, then OC to 3ghz, and when games start to use the extra cores, you are all set.

 
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inSaneELF

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Thanks for the link, but I assume there's no way to order a Q6600 with G0 stepping specifically, so what if I get one with B3 stepping?

Also, regarding the 4GB or RAM: what do you mean Vista doesn't boot initially with 4GB?
 
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lobofanina

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You can find a q6600 sold only as G0 at some sites, don't remember which ones they are, but for the most part the whole stepping debate has been whole lot of hot air and doesn't matter all that much.

And I quote:
"The impact on overclocking is a little less clear, at least with the quad-core Q6600. We were able to reach a higher maximum overclock with the SLACR stepping Q6600, but our highest stable overclock was not that much more than our original B3 stepping. If we look at percentages, our G0 part managed a 3 - 6% better overclock, putting overclocking potential in line with the power savings we noted. It's not a tremendously better overclocker but we suspect that on a whole it will yield tangible benefits.

There's no doubt that the new G0 stepping cores represent the latest improvements in the Core 2 lineup, but it's worthwhile to keep expectations in line with reality. If you're looking for a huge change in power consumption/overclocking headroom, you may have to wait for Intel's 45nm Penryn cores." Anand Lal Shimpi
AnandTech

 
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inSaneELF

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So getting a G0 q6600 isn't crucial.



So can't I just install Vista with 2GB of RAM, download the update from the URL you provided, and pop in the additional 2GB of RAM?
 
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lobofanina

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I'm sure those will debut at the OP price range of around $275. :sarcastic:
 
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Craxbax

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I have a Q6600 w/ TT120 @ 3.42ghz with a max load temp of 61c. 3.6ghz is doable on air but runs prettty warm at that speed on air. The Q6600 at the same speed as any C2D is slightly faster but the C2Ds OC higher in skilled hands. The Q over 3ghz is blazing fast and compared to the C2D will give you double the 3DMark06 cpu score even when the e6850 is at 3.8ghz. With the 88800GTS 512 you should get 13-14000+ with ease. I think the Quad is the way to go but if you want to get a C2D and are going to OC; I would suggest you get the E6750. You will be new to OCing and the E6750 is much cheaper and OCs like mad. With the E6850, you will gain 1 multiplier value and if you don't know what that does you don't need to pay for it.
 
OlSkoolChopper

OlSkoolChopper

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