E8400 vs Q8400 vs Q9550

[alhanelem]

my pc specs:

e5400 OC'd to 3.32Ghz
MSI G31M3 Mobo
GTS 250 palit e green (about the same performance as a 9800 gtx)
2 GB ddr2 ram
550 watt great wall power supply
Win XP pro SP3
19" LCD at 1440X900
playing games such as GTA4, Bioshock 2, Last Remnant, and more games when they come out.

i wanted to get rid of my old cpu with either:

a e8400 at $269
http://www.dcomponline.com.au/productview.asp?proid=7185

a Q8400 at $269
http://www.dcomponline.com.au/productview.asp?proid=7303

or a Q9550 at $369
http://www.dcomponline.com.au/productview.asp?proid=7179

Of course i know the q9550 is the better choice BUT its a lot more expensive and will take me forever to save up some money
im also thinking of getting win 7 64 bit and an extra 2 gigs of ram but this will also take me longer to get if i get the Q9550

soooo......
should i:
a) get a e8400/q8400 and win 7 + 2 GB ram
b) get a Q9550 and win 7 + 2 GB ram
c) wait for something better...

(sorry for the really long length)


EDIT:
q8400 at $230, e8400 at $225 and Q9400 at $255
http://www.f1tech.com.au/file/1267588923.pdf

EDIT 2:
Q8400 at $217
http://www.dcacomputers.com.au/shop/images/pricelist/dcaplist.pdf

 

[Maziar]

If you can afford the Q9550 then go for it,it has more cache than a Q8400 and usually OC's better,otherwise go with Q8400(I don't recommend the E8400,because i don't see any points upgrading from a dual core to another dual core CPU)

 

[Stupido]

+1 for Maziar, but I would rather go "c)", because LGA775 is "dead" socket. But this would mean that you should get rid of your motherboard & memory too...

so at the end, it is up to you... 😉

 

[alhanelem]

+1 for Maziar, but I would rather go "c)", because LGA775 is "dead" socket. But this would mean that you should get rid of your motherboard & memory too...

so at the end, it is up to you... 😉

i wouldnt say LGA775 is dead since they still sell cpu's and motherboards that still use them

 

[justaguywithagun]

youd be a dolt to drop $400 on an LGA775 CPU.

rough prices:
AMD X4 620 $100
2x2gb DDR3 1600 $120
really nice AM3 890GX mobo $200

and that leaves some extra cash to save, or buy a nice HSF for some overclocking.

this AM3 setup would also allow an upgrade to six cored CPU's down the road

 

[alhanelem]

i was just looking around and found the e8400 and q8400 for a lower price!!!

http://www.f1tech.com.au/file/1267588923.pdf

but now im looking at the q9400 which is also in my price range and was wondering if i should get that since it is way cheaper than the q9550

 

[alhanelem]

youd be a dolt to drop $400 on an LGA775 CPU.

rough prices:
AMD X4 620 $100
2x2gb DDR3 1600 $120
really nice AM3 890GX mobo $200

and that leaves some extra cash to save, or buy a nice HSF for some overclocking.

this AM3 setup would also allow an upgrade to six cored CPU's down the road

not really into amd since i prefer intel because im more familiar with it

 

[justaguywithagun]

hey, thats a great reason to waste money!

ram goes into the slots, processor goes into the socket, wires, HSF...

its all the same, only the AMD machine would give you a considerably longer upgrade path with same/better performance.



your choice

 

[alhanelem]

hey, thats a great reason to waste money!

ram goes into the slots, processor goes into the socket, wires, HSF...

its all the same, only the AMD machine would give you a considerably longer upgrade path with same/better performance.



your choice

yes it is my choice
also you dont have to come out of no where and suggest i get something completely different.
is it to hard to suggest out of the 3 cpu's i wanted which one was best?
i know amd cpu's are really good since they have backward compatibility, high clock speeds, good overclocking headroom, but i still want to get an intel CPU, not replace my mobo and get brand new parts.

 

[alhanelem]

BLOODY HELL!!!
i just found a Q8400 for $217, now thats really cheap

http://www.dcacomputers.com.au/shop/images/pricelist/dcaplist.pdf

 

[Maziar]

Then go for it and OC it.
Like i said its not worth to upgrade from a dual core(E4500) to another dual core(E8400),but going with a Q8400,you get 2 extra cores(Which some games/apps benefit from it),and its a good OC'er too.

 

[cobot]

yes it is my choice
also you dont have to come out of no where and suggest i get something completely different.
is it to hard to suggest out of the 3 cpu's i wanted which one was best?
i know amd cpu's are really good since they have backward compatibility, high clock speeds, good overclocking headroom, but i still want to get an intel CPU, not replace my mobo and get brand new parts.

Hey, he was just trying to help you - and he made a very valid point.

BLOODY HELL!!!
i just found a Q8400 for $217, now thats really cheap

http://www.dcacomputers.com.au/shop/images/pricelist/dcaplist.pdf

I don't think you get it, it is not cheap - it is really expensive.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-phenom-ii-corei-i5,2647-7.html


With that said, if those four were the only choices I had, I would get the Q8400 and overclock them as much as I could.
Would never get a dual-core at this point and getting the Q9550 is just crazy talk.

 

[alhanelem]

well now im at a loss:
should i get a Q8400 for $217
or a Q9400 at $255

on one hand the q8400 is cheaper but has only 4 mb l2 cache while the q9400 has 6mb
and both are at 2.6 GHz but which one will overclock better?

 

[Maziar]

Both will OC good

 

[alhanelem]

Both will OC good

well then now i should decide if i get a q8400 and save some money or get the q9400 and gain some performance but spend more

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Go for the Q9400. 3 year old Core2 is still faster than AMD clock for clock and the 9400 should overclock the best. The 9550 is WAY overpriced.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-phenom-ii-corei-i5,2647-5.html


As to downgrading to an AMD x4 620 that is just crazy talk. I am no fan boy either way but if you are going to completely change platforms you have to at least upgrade from what you have now. Phenom x4 955 would be the only way I would recommend doing that. Even then I myself would get an i5 750 .....it is better in gaming than the 6 core AMD Thubans.

 

[alhanelem]

Go for the Q9400. 3 year old Core2 is still faster than AMD clock for clock and the 9400 should overclock the best. The 9550 is WAY overpriced.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-phenom-ii-corei-i5,2647-5.html


As to downgrading to an AMD x4 620 that is just crazy talk. I am no fan boy either way but if you are going to completely change platforms you have to at least upgrade from what you have now. Phenom x4 955 would be the only way I would recommend doing that. Even then I myself would get an i5 750 .....it is better in gaming than the 6 core AMD Thubans.

you have a point, spending a little extra for more performance and overclocking potential.
i might keep looking and see if i can find a q9400 at a lower price.

 

[d-block]

You can get a q9400 for $200 of Amazon.

 

[alhanelem]

You can get a q9400 for $200 of Amazon.

i prefer buying computer parts from a store since i prefer getting them as quickly as possible and i dont have a credit card or pay pal, so its easier for me.

 

[alhanelem]

Well ive thought about it and ive decided to go and get the Q9400 and overclock it to about 3 Ghz which should be good enough for my pc.

 

[alhanelem]

Best answer selected by alhanelem.

 

[Stupido]

i wouldnt say LGA775 is dead since they still sell cpu's and motherboards that still use them

that is why I used quotes...

I think that those CPUs & motherboards are just from stock...

 

[cadder]

decided to go and get the Q9400 and overclock it to about 3 Ghz

You are currently at 3.32GHz (dual cores) and you want to move to quad cores at 3.0GHz? What are you expecting to improve with this change? Some games and some apps will make use of more cores, and this will help you, but other games and apps do not make use of multiple cores and this would hurt you.

I have 2 desktops right now, one is an E8500 at 3.8GHz, the other is a Q9400 at 3.4GHz. The Q9400 will run at 3.8GHz too but I didn't do extensive prime95 testing at that speed to prove it stable. The problem with OCing chips like the Q9400 is that they have a low multiplier so to get to the higher speeds you have to run your ram at higher than 800MHz. If your ram and motherboard are up to it then the Q9400 can make a very powerful machine, within spitting distance of an i5 or i7.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

^ +1

You should go for higher than 3.0ghz IMO. If you decrease clock speed you are going to shoot yourself in the foot. Most things will be slower.
Try for 3.4 - 3.6 and then you will actually have an upgrade.

 

[Tijok]

I just recently had almost the exact same situation, wanting to upgrade an old E4500 without needing to switch socket, or any other extra costs. Everyone here has made some fantastic points, but one thing that I would like to point out is that when doing budget upgrades, you can get some really great deals from lightly used or even new products at places like ebay and craigslist.

The upgrade I got was an amazing steal of a Q9550 E0 for $160, in the box, brand new through craigslist. The box was opened, but upon inspection neither the proc or HS has seen any use at all. After a BIOS update, the thing ran quite well, if a little hot due to summer, in my current setup. I'm still working on undervolting and overclocking, but preliminary work is very encouraging.

My point in this lengthy text is to say: don't be afraid to go with the local deals, if you're careful, they can really work out in your favor. They can also completely screw you over, so be cautious, but great deals are out there.