newb question about E8400

[tjpark1111]

i just read the system buyer's guide for $1k to $2k and the value system suggested the E8500 instead of the E8400. is there any reason why? i searched around for the e8400 here on AT and seems there are some OC'ing problems, so is that why?? is the e8500 just better at OC'ing in general or does it just have a higher default multiplier or... what? even on newegg it seems the e8500 is much more popular than the e8400... im a little confused, im looking to build a system (still stuck on A64, really behind the times i guess?) and i was wondering if it would be worth it to spend the extra ~$20 for the E8500 over the E8400 (i do plan on OC'ing using some good air cooling) as I don't notice anything other than a difference in stock speed... thanks all for the help, sorry for the newb question i really need to catch up on things...

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What OC goal are you thinking about speed wise?

 

[NoSoup4You]

I was intrigued when you mentioned the E8500 was more popular on Newegg than the E8400, so I took a look myself. The E8400 has 2106 reviews submitted, 97% rate it a '4' or better, 89% of which give it a '5'. The E8500 has 696 reviews submitted, 97% rate it a '4' or better, 89% of which give it a '5'.

But to answer your question, the E8500 has a stock multiplier of 9.5, whereas the E8400 has a stock multi of 9. This allows the potential for a higher overclock, and makes 3.8Ghz extremely easy (400fsb x 9.5). Also, the E8500 is a higher binned part so it could/should potentially clock higher or use less voltage at the same frequency...etc.

 

[Shmee]

I would think as long as they are both E0 with good cooling, both are fine, unless you come up against FSB limitations, where the E8500 would be better with the higher multi. Honestly, I would look around and see if I could get a guaranteed E0 from either the e8500 or e8400. Or the E8600 if you could find them that cheap

 

[Denithor]

E0 is the answer. There were a lot of C0 e8400 chips in the retail channel that had to clear out before they started shipping E0 stepping chips (that generally OC better & run cooler). There were a lot fewer C0 e8500 chips to clear out and no C0 e8600 chips (launched as the first of the E0 revision chips).

Now they should all be E0 stepping unless you get really unlucky or order from a small vendor who doesn't move many chips.

 

[TC91]

I would really look into a q9400/q9550/q9650 if you plan to keep the system for a while

 

[RallyMaster]

Go quad. The difference between single and dual is pretty big. The difference between dual and quad is pretty substantial especially if you multitask heavily. However, going from a single core to a quad core is simply nuts (in a good way). If you get a E8400 now, you'll regret it eventually like one of my friends did. He just sold his E8400 after getting a quad and he has never been happier. If you have the choice of getting a quad vs a dual but end up getting a dual, you'll always want to know what you're missing out. I say you go for a quad in one giant leap and skip the intermediate dual core step.

 

[Shmee]

Q9550 E0 sounds best. look around for one, or get a Q9650 (always E0) for not much more.

 

[Denithor]

Except that by the time you step up to a q9550/q9650 there's only about $100 difference to go all the way up to an i7 920 build.

Seriously.

There's some amazing combo deals out there, if you just look.


EDIT:
I think your choices today are either a cheap C2D build ($700-800) or else an i7 build (around $1000).

Assuming a $200 GPU here are the prices I would expect to pay (not including OS).
PhII X3: $700
C2D: $750
PhII X4: $800
C2Q: $850
i7: $1000

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Except that by the time you step up to a q9550/q9650 there's only about $100 difference to go all the way up to an i7 920 build.

Seriously.

There's some amazing combo deals out there, if you just look.

Tell me about it

 

[tjpark1111]

Thank you so much for all the replies! anyway, i was actually looking into quads as i do a lot of one and two dimensional CFD, photoshop, and video encoding, but the step up in price (unless getting a Q8200) was a bit hard to swallow (ex. Q9550). Im actually a high school senior and using the college excuse with a little scholarship money for a new computer. Since ill definitely be using this for the next 4 years(a gpu upgrade down the road at most), i guess a quad would make sense? Would a q8200 work? im trying to stay within $1k, but $2k is possible (with a little bit of asian parents pwning me for it) thanks again!
P.S i switched the e8400 and e8500 on newegg lol, sorry

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Originally posted by: tjpark1111
Thank you so much for all the replies! anyway, i was actually looking into quads as i do a lot of one and two dimensional CFD, photoshop, and video encoding, but the step up in price (unless getting a Q8200) was a bit hard to swallow (ex. Q9550). Im actually a high school senior and using the college excuse with a little scholarship money for a new computer. Since ill definitely be using this for the next 4 years(a gpu upgrade down the road at most), i guess a quad would make sense? Would a q8200 work? im trying to stay within $1k, but $2k is possible (with a little bit of asian parents pwning me for it) thanks again!
P.S i switched the e8400 and e8500 on newegg lol, sorry

I'm looking at your dilemma, and the part shared by many. I feel sorry for college students these days -- especially, "these days." When I started at a UC campus, there wasn't technically any tuition -- only about $95 per semester in "student-fees." When Robert MacNamara went to Berkeley, he paid $25 per semester. If I wanted to go back to school as a retired "oldster" today at my alma-mater UC campus, I couldn't afford it.

Since software is evolving to take better advantage of multiple cores, and since you want to build this system to last four years, I'm leaning toward recommending a quad-core to you.

That being said, I just think you'll be shorting yourself with the Q8x00 processors. They only have 4MB of L2 cache. The Q9x50 model-line has 12MB of L2. And the upper-end of that line is less than $200 more than the low-end of the Q8x00 quads.

Otherwise, you might be tempted to engage in more short-run upgrades, just as you would if you bought an E8x00 dual-core. So -- if you can swing it, go for a Q9650. If you can't spring for the price of the Q9650, look at the Q9550 and Q9450.

 

[NoSoup4You]

If money's an issue, definitely go for the E5200 at $70. Nothing else comes close to matching it in value. Cache is highly over-rated unless you're a benchmark junkie.

If going quad, the Q8200 or Q8300 are the way to go at the moment.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Originally posted by: NoSoup4You
If money's an issue, definitely go for the E5200 at $70. Nothing else comes close to matching it in value. Cache is highly over-rated unless you're a benchmark junkie.

If going quad, the Q8200 or Q8300 are the way to go at the moment.

Not to burst your bubble or anything but I read the added 6mb cache on the Q9x50 model cpu's can add up to 30 more fps in UT3 over a 6 or 4 meg cache CPU

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN

Originally posted by: NoSoup4You
If money's an issue, definitely go for the E5200 at $70. Nothing else comes close to matching it in value. Cache is highly over-rated unless you're a benchmark junkie.

If going quad, the Q8200 or Q8300 are the way to go at the moment.

Not to burst your bubble or anything but I read the added 6mb cache on the Q9x50 model cpu's can add up to 30 more fps in UT3 over a 6 or 4 meg cache CPU

That's why I gave him my recommendation for the Q9xx0 line. Nobody knows where software is going, or how soon it will get to a full use of the four cores. But these quads have been around for a while. If he's talking about a four-year life-cycle, $100 extra shouldn't make that much difference.

When I was in the world and working for a living, the work-environment had certain unspoken, unwritten dress-codes. There was a motive to "dress-for-success." Those of us down the ladder would exploit the annual fire-sales at men's-stores. But the best advice I ever heard was this: "A poor man can't afford a cheap suit." Meaning -- put your dollars on something that will last, and choose it carefully.

 

[ItsAlive]

If youre building a completely new system in $1-2k range I'd say start Here

With something like that to start you out, I think you'd have a pretty nice set up.

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: tjpark1111
Thank you so much for all the replies! anyway, i was actually looking into quads as i do a lot of one and two dimensional CFD, photoshop, and video encoding, but the step up in price (unless getting a Q8200) was a bit hard to swallow (ex. Q9550). Im actually a high school senior and using the college excuse with a little scholarship money for a new computer. Since ill definitely be using this for the next 4 years(a gpu upgrade down the road at most), i guess a quad would make sense? Would a q8200 work? im trying to stay within $1k, but $2k is possible (with a little bit of asian parents pwning me for it) thanks again!
P.S i switched the e8400 and e8500 on newegg lol, sorry

If you do photoshop and video encoding then it would be better if you could go the quad. I bought the E8400 when it first came running at stock and love it. But if I were building a system today then it would be quad, probably the i7 920 which Microcenter has for $229.99