i5 750 vs q9650

[aintz]

im planning to go back to desktops after i realized how bad the mobility 5870 is.

i can either get my friends used q9650 for $140 or get a new i5 750 for $200. the q9650 can do 3.8ghz on air. which would be the better choice? how much do 750s normally oc to with aftermarket hsf?

thanks for the help.

 

[Dangman]

Depends on what you're gonna use the PC for.

 

[ShuttleLuv]

Encoding crunching? Probably the i5, but definitely look into overclocking it.

 

[aintz]

gaming. it will be oced for a stable 24/7 setup.

 

[Fantasysage]

See sig for my i5 OC with a $20 cooler.

 

[psilence]

The i5-750 OC's pretty easily. It seems like most people can get them to at least 3.6 with little effort.

 

[Dangman]

gaming. it will be oced for a stable 24/7 setup.

For gaming? Not much of a major difference between the Q9650 and the Core i5 750. HOWEVER, if you don't have DDR2 RAM already or can get a set of DDR2 RAM for around $60, then it's a good idea to get the Core i5 750 since A) DDR3 RAM costs a little less than DDR2 RAM and B) there is extra performance available should the day come when more CPU power is needed.