New Gaming build - CPU suggestions?

[Xanthropos]

Ok, so i'm building a new system for gaming.
I'm keeping my current 7900GT until a new range of gfx cards come out, for now.

My question is, which CPU should i get?

Should i get a quad core? (Q6600) or should i get a dual core for about the same price (E6850)?

I'm unsure due to the fact that at the moment, the E6850 seems to offer better performance with most games. However, in the future, games will be built to specifically use quad cores more effectively. So I don't know what to go for...

Any thoughts?

 

[aadamszc]

Everyone Debates this. Check these links out.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600.html
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=8

As someone one the thread put it

Dual Core is Faster.........Today
Quad Core is Better........Tomorrow

If you are strictly using this for gaming, then the Dual may be better. However, if you have some cooling options you could OC the quad to get a clock speed of 3.0ghz.

 

[Xanthropos]

Hmmkay. Having looked at those threads (thanks for links! ), I'm going to go for the Q6600 and OC it to 3.0 ghz or more.

I've found a case withn good airflow, but I can't easily get the Scythe Infinity CPU cooler with 2 fans used in the top thread in the UK - what should I use as a cooler?

 

[WR2]

Scythe Infinity w/ 1 fan http://www.scan.co.uk/
Other good coolers: Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme (and 1 fan ordered seperatly), Zalman CNPS9700
If you need to step down in size a bit due to your case (or budget): Scythe Miné or Thermalright Ultima-90 (+ 1 fan ordered seperatly) will both easily get the job done.
A review of 25 HSF by Hexus.net