Thread: CPU decisions - Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad?

I'm about purchase a new system and I can't decide what CPU to get:

Core 2 Duo E6750
Core 2 Duo E6850
Core 2 Quad 6600

And a link to compare.

I'm putting this on a P35 chipset with 2 GB of PC800 RAM and will probably upgrade to 4 GB in a few months.

Part of me is leaning towards the Quad core because I like the idea of having more than two cores. Plus, I'm probably about ready to make the jump to Vista so extra cores will help it run better in theory. But at the same time, the Core 2 Duo's out perform the Quad E6600 in some gaming scenarios but not all. And then the E6750 is about $90 cheaper. Maybe I should get it and then upgrade to a quad core next year?

I'm sick of reading reviews and looking at charts of benchmarks. I won't be overclocking. I'm only concerned about out-of-the-box performance and if I will get the most gaming bang for the buck. Does anyone have any real experience with a Quad Core Q6600 and BF2 or BF2142 and other games?

Id go dual core, and with the E6850

If i was going quad core, i would have to go for the Core 2 Extreme, other wise stick with dual core for your money.

But Core 2 extreme cost...well....yea.

Thanks everyone for the input. The E6850 is on the way and should be on my doorstep by Thursday. I spent last night running benchmarks on the old system so I can compare it to my new one.

Next up will be testing a DriverPack slipstream of drivers in to my Windows XP installation. I'm going to switch the motherboard & CPU from an AMD X2 4200+ and nForce 4 chipset to an Intel Core 2 Duo and P35 chipset. With the Driverpack slipstream keeping all chipset and lan drivers listed XP , the system should boot up, find the right drivers and everything will work.

My fingers are crossed on this. It sounds great on paper, but this type of move normally requires a reinstall of the OS.

Originally Posted by ImitationMan

Thanks everyone for the input. The E6850 is on the way and should be on my doorstep by Thursday. I spent last night running benchmarks on the old system so I can compare it to my new one.

Next up will be testing a DriverPack slipstream of drivers in to my Windows XP installation. I'm going to switch the motherboard & CPU from an AMD X2 4200+ and nForce 4 chipset to an Intel Core 2 Duo and P35 chipset. With the Driverpack slipstream keeping all chipset and lan drivers listed XP , the system should boot up, find the right drivers and everything will work.

My fingers are crossed on this. It sounds great on paper, but this type of move normally requires a reinstall of the OS.

Negative, your going to have to format your hard drive... Because your C:/ still has files and drivers on it from your old motherboard and CPU... So when you put the new MB and CPU in and turn it on, its going to freak out and act funny. Trust me, it has happened to me. I got a new MB and CPU and i installed it all and turned it on... and it didn't like that one bit. So i had to reformat my C:/ and then load all the shit on there. It was a pain in the ass, but its the way you gotta do it.

That's part of the experience I'm going for. I'm sure I will end up formatting regardless of how smooth or rocky it goes. Even if it does work, I don't really expect it to perform real well when I switch the guts, but at the same time, I want to test the idea that if all the drivers you need are integrated into the OS, it should be able to sort it all out.

I bought the 6850 and I love it. I will upgrade to the quad when they come out with a smoker.

Nuck

The New 45nm CPUs from Intel are to be coming out in Nov. 11th I believe you can't wait till then?
and if you still go for the 6850 I am sure it will come down in price at that time too.

Q6600s are pretty cheap and mighty stable...