Intel core 2 quad Q9650 vs Intel Core i7-920

[Guest]

hi,
I am building a new PC. In my country there is no price difference between i7-920 & Q9650. i am going to use this computer for gaming , Video Editing and Some sort of Multimedia Use...... for graphic card i am going with 5870HD and 9800gt or GTS 250 for physx.....
I am mainly confused in picking up the processor........... since both are quad core. i7-920 has base configuration of 2.66ghz which on turbo boost be reached at 2.93ghz nearly 3.0ghz(Q9650)..... Also there is option for overclocking..................
Plz Suggest me which 1 is better for long term usage??????

 

[Bluescreendeath]

You can't directly compare clocks because an i7 and core2quad use completely different architecture. The Core2 Q9650 has a faster clock, but the i7 920's clock speeds are more efficient.

i7 920 is much better in terms of clock-per-clock power, efficiency, architecture, etc. Also, the i7 920 can easily overclock 1GHz, and the D0 stepping can get to 4.0Ghz without difficulty.

Also, the Core2Quad's 775 socket is near the end of its life. So get the i7 920!

Also for physX, make sure you use an older/hacked driver since Nvidia disabled physX if they detect an ATI card in your machine.

 

[Guest]

What is safe number to which i can overclock i7 to with Stock cooler????

 

[andy5174]

Don't ever think about OCing with stock cooler especially with the immensely hot LGA1366 i7!

 

[Bluescreendeath]

With the stock cooler, little to none. With a good aftermarket cooler, it varies.

 

[Keiki646]

hi,
I am building a new PC. In my country there is no price difference between i7-920 & Q9650. i am going to use this computer for gaming , Video Editing and Some sort of Multimedia Use...... for graphic card i am going with 5870HD and 9800gt or GTS 250 for physx.....
I am mainly confused in picking up the processor........... since both are quad core. i7-920 has base configuration of 2.66ghz which on turbo boost be reached at 2.93ghz nearly 3.0ghz(Q9650)..... Also there is option for overclocking..................
Plz Suggest me which 1 is better for long term usage??????

If it was up to me I would go with an Intel i7 and a ATI 5870
Intel i7 is much faster and more what you are looking for

 

[andy5174]

i7 is surely faster, but definitely not much faster.