When can I CPU upgrade to Quad for <$150?

[soccerballtux]

Edit: was tldr
Cliffs:
-want to upgrade for the q-factor
-concerned about my current cooler dissipating the heat from a quad-- have the Thermalright Ultra 120 (not extreme); maybe I should upgrade my 45cfm fan.
-Don't want to stress the mobo in a way that will kill it within 3-4 years. So, might mean getting the Q9550 over the Q9450 for the extra 0.5x multi.

 

[sgrinavi]

$150 quad at 4.2?

Hmm. That might be a mighty long wait. How about 3.6?

 

[tallman45]

Used Q6600 on Ebay is your best option for $150, or spend $40 more and get a new one

Forget the 4.2Ghz dream its not reality

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: sgrinavi
$150 quad at 4.2?

Hmm. That might be a mighty long wait. How about 3.6?

Oh I see then...
I don't want to get a Q6600 because I'll feel like I wasted the $80 I spent on my current processor. Back then the idea was "cook this one and upgrade to Penryn when it's cheap"

Well, at 3.4Ghz and 1.5v, it's not exactly cooking. And it's perfectly fast. So upgrading would just be cause I like the idea of having 4.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: tallman45
Used Q6600 on Ebay is your best option for $150, or spend $40 more and get a new one

Forget the 4.2Ghz dream its not reality

Oh ok then. What's a reasonable "dream"?
Q6600 won't have SSE4.1 which in 1.5 years might be nice.

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux

Originally posted by: tallman45
Used Q6600 on Ebay is your best option for $150, or spend $40 more and get a new one

Forget the 4.2Ghz dream its not reality

Oh ok then. What's a reasonable "dream"?
Q6600 won't have SSE4.1 which in 1.5 years might be nice.

For a Quad core?.........Q9450, EOL by the way, but still out there.........or the Q9550. Probably 3.6 -3.8, with good a HSF and Mobo.
CD2, E8400, seen reports of 4.0. But take note: none for $150.00


Finding a C2Q at or around $150.00 (new) in not likely. The closest is the Q6600. Microcenter has the Q9450 as of now for $279.00.

 

[soccerballtux]

Since my current comp is so fast I guess I'll just wait till Nehalem comes out and Q109 prices go into effect and look into a Q9650 then, possibly used or something. That looks like it has potential for easy 4Ghz from the internets I've been reading.

 

[taltamir]

nehalem is a lot faster per clock cycle, but also should not make it to 4.2ghz, but it should OC high enough to be faster then a Q6600 / Q9450 would be at 4.2ghz.
It will also cost a lot more. And these are already expensive.

I suggest you get a 50$ quality air cooler, a Q6600, and OC it...
I choose to stop my Q6600 OC at 3.0ghz with a slight underclock. @ 3.3ghz I was already going above the "safe" voltage range.

 

[sgrinavi]

If you want to go 4.0, or better, on air and be stable you'll need to think about an e8400 and even that is a risk.

 

[OCGuy]

Originally posted by: sgrinavi
If you want to go 4.0, or better, on air and be stable you'll need to think about an e8400 and even that is a risk.

And what risk is that? You can do that all day.

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31

Originally posted by: sgrinavi
If you want to go 4.0, or better, on air and be stable you'll need to think about an e8400 and even that is a risk.

And what risk is that? You can do that all day.

All day long? Stable? Cool? On every system? Every PSU? Every MB? OK, if you say so.

I guess I got an odd one as mine was not stable at 4.0 on either of my P35 boards.

 

[soccerballtux]

Ok actually, 4Ghz is not necessary. I just want something that is faster clock for clock than my current e2180.

At 3.4Ghz, it compares to (and is slightly faster than) a Core 2 Extreme X6800, so anything faster than that is good for me.

Which means, a 3Ghz Q6600 would be the same as the Core2 Extreme, with double the the cores.

So, Even if I got a simple 3.6Ghz Penryn, that would trounce the Q6600 at 3.0Ghz, and would have SSE4.1. So maybe I'll just wait for a 9450 to hit $150.