Best OC, Q6600 or Q9550

[50bmg]

my current specs:
E7200 @ 3.8G, 1.33v, 400Mhz fsb, Sunbeamtech core contact freezer
Gigabyte ga-ex38-ds4
2-3870s 512 in xfire Visiontek OC edition
4G(2x2G) Patriot 2v pc6400
500G seagate 7200.11
windows xp sp2 32bit
800w BFGTech, 12V rails has 56A combined
antec 1200

What would be my best option, the q6600 or q9550?
explain the differences, like:

clocks? what clocks can i realistically expect to get?

Heat? @ 400 x full Multiplier, what should i expect in heat?

voltage?

power consumption? How much will each need, wattage?

cache? What will the Q9550's extra 4M cache do?

Will either be as fast in games like COD4, compared to my E7200 @3.8G?

Which is the best bang for my buck?

I thought prices would fall on the Q9550 by now. Do you think i should wait on a Q9550 or will the Q6600 be a big enough improvement to hold me over until my next full build with an i7 later next year?

I have read toms c2d stickies.

 

[V3NOM]

hmm... bang for buck i would still say Q6600 FTW. the Q9550 will without a doubt be faster clock-for-clock and will get a higher overclock. as to whether its better than your e7200 atm? no. not unless you wanna play GTA 4...

although, might the e7200 bottleneck those 3870's? anyone have any thougts on whether a quad would reduce a multi GPU bottleneck?

 

[50bmg]

bottleneck even at 3.8G?

I get 25-30FPS on Crysis Wars at 1650x1080 max.

 

[V3NOM]

well 3.8ghz is pretty quick, but still the two cores just might be struggling with graphics card communications cos its doing other jobs..

 

[50bmg]

I should ask the same questions for the q6700. how does it compare, price, heat, power, clock, etc?

at $229 on tigerdirect, the q6700 sounds like a good deal.

 

[V3NOM]

yeah, but the Q6600 should be like $189...

 

[aznguy0028]

if you're getting the i7 next year, i would get the Q6600, save some money, and hold out for a bit longer. that is the best bang for your buck

for comparison purposes. i've had a Q6600 (G0) before my Q9450 using an aftermarket cooler (zalman 9700). idle temps were 25-28c. Prime took the temps to around 41-43c. VERY COOL. this was at 2.4ghz.

as of now, i have a Q9450 (C1). when at stock 2.66ghz w/the zalman, temps were 40-42c idle. prime took it up to around 55-58c

im running it now at 413fsb, 3.3ghz for 24/7 use. i'm only at 1.2615v for vcore, so temps barely even gone up. my idle now is 41-44 and prime takes it to around 60-62. (+ 5-7 during summer time)

the newer steppings of the Q9550 (E0) should make it a bit cooler than the C1's. honestly, with the Q9550, expect at least 3.4ghz at 400fsb (assuming you know how to OC properly)

i have the older version of your mobo, the GA-X38-DS4, my vdroop on it is .04 so it isn't too bad. i've hit 3.3ghz pretty easily with the Q9450. been rock solid for the past 6 months. i'm really contemplating a 3.4ghz OC, but honestly, it's jes the greedy side of me talking. 3.3ghz quad is way more than enough for me.

i have a 3870x2, so its comparable to your 3870 cf, i run cod4 at 1680x1050 max settings with 2x AA with consistent 60+ fps.

 

[50bmg]

cod4 @ 1680x1050, 4xAA, max settings i get 80fps+.

I guess i will stick with my e7200 @ 3.8 until i need a quad.

 

[jerreece]

I'm not necessarily seeing why you need to upgrade from your e7200. If you're running that sucker at 3.8Ghz, it can't be bottle necking your video cards that I can imagine.

And if you do indeed plan to get an i7 this next year, you're silly to spend $200 or so now on a processor you'll soon be replacing anyhow. Simply be happy with your 80+ fps. You're doing fine. Next year when i7 prices come down some, and new games come out that you can't run that well, then you can upgrade.