OC3D Review: Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Quad Core CPU

[JN]

"With a 3.0ghz stock clock, unlocked multiplier and a whopping 12mb cache, how does the QX9650 compare to some of it's more affordable counterparts?"

Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Review

 

[ionicle]

woah, one hell of a review!

its not even up on the front page yet

EDIT: good review

the dual core got left in the dust for multi-threaded aplications

but that processor isnt THAT much further ahead of the Q6600 tbh..

not really worth the extra ££ IMO

but as you said, the best of the best...

 

[Bungral]

Wow.. Where did this come from..

Will read it in a min

 

[!TIMMY!]

yummy! I want, but not enough money, ahhhggggg.

 

[JN]

yummy! I want, but not enough money, ahhhggggg.

Ditto...I was tempted to run off with it to Mexico

 

[Socks]

Im hopefully getting a Q9450, im not going to even consider spending that much money one something not all that great, a Q9450 = cheap, good for le future useage, and meh, its my b'day in a few weeks so i might as well treat myself.

Anyone else looking at anything similar or sticking with whats already out?

 

[FarFarAway]

Sticking with Dual Core until Nehalem comes out tbh

 

[Pseudonym]

My jaw was firmly open throughout. 4.275ghz on air is mad.

Then the price popped up and my jaw stayed where it was. Ouch, but if you want the best you have to pay for it.

When these come down in price they might be an excellent buy.

 

[FarFarAway]

My jaw was firmly open throughout. 4.275ghz on air is mad.

Then the price popped up and my jaw stayed where it was. Ouch, but if you want the best you have to pay for it.

When these come down in price they might be an excellent buy.

Intel's Extreme CPU's never come down THAT much in price...

 

[Bungral]

Im hopefully getting a Q9450, im not going to even consider spending that much money one something not all that great, a Q9450 = cheap, good for le future useage, and meh, its my b'day in a few weeks so i might as well treat myself.

Anyone else looking at anything similar or sticking with what's already out?

I'm gonna buy a Q9450 out in the States beginning of next month. Want an upgrade from my E6600.. Would probably just get a Q6600 if I wasn't going over the pond but as I can save a few quid then there is no harm in opting for the Penryn.

Agreed with Matt though.. Nehalem :yumyum:.. Its probably gonna be a little steep when first comes out though.

 

[steve30x]

I want one but I cant afford the price, Which is why I opted for a Q6600 instead.

 

[tinytomlogan]

Great review.

Would love to see a review on the lower spc quads like the q9450, most things Ive read so far is these wont be as good (clocking wise) as the old q6600.

 

[nepas]

nice review jim.

you put a lot of volts through that chip,isn't 1.4 the max the 45nm's are rated for?Have read a lot about the 45's having seriously shortened lives due to voltage,they don't seem to be able to take being pushed on volts as well as a 65nm can.Either way though over 4.2 on air is good going,but I cant see them going much further due to the voltage issue(unless you can get that far with a lot less volts)

seems weird now,but not so long ago people were not bothered about how many volts you put into a chip,just to get the highest clock possible,you overvolted this new chip to less than my venice takes as standard(still running at 1.59 after 2 years)

 

[gdawg304]

Impressive chip and all, but hasn't it already been superseded by the QX9770 clocked at 3.2GHz?

A review of that chip on bit-tech described anyone who bought it (retails at £930-odd) as indulging in willy-waving and suggested that a Q9450 for a quarter the price, overclocked to 3.2GHZ+ was a more sensible option....

although the release of those seems to have slipped back to July looking at some retailers!! There doesn't seem to be any official notification anywhere about the 9450 & 9550 release dates.

 

[Rastalovich]

Great write-up.

Intel's Extreme CPU's never come down THAT much in price...

Nope. Cept in the states vS UK price does seem to fluctuate. At the time of release, the X9650 was the same price (give or take), now I think there`s a £100 or so difference.

The mobos make a difference in supplying these beasts. I`m presently running the cpu @ stock @ 1.15v or so.

With the ABit IX38, I can go 4.1x ghz on 1.2xV. Previous IX38 board I had went to 4.2x ghz on 1.3xV. All on air.

That being said again, cpuz gives incorrect readings. Uguru says it`s doing one thing - and it isn`t, and my temps, outside of coretemp are 12 degrees, sometimes hittin 18... on air >.<

X9770 for almost £1k ! sheesh.

 

[doug2507]

.

 

[FarFarAway]

Personally I'd say that the Q6600 is more than sufficient for the time being, especially when considering the price.

 

[Rastalovich]

Building a rig for gaming ? I`d consider more the mobo & gfxcard(s) these days.

There are anything from 4 to 6 cpus out that will destroy games, marginly under that there a good dozen, even when run @ stock in both dual and quad core flavors.

If your doing other stuff in addition to gaming, your emphasis may change.

 

[clone38]

Ive had one sitting here for weeks now as i need a motherboard for it but my new case needs more modding done costing me ££££ nice review cant wait to get this baby under water