should i get a core 2 extreme or core 2 quad?

[jdaniel 125]

hello

before you read this, don't suggest me to upgrade my motherboard. the core 2 series is still very capable of gaming. and ive already invested so much time in my current build

anyways, my GIGABYTE motherboard supports the entire core 2 quad and core 2 extreme series. and i want to upgrade from my core 2 duo to one of those CPU's, but the question is.. which one?

ive seen the core 2 quad q9650 benchmark scores, and it competes with the 3rd generation core i3 when overclocked a little which is very impressive, but i dont know about the core 2 extreme yet...

so my question is, which is more powerful for games like GTA V? the core 2 quad, or the core 2 extreme? one thing i like about the core 2 extreme is its unlocked multiplier which allows for easier overclocking.

 

[barto]

You most likely couldn't tell the difference between them. I know you've heard it, but the dated technology isn't going to have as big of an impact as you are hoping. A Q9550 isn't going to look or feel different as a QX9650. 1 tier is going to yield results that aren't very different.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html

 

[cin19]

ive seen the core 2 quad q9650 benchmark scores, and it competes with the 3rd generation core i3 when overclocked a little which is very impressive, but i dont know about the core 2 extreme yet...

The benchmark scores do not tell you all, sometime it is useless. I add one review, you can see even the Celeron G1820 will be better than the c2q 9650 for games ( but not all of games), because for games you don't need more than two cores.
Review: 10 years intel cpu compared. http://www.techspot.com/article/1039-ten-years-intel-cpu-compared/

And back to your question, if the core 2 extreme one has almost same price (but I think it will be much expensive than the c2q), then get it, otherwise get the c2q 9650. Don't put too much $$ into the core 2 extreme even it is better.