Not your typical E6850 vs Q6600 Thread

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cooter

Gawd
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Dec 2, 2004
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Well I am about to get myself a few new parts for my computer and am like many have debating the E6850 vs Q6600.

I have not been able to decide what processor to get after many hours of looking. I then came upon this at THG and wanted to get some opinions.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=872&model2=877&chart=435

From the results on this thing it looks for me that it is more beneficial to get the E6850. I game and do a bit of photoshop and watch tv on my computer.

I am also waiting for crysis but from the results i have seen so far quad core has no benefit over dual core.

I am looking for Raw performance right now and not in 1.5 years because I can upgrade whenever I want, I am not worried about Future proofing because not all programs are going to be multithreaded by next week.

Is this accurate? Does anyone else have "True" performance numbers to compare the two?
 
I think you answered your own question. You're not going to be taking much advantage of the additional threads and you want raw performance. Those extra two cores are going to be doing little for you except for warming up your CPU more, so you might as well go dualcore and overclock just a tad further.
 
If you're going dual core get the E6750 instead (as has already been said about 5 million times on this forum) - it's meant to overclock quite well, meaning you can easily match/exceed the 6850 with a little tweaking and it's significantly cheaper.
 
Concentric said:
If you're going dual core get the E6750 instead (as has already been said about 5 million times on this forum) - it's meant to overclock quite well, meaning you can easily match/exceed the 6850 with a little tweaking and it's significantly cheaper.
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E6750 is a good processor for the money. Mine easily runs 3.2 Ghz. I have not found a stable point at 3.4 Ghz, but it might need more voltage and I don't feel like over volting it since 3.2 is very fast. People that say the E6750 will easily do 3.7-3.8 all day long are mistaken.

Long story short, I would go with an E6750, DDR2 800 ram, and run the processor at 3.2, ram 1:1. You'll love the performance and can upgrade in a couple years as necessary.
 
Crysis will get more performance out of a quad core (q6600) they said you get 15% more cpu performance out of Crysis per core.
 
Sagan said:
Crysis will get more performance out of a quad core (q6600) they said you get 15% more cpu performance out of Crysis per core.
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Show me a benchmark that proves Quad vs Dual Intel Core2Duo will get 15% faster fps in Crysis :rolleyes: I game at 2560x1600rez and it is ALL VideoCard at that point

Plus for the price you are getting different speeds and fsb, so a 3.0ghz 1333fsb DualCore vs a 2.6ghz 1066fsb QuadCore in all game benchmarks shows the Quad to be the slower cpu for Gamer's; Look at the bottom the TF2 score's, the E6850 is 10% faster
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/10/29/intel_core_2_extreme_qx9650/9
 
Zorachus said:
Show me a benchmark that proves Quad vs Dual Intel Core2Duo will get 15% faster fps in Crysis :rolleyes: I game at 2560x1600rez and it is ALL VideoCard at that point

Plus for the price you are getting different speeds and fsb, so a 3.0ghz 1333fsb DualCore vs a 2.6ghz 1066fsb QuadCore in all game benchmarks shows the Quad to be the slower cpu for Gamer's; Look at the bottom the TF2 score's, the E6850 is 10% faster
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/10/29/intel_core_2_extreme_qx9650/9
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Seriously those benchmarks are flawed because everyone who owns a q6600 can overclock it to at least 3.0ghz.
 
My understanding is that multicore for Crysis will be in full swing with the retail version.
 
JinxCA said:
The E6850 still gets beaten when overclocked significantly in this article: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q6600_8.html

Personally, I went with the 6850 just to get some high overclocks for fun, but also because I'd rather wait until there are a significant amount of programs that utilize multiple cores. By that time, there will be better performing quad core processors. :)
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I agree I liked all the benches showing my E6850 being like 1% from the QX6850 that is $1000.00. Check these out, shows most game at high rez do best with the E6850, even some above the eXtreme QuadCore's;
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3038&p=15

And no games really even use QuadCore yet, I don't plan to play Crysis could care less about that game i thought FarCry blew, I don't need another single player shooter to play :rolleyes:

I play Multiplayer games, and Team Fortress 2 rock's. Plus will upgrade to QuadCore when most game really take advantage of it, and by then newer faster models will be out
 
Zorachus said:
Plus will upgrade to QuadCore when most game really take advantage of it, and by then newer faster models will be out
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That's why I'm waiting too... just bought a 6850.

Basically what I was told is if I want to overclock, go for the Q6600. If not, go for the 6850.
 
If the price is close to the quad core why not get that instead?

I know my next upgrade will be the quad. I may not use it, but more and more games are going to. And i want to utilize all i can. :)
 
Sagan said:
Seriously those benchmarks are flawed because everyone who owns a q6600 can overclock it to at least 3.0ghz.
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And not everyone is interested in overclocking. I realize a lot of people around are but lets not pretend everyone does.
 
Sphere said:
My understanding is that multicore for Crysis will be in full swing with the retail version.
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Thats what the latest interview with one of the Crysis devs said. I can´t wait to see the performance myself.

For you Dual cores people: Don't feel bad for not having a quad core if you want to play high graphic games like Crysis...
 
ewb302 said:
People that say the E6750 will easily do 3.7-3.8 all day long are mistaken.
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Why am I mistaken? Mine's running at 3.8Ghz and it never goes above 52°C, even with 1.55v. :confused: I agree, the term "easily" is subjective. I wouldn't say "easily," but its very possible and highly likely with some voltage boost.
 
and what about this is not the same as every other dual vs quad thread?:confused:
 
enginurd said:
Why am I mistaken? Mine's running at 3.8Ghz and it never goes above 52°C, even with 1.55v. :confused: I agree, the term "easily" is subjective. I wouldn't say "easily," but its very possible and highly likely with some voltage boost.
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I guess I should have clarified. Many people are busy posting around the internet that all E6750's will overclock to 3.7-3.8 on air. I find this inaccurate, based on my own experiences and a few other honest individuals around the forums. Mine will do 3.2 Ghz at 1.38V (.03 above stock volts). Mine is not Orthos stable at 3.4 with 1.45 volts (droops to 1.41 under Orthos). I seriously doubt mine would come anywhere near 3.7-3.8 becasue most people claim to be getting 3.2-3.4 on stock voltage.

My point is that not every E6750 is a great overclocker. I am happy with 3.2, but I know my chip will not go much above 3.4 with reasonable voltage. I guess I get tired of seeing how everyone is better than me ;)
 
ewb302 said:
My point is that not every E6750 is a great overclocker. I am happy with 3.2, but I know my chip will not go much above 3.4 with reasonable voltage. I guess I get tired of seeing how everyone is better than me ;)
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Keep in mind that "reasonable" to some may not be reasonable to you. I think 1.55v is reasonable because Intel states that as the max, in conjunction with keeping the temps under 60°C. Also, like you mentioned, theres always vdroop. As always, results will vary, and is largely dependent on the chip you get (and its VID). My friend's E6750 has a VID of 1.25v, and he can reach 3.8Ghz with only 1.45v. As long as you keep the chip cool, it won't shorten the life of the chip. Most E6750/E6850 chips will reach 3.8Ghz with proper voltage and cooling.

Some will argue that I can actually give my chip more voltage because of vdroop and the fact that I don't even reach 60°C during full orthos load. I'd still rather not give it 1.6v, since I'm scurred. On the other hand, if I fry this chip, I can pickup a Q6600... hmmm.. :cool: I think I'll try it when I pickup my Yorkfield chip.
 
opt for the cheaper processor

then upgrade to e8400 / e8500 next year if you cant wait
 
ewb302 said:
I guess I should have clarified. Many people are busy posting around the internet that all E6750's will overclock to 3.7-3.8 on air. I find this inaccurate, based on my own experiences and a few other honest individuals around the forums. Mine will do 3.2 Ghz at 1.38V (.03 above stock volts). Mine is not Orthos stable at 3.4 with 1.45 volts (droops to 1.41 under Orthos). I seriously doubt mine would come anywhere near 3.7-3.8 becasue most people claim to be getting 3.2-3.4 on stock voltage.

My point is that not every E6750 is a great overclocker. I am happy with 3.2, but I know my chip will not go much above 3.4 with reasonable voltage. I guess I get tired of seeing how everyone is better than me ;)
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As opposed to most of the folks that are in the *go dual-core and overclock it to death* camp, I'm looking toward quad-core for other reasons, namely:

1. I don't plan on overclocking that high. (I have a P4 2.6 Northwood-C which *is* overclocked to 2.85 GHz; a ten percent overcrank. Every test I've seen on the Q6600, even the B3s, shows at least *that much* headroom available, with decent air-cooling, such as the Zalman 9500 or 9700. 2.85 GHz with four cores and air-cooling is more than adequate for *me*.)

2. My gaming mix (in terms of new games) is decidedly multi-core aware. (C&C3, which I have now, Bioshock, which I have now, and both Crysis and UT III in the pipeline.) Even my older games that *aren't* multi-core aware (C&C Generals/Zero Hour, for example) are still often multitasked with other applications in Vista Ultimate (my current operating system of choice).

3. I plan on keeping the core of the new system for a good long stretch. (The core of *this* system is three years old, dating back to 2004. I want my new system to have that sort of lengevity, and that means, to me, that dual-core won't cut it. In order to get even two years worth of life out of a system, quad-core is a must.)
 
Will the E6850 go to 3.6 comfortably on air cool, with out much hassle and still allow speed step and all that. Also if it does or if anyone has done it on Air Cool, what is the voltage you are running on that CPU.
 
wwhittin said:
Will the E6850 go to 3.6 comfortably on air cool, with out much hassle and still allow speed step and all that. Also if it does or if anyone has done it on Air Cool, what is the voltage you are running on that CPU.
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My E6750 did 3.6Ghz easily on air cooling with both a Tuniq Tower and an Ultima90. The voltage I needed for my chip (VID: 1.35v) was 1.425v. Save your money and get the E6750 instead of the E6850.
 
ewb302 said:
I guess I should have clarified. Many people are busy posting around the internet that all E6750's will overclock to 3.7-3.8 on air. I find this inaccurate, based on my own experiences and a few other honest individuals around the forums. Mine will do 3.2 Ghz at 1.38V (.03 above stock volts). Mine is not Orthos stable at 3.4 with 1.45 volts (droops to 1.41 under Orthos). I seriously doubt mine would come anywhere near 3.7-3.8 becasue most people claim to be getting 3.2-3.4 on stock voltage.

My point is that not every E6750 is a great overclocker. I am happy with 3.2, but I know my chip will not go much above 3.4 with reasonable voltage. I guess I get tired of seeing how everyone is better than me ;)
Click to expand...


actually I just got a e6750 for another rig I built I hit a stable OC of 3.85ghz on air.... just though i'd throw that out there, I also had a e6850 it did 4.1ghz but I think the e6750 is better for the money
 
wwhittin said:
Will the E6850 go to 3.6 comfortably on air cool, with out much hassle and still allow speed step and all that. Also if it does or if anyone has done it on Air Cool, what is the voltage you are running on that CPU.
Click to expand...

It's more than comfortable on air. I'm at 3.8 with just a Zalman 9700 at 1.456. I dunno about 3.6, but my processor was at 3.5 at 1.356. YMMV of course. :p

As it's been echoed forever, get a e6750 and use the money saved on something else, like part of a decent wc loop. :D

Unless you can get a good price on an e6850 though. I picked mine up at Fry's awhile back for $250 on sale.
 
Thanks for the replys, I was wanting to get the E6850 because I just wanted to get a comfortable overclock on air. I can get the E6750 but at 2.66 trying to push that high will require that the chip be pushed to high, but since they are binned the same it may no difference, who knows. I was originally going to buy the QX6850, but I would really want to save the 750.00 for the 9800GTX when it comes out.

I am getting an x38 board - ddr 1066. I already sold my old parts so this upgrade is affordable. What is killing me is the software, the hardware is cheap, I was hoping to leapfrog, the x 38 has a 1600 FSB and supports the penryn. Later on I will get the best penryn that the board can handle, then get the next board with DDR3, etc, etc, etc. DDR 3 is 1000.00 for 4 gig, in 18 mos (if that long) it will be 300.00 then 150.00. Trying to keep up with it is too much fun.
 
I have been running an e6850 since they came out and I have zero regrets over going quad. When I have to, the quads should be running at a high clock and be more reasonably priced..
 
Mofo65 : I have been running an e6850 since they came out and I have zero regrets over going quad. When I have to, the quads should be running at a high clock and be more reasonably priced..
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Mofo65, May I ask if you are overclocking, what are you running at, FSB and Volts on that E6850.
 
When I had the stock cooler on my Q6600 G0, my temps were high also. I switched to an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (which needed to be lapped, the surface was horrible) and dropped a full 20C at load. I tried reseatting the stock cooler a few times also, it just wasn't cutting in.

I get 3.0 Ghz on air easily. I'm not at home so I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think my temps were around 68C as read with coretemp under 100% load. If that sounds high it's because I also keep my house at around 82F ambient temp. :)
 
enginurd said:
Define "tolerance." In other words, what temps are you getting, and what are you using to read them?
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I am getting idle temps from 39-46. The highest load temp I have seen is 63. I have used CoreTemp, TAT, and SpeedFan. SpeedFan gives really low temps, like down in the low 30's at idle. With TAT, it only lets me see two cores. I seem to trust Coretemp the most and that is what I used to get the above readings, Last night I took the heatsink off and cleaned the CPU surface and heatsink surface using ArtiClean remover and Purifier and than applied Artic Silver 5 according to the instructions on their website and the temps dropped about 5c.
 
spartus4 said:
I am getting idle temps from 39-46. The highest load temp I have seen is 63. I have used CoreTemp, TAT, and SpeedFan. SpeedFan gives really low temps, like down in the low 30's at idle. With TAT, it only lets me see two cores. I seem to trust Coretemp the most and that is what I used to get the above readings, Last night I took the heatsink off and cleaned the CPU surface and heatsink surface using ArtiClean remover and Purifier and than applied Artic Silver 5 according to the instructions on their website and the temps dropped about 5c.
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Your temps are fine. The actual tolerance of the CPU is much higher than 63°C at full load. In any case, your temps are fine. Use whichever temperature monitor uses 100 for the TJunction.
 
I just pulled the trigger on an e6850 today... looking to hit 3.6+ on air for now.. water maybe later.. 3.8ghz would be nice. :)
 
revenant said:
I just pulled the trigger on an e6850 today... looking to hit 3.6+ on air for now.. water maybe later.. 3.8ghz would be nice. :)
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Mine will do 4GHz @1.56v before vdrop.
Running @ 3.6GHz 1.38V before vdrop 24/7.

No regrets with my little gem.
 
Nice.. I got my chip today... week L730 code A968... seems very new, not a lot of info on that week/code... I'll try and pop it in tonight.. w0000000t.
 
Picked up the 6850 a few days ago and its running nicely at 3.7 stock volts on Sythe Ninja air
 
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