cpu options - i'm lost

[solidsteve]

hey everybody i've been looking at cpu's for a while now but i am lost at what to get and which would be best used

i've been looking at 5 of them, there all intel's 2 duo's and 3 quad's

now i'm basically using the pc for gaming, videos coping and a slightly bit of encrypting for ipod, music and internet use

the 5 chips are the E8400, E8500, Q6600, Q9300 and Q9450, my mobo is a DS3R and i'm not planning on OCing it and if i do its slight (5-10% max)

now the Q9450 is not out over here yet but its soon to be, i would love a 45nm chip but if it's better the 65nm is next

and thanks

 

[NightSurge]

If you aren't overclocking, the higher the stock clock the better. So depending on if you want to wait for the Q9450, or whether you want quad or dual core, your best options would be either E8500 (3.16GHz) for $280 or Q9450 (2.66GHz) for $370 or less.

 

[solidsteve]

i'm looking at keeping this for a year or 3 before i upgrade again so would a dual core do me or is the quad better

 

[NightSurge]

If you are hoping to hold on to it for up to 3 years, the quad is the way to go. Especially since AMD and Intel plan to have 6-core chips out by 2009 and AMD plans a 12-core chip by 2010.

 

[thirdshiftdj]

I would do a quad core. You could save money and get the q6600 but if you aren't going to overclock then the 9450 is your best. Or save and oc

 

[veedubfreak]

If overclocking q6600
If not overclocking 9450

 

[Da Viksta]

Q9450 is a lot better than Q6600 at stock, but the Q6600 overclocks more easily due to its higher multiplier

but since i have a Q9450, ill pass along my opinion

its an awesome CPU, and coming up from a Pentium D, i can really see the difference. If overclocking is your thing, you may want to also consider the E8500 since it is a monster for overclocking, but since you want future proofing, i would say get a Quad. Dont bother with a Q9300 though...

 

[veg1992]

get a q9450 (never thought I'd be recommending this CPU)

or get a q6600 and push it to 3.0ghz (probably won't need a volt change or anything) which is good enough for most games for a while

 

[solidsteve]

ok thanks for the input guys

its a toss up between the Q9450 and Q6600 then, price vs power



theres around £100 difference between the two but if i get the Q6600 i would have to spend £40-£50 on a HSF (tuniq or thermalright ultra 90i) so its tied

any more options from anyone, the oc the Q6600 and keep Q9450 at stock help's slightly

 

[veedubfreak]

You can probably pick up a q6600 dirt cheap and just get one of those new thermalright ultra bite off heatsinks for a bit more and easily hit 3ghz on stock volts. I was able to get mine as far as 3.15ghz on stock voltage.