Quad Q9650 vs core i7 920?

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lgodofgtal

16 posts

Geek

#33725 11-May-2009 10:28

hi,
i am looking for Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0 GHz 12M L2 Cache 1333MHz and Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz quad core CPU Socket LGA1366, but i am still confuse between these two processors.
So I'd like to find out which one of the proccessors is better than the other. Any recommendations and suggestions are appreciated Thank you

magu

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#214052 11-May-2009 10:45

I believe the i7 is better at handling overclocking, plus it's newer technology.

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Adamal

544 posts

Ultimate Geek

#214090 11-May-2009 13:15

http://www.techspot.com/review/124-intel-core-i7-920-940-965/

Some benchmarks for the 920 and the Q9650 in there

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#214097 11-May-2009 13:38

I went through this dilemma a few months back and ending up buying a Q9550 instead of an i7 based system. Basically I came to the conclusion that you always pay a premium for jumping on the new technology bandwagon. Unless you've got money to burn I think you are bettter waiting for the 2nd or 3rd revision of the i7 CPU's. i7 motherboards are very expensive as well, sure you'll get better performance but how much of a premium it really worth paying?

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jbmoocs

91 posts

Master Geek

#214633 13-May-2009 15:02

redjet: I went through this dilemma a few months back and ending up buying a Q9550 instead of an i7 based system. Basically I came to the conclusion that you always pay a premium for jumping on the new technology bandwagon. Unless you've got money to burn I think you are bettter waiting for the 2nd or 3rd revision of the i7 CPU's. i7 motherboards are very expensive as well, sure you'll get better performance but how much of a premium it really worth paying?

Redroman I agree with you totally on what you have said. Today I got my rig setup which is very similar to yours - PQ5 pro, Gtx275 & Q9550 I even managed to get the thing into my lian li htpc case believe it or not. Albeit I had to to do a bit of mcguyver and make a 120mm air vent at the top to dissapate the heat better. I used a Scythe Zipang Low Profile Heatpipe, CPU Cooler
and it is going well now. I am glad that i did not break the bank with an I7 build it seems superfluous to my needs cosidering the blistering speeds of my new build.
Not meaning to hi jack the thread but I am only using a Silverstone ST50 500watt PSU and all is well but am I under powering? Thanks for any enlightenment on that issue please.

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#214640 13-May-2009 15:51

I've got the Thernalright Ultra-120 heatsink and a Scythe S-Flex fan which is how I managed a 3.8ghz overclock. Actually it ran for a while at 4ghz but then I started getting BSOD's everywhere! LOL I've also installed Windows 7 RC 64 bit on another drive and it's running like a dream so far.

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jbmoocs

91 posts

Master Geek

#214645 13-May-2009 16:06

3.8ghz on air is nothing to sniff at, are you running that 24/7 stable and do you see any major improvements in your gaming experience once you OC it? Reason I ask is I want to know if its worth OC my cpu as 2.83 @ stock is more than OK i thought.

redjet

299 posts

Ultimate Geek

#214713 13-May-2009 21:19

jbmoocs: 3.8ghz on air is nothing to sniff at, are you running that 24/7 stable and do you see any major improvements in your gaming experience once you OC it? Reason I ask is I want to know if its worth OC my cpu as 2.83 @ stock is more than OK i thought.

The Q9550 is excellent for gaming without even touching it. I mainly got the after-market heatsink as the stock fan was a little on the noisy side. Am not really seeing any major gaming performance increases however I didn't benchmark it before I switched so I can't really tell.

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