Should I upgrade to a Better Core 2 Quad or Core 2 Extreme?

[grated parmesan]

I currently have a Core 2 Quad Q6600 and was wondering if I could improve my gaming performance by replacing it with a newer Core 2 quad such as the Q9550, or a Core 2 Extreme with its unlocked multiplier? I do plan on overclocking so the unlocked multiplier is a big pro in that regard. But I don't know if I will get a noteworthy performance bump or not to justify the extra cost. I have already checked and my motherboard supports both (Intel Extreme Series DX38BT). At the very least I know I will get cooler temps and a higher stock clock frequency.

 

[BadBoyGreek]

IMO, all depends on what kind of pricing you can get for the Q9550 or Extreme. What sort of prices have you seen for them?

 

[mcconkeymike]

As far as I know Core 2 chips are all unlocked and overclockable. I had a Q8200 and a Q9550 and overclocked them both as well as a couple Core 2 Duos that I don't remember that I was able to overclock with no problems. Just make sure you have an aftermarket (good) cooler.

 

[grated parmesan]

As far as I know Core 2 chips are all unlocked and overclockable. I had a Q8200 and a Q9550 and overclocked them both as well as a couple Core 2 Duos that I don't remember that I was able to overclock with no problems. Just make sure you have an aftermarket (good) cooler.

You can overclock them all, but the extremes have an unlocked multiplier which means that you can change the multiplier to a higher number, but with normal quads the multiplier won't go above 9. You can only change the FSB which usually gets to a point and then you just can't overclock any higher. That's how people get super high overclocks.

 

[10tacle]

You will not see any noticeable improvement. It's a nearly 10 year old chipset now and there's little room left for improvement for today's games and apps. Here's a review of several of these chips back in 2007:

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/intel_core_2_extreme_qx9650_processor_review,8.html

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/intel_core_2_extreme_qx9650_processor_review,9.html

Note that the games only show improvement at lower resolution settings. The higher the resolution the more the demand is put on the GPU. If you want to see any noticeable increase, you need to upgrade to a newer chipset. I wouldn't put any more money into such an outdated platform.

FYI I still have an 8 year old Core 2 Duo E6600 build that was my former gaming rig that was highly overclocked. It's been a general use PC for years now, but still works fine. I'll keep it until a component of it dies.

 

[grated parmesan]

IMO, all depends on what kind of pricing you can get for the Q9550 or Extreme. What sort of prices have you seen for them?

On ebay, Q9550 goes for $30-$40 buy it now. Extremes vary, QX6800~$32, QX6850~$55, QX977~$215. Just to name a few.

 

[Ecky]

Not worth it. The improvement will be marginal and it still won't meet the minimum requirements for some of today's games.

 

[spdragoo]

If the rest of your system is running well, & you're not too worried about playing brand-new games, then going for one of those Core 2 Extremes looks like it would be a cheap & decent upgrade.

 

[grated parmesan]

If the rest of your system is running well, & you're not too worried about playing brand-new games, then going for one of those Core 2 Extremes looks like it would be a cheap & decent upgrade.

I'm not really worried about it I have a gtx 760 and the most demanding game that I have is Overwatch. Do you know what the difference is between all of (or some of) the core 2 extremes? And is it worth it to pay more for one over another, say a QX6800 vs a QX6850?(about a $20 difference by the way)

 

[CompuTronix]

grated parmesan,

Just for comparisons, my Nephew is gaming on a Q9650 overclocked to 4.2 GHz on an Asus Rampage Extreme X48 motherboard, 8 GB DDR3 1600, two SSD's in RAID0, and an overclocked GTX 1060 6GB.

Here's his PassMark CPU score O/C'd @ 4.2 compared to newer processors at stock clocks with similar scores:

i5 6400 - 6,550
i5 3450 - 6,448
i5 2500K - 6,438
i5 4440 - 6,404
Q9650 @ 4.2 - 6,342
FX6300 - 6,330
i5 2500 - 6,232
i7 975 - 6,214
i5 3340 - 5,998

3DMark Time Spy - 3,929
3DMark Fire Strike - 10,321

As you can see, these scores show this is still a decent 1080p gaming rig, even though the CPU somewhat bottlenecks the GPU. I have built and overclocked several Q9650's and have owned one. This is just an example of the performance that a good LGA 775 motherboard paired with a Q9650 is capable of delivering when pushed to the upper limits.

The Q(x)6xxx CPU's are 65nm microarchitecture with 582 million transistors and typically O/C to 3.6 GHz.
The Q(x)9xxx CPU's are 45nm microarchitecture with 820 million transistors and typically O/C to 4.2 GHz.
Compare Specifications - http://ark.intel.com/compare/34692,30789

Also to be considered:

QX9775: C0 Stepping, 150 Watts TDP @ 3.2 GHz
QX9770: C0 Stepping, 136 Watts TDP @ 3.2 GHz
QX9650: C0 Stepping, 130 Watts TDP @ 3.0 GHz
Q9650: E0 Stepping, 95 Watts TDP @ 3.0 GHz

Of these CPU's, the Q9650 is the least expensive, has the latest E0 Stepping, the lowest TDP and is the easiest to cool. Among other BIOS settings, overclocking to 4.2 GHz is achieved by setting the Front Side Bus (FSB) to 467 MHz and Vcore to about 1.375. (467 FSB x 9 Multiplier = 4,203 MHz)

Here's a YouTube: My OC Settings on P5Q Deluxe with Q9650 for 4.2GHz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyGdVur13sI

Your BIOS settings will of course vary depending on your motherboard and the quality of your particular CPU sample. Keep in mind that all CPU's are unique in their voltage tolerance, thermal behavior and overclocking ability. Nonetheless, all of the half dozen or so Q9650's I've overclocked have successfully achieved 4.2 GHz, however no two CPU's used the same settings. The same is true with the QX9650, of which I've overclocked two.

Here's a good article from Tom's sister site, AnandTech, where they achieved an amazing overclock of 4.6 GHz: Overclocking Intel's new 45nm QX9650 - http://www.anandtech.com/show/2404

There are also several Q9560 Overclocking Guides available: - https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=overclocking+Q9650

If you decide to instead go with the less expensive Q9550, then 4.0 GHz is about the best you can expect due to it's 8.5 x multiplier. (471 FSB x 8.5 Multiplier = 4,003 MHz) Also, Front Side Bus (FSB) stability becomes more difficult to achieve as FSB clock speeds approach 500 MHz. Since your Intel Extreme Series DX38BT motherboard has an X38 Chipset instead of the later P45 or X48 Chipsets, FSB overclocking may be somewhat more limited.

As such, if you have the funds, then a QX9650 may be the best bet as it's easier to overclock. However, don't forget that the QX9650 is 130 Watts, so high-end liquid cooling is recommended. Conversely, since the Q9650 and Q9550 are 95 Watts, mid-range air cooling is adequate.

If I knew back then what I know now, I never would've sold my Q9650 rig.

CT