E8400, Q6600, Q9300, Q9450

[corinthos]

I can get one of the above processors for about 50% off current market prices and would like to know what would be best for me if I want the best bang for the buck, taking into account total cost of ownership (electric running 6-8 hours m-f, 16 hours sa-su), cost of other components in order to maximize the performance of the cpu of choice, etc.

I don't want to pay a premium for RAM or get a chip because it's cheap yet offers competitive performance when OC'd yet will cost me more in the long run due to electricity costs, etc.

I am not a hardcore gamer but would like to be able to play the latest & greatest games once in a while on a 24" lcd with full eye candy while also having background processes run
w/o one interfering with the other. I hear, when OC'd, the q6600 is pretty competitive with the top end processors, but wonder if its higher power consumption and heat will make it more costly in the long run. I know the q6600 is 65nm and the e8400 and q9xxx are 45nm.
I think the q6600 costs 50% more than the q9300, and is about the same price as the e8400, with the other q9xxx cpus costing a bit more.

I intend to upgrade probably once every 12-18 months, replacing CPU/mobo combo
for something new.

Value is the most important thing for me. I don't want to pay 50% more for a 7% performance gain, for example. I plan to use the cpu for a year or year and a half and
sell it without losing much of what I paid, then upgrade to something else at that time.

I was looking at an e2180 for about $70 but if I can get a q6600 for $30 more or one of the other chips at similarly good prices, I think the e2180 doesn't end up looking like as good a value.

If some of you who are more knowledgeable and experienced can provide your input, that'd be greatly appreciated!

 

[secretanchitman]

i would get an E8400, because it'll use less power (dual instead of quad) and its highly overclockable.

i got my Q9450 because i plan on keeping this machine for years to come..and because i do a lot of video encoding and editing.

 

[bryanW1995]

e8400

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: corinthos

I intend to upgrade probably once every 12-18 months, replacing CPU/mobo combo
for something new.

Value is the most important thing for me.

Then grab the Q9450 and call it a day.

 

[Tempered81]

E8400 by miles

 

[Sunrise089]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
E8400 by miles

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'd go for the Q9450, or the Q9550 if you can get a hold of one. Plan on spending money on DDR2-1000 RAM, if you want to OC the FSB up to 450 on the 45nm quads.

 

[GundamF91]

go Q9450, I did. I'm building a new one to replace my existing rig. It's the most future proof CPU right now, it's quad, and has SSE4. You can't get better than that right now.