will the Core 2 Quad Q9550 work with my mobo?

[jasonhtml]

two years ago i built a nice system and now i've decided i'd like an upgrade

current specs:
mobo: Abit AW9D-MAX
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4Ghz
GFX: nVidia GeForce 8800GTX
RAM: G.Skill 2GB Dual Channel
PSU: OCZ GameXStream 700W

upgrades i'm eyeing:
2 GB additional G.Skill RAM
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.8Ghz ($220)
and in the future i plan on buying a GeForce 295 or something

my question is: since my mobo only supports a 1066Mhz FSB, and the Q9550 has an FSB rating of 1333, will it still work? my second choice would be the Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4Ghz ($200) (1066Mhz FSB). the price difference hardly matters, but i would much rather have the Q9550 if it will run on my mobo. Abit has done tests on various CPUs, listed here: Universal abit > CPU Support List but the Q9550 is blank, so it hasn't been tested. but i noticed that other 1333mhz FSB CPUs have been tested and work?

also, i've read that it's generally a bad idea to try and run higher FSB-rated CPUs on lower rated mobos. why is this?

thanks in advance

 

[synergy]

According to that list the 9550 will work, but you will run the chip at the lower speed of 1066. This won't damage anything, but you'd be spending $220 for a processor that won't run at it's full potential. If I were you I would stick to a 45nm dual core like the E7600 or something that is rated at 1066 MHz. That will save you $70 or so to spend on a new video card or other upgrade.

 

[jasonhtml]

why not the Q6600 like i suggested? its also rated at 1066Mhz

 

[patonb]

I don't think the Abit AW9D-MAX will suupport 45nm quads, only the GT model supposively.

Abit AW9D/AW9D-Max support 45nm CPUs with the latest BIOS update - [H]ard|Forum
CPU-Upgrade: ABIT AW9D-MAX cpu support and features

So youre stuck with the 6600

Oh, hes suggesting a dual 45nm chip, as it'll be faster doing almost everythig you do right now, unless you're a major multitasker.

 

[synergy]

Paton's right. Unless you're into heavy video editing, some high end gaming, or any other program that is optimized for a quad core then you won't notice a difference. The 6600 is quite an old chip now and the 45nm dual cores are super fast. That being said, if you really want a quad then the 6600 would be your best bet since your board won't do the newer 45nm quads.

 

[jasonhtml]

patonb, thanks for the links. i do consider myself a heavy multitasker and gamer, so i'll be going with the Q6600. i might even overclock a little bit. thanks for the help guys

 

[veg1992]

Maybe you should look into the Q6700?

Better overclocking potential than the q6600 as the batches didn't crap out after a while, also you are guaranteed a G0 Revision.

 

[jasonhtml]

ya the Q6700 looks like a good buy. it's $200 at tiger direct (no Q6700 at newegg for some reason?) which is the same price as newegg's Q6600.

however, i've never oc'ed before and i don't understand what you mean about the batches and G0 revision. care to enlighten me? i'm reading up on oc'ing right now but i haven't come across either of those terms yet...

 

[veg1992]

Well, when the q6600 became so popular because of their overclocking ability, sometime in 2008 they stopped being some good.

Revision's are basically revamped versions of the chips where problems are addressed etc. and for some reason its usually better.

 

[jasonhtml]

thanks for the info, ill be buying the Q6700