Upgrade to SH Q9550 or get i3-3220

[etre]

Hi

My gaming desktop got quite old. C2D E6750 paired with a GTX460.

I don't game much this days so I don't want to invest a lot. I just want to get a CPU that won't bottleneck my current GPU. After doing some research , seems like I need an i3 or Phenom II X4 level of performance.

Right now, I have two options:
1) get a new i3-3220 + MB
2) upgrade to a SH Q9550

As I understand, Q9550 overclocked should perform roughly equal to a Phenom II X4 980 BE (overclocked also ... not sure), which is trading blows with the i3 depending on how well is a game optimized for multiple cores.
I even saw more claims that Q9550 OC is about the same as an i5-2400 ... which I can hardly believe.

I have read a lot of reviews , but this are not all same generation of CPUs and is hard to discern all the information.

This is why I am asking, Q9550 or i3 ?

I know the i3 has a better upgrade path ... so did my E6750 when I bought it. I am interested in the level of performance for gaming, right now.
Mostly, what I plan to do is playing SC2 with my friends on BNet.

Thank you

 

[payturr]

Go i3 if you can afford to replace the board & other components as well - the i3 is much more power efficient & the architecture is better - it won't run as hot as a Q9550 would. I'm also pretty sure it's better than it in gaming - the modern Pentium beats out older Core 2 Duo CPUs in gaming today.

 

[zdbc13]

The Q9550 will be a good upgrade for your system. It will match your GPU all around. It's a quad core, too, so some applications will run better than on the i3. I'd compare prices and if it's cheaper to go Q9550, I'd do it.

 

[etre]

.... I'm also pretty sure it's better than it in gaming - the modern Pentium beats out older Core 2 Duo CPUs in gaming today.

Q9550 is a quad core.

 

[payturr]

Q9550[URL] is a quad core.

I said older Core 2 Duos, I know what the Q9550 is. But cores really mean NOTHING in most games because most games are still developed to utilize just 1-2 cores. As for what the other fellow said, the Intel Core i3 is hyper threaded - so you have somewhat of a quad core performance. Just because something has 2 more cores anyway doesn't mean it's better, trust me.

 

[swifty_morgan]

I used to run a dual core 6850?775 when I put my first 775 box together. about a year later I got rid of it and put in a q9550. big, big difference in gaming and general use. if you can score one of those relatively cheaply I would do that.

if you find the need to go to another socket stay away from the AMD stuff. it really isn't worth it. kinda old for the performance it gives. even the 9550 feels snappier.

If you decide to go the intel route.......... or even the amd route...... DON"T buy another dual core processor. they just are not worth anybodies time anymore. ( excluding e-mailers and surfers ).

 

[etre]

The Q9550 will be a good upgrade for your system. It will match your GPU all around. It's a quad core, too, so some applications will run better than on the i3. I'd compare prices and if it's cheaper to go Q9550, I'd do it.

The price will be about the same: sell cpu + buy Q9550, sell CPU+MB buy i3+MB. Luckily for me , here is a decent market for SH components

@payturr ok , ty for advice

 

[payturr]

Anytime friend - with whatever decision you make, I hope you get a good upgrade & have fun gaming!