Q6600 vs E8400 ?

[BassKozz]

Well, now I don't know what to do. The E8400 just came out and everyone is screaming "This thing hits 4.0ghz on AIR"

Here is what I had planed on using for my rig:
LCD: SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor
*Case: Antec P182
*PSU: COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 750W
*MoBo: Abit IP35-Pro
CPU: Q6600 or I might go with the Q9300, still waiting to see how this pans out (OC'ed to 3ghz w/ HS: Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme | Fan: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm)
Thermal Paste: Tuniq TX-2 Thermal Compound
RAM: 2x G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) [8GB total]
Vid Card: MSI NX8600GT-T2D256EZ GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - I won't be gaming so I don't need top-o-the-line
OS HD: WD Raptor 150GB
Storage HD's: 4x WD Caviar SE16 750GB (RAID 5) [2.25TB Total]
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-2014L1T
Floppy Drive: SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive
* - Denotes already purchased
This build will be used as a workstation, and won't be used for gaming.

I will mainly be using this for Virtualization of other OS's and some minor video editing. I am trying to phase out M$ completely, so I will dual booting Ubuntu 64-bit (so I can see all 8GB) and WinXP 32-bit (just incase I need to fall back on it now and then). I plan on using Ubuntu to Virtualize other OS's (WinXP, Vista, other Linux) for various needs. My mindset is that I can virtualize 3 OS's and each one would use a core like so:
Ubuntu 64-bit (Host OS) | 2gb RAM | 1 core
VM1 | 2gb RAM | 1 core
VM2 | 2gb RAM | 1 core
VM3 | 2gb RAM | 1 core
------------------------------------------------------
Total 4 OS's | 8gb RAM | 4 cores

You see my office right now has over 6 (older) mid-towers that all serve there own purposes, but I'd like to consolidate all of these machines into one Quad-Core server (this new build).

But now I am wondering if I should bag the whole Q6600/Q9300 plan and go with the E8400 and push it to a (what should be fairly conservative) 3.66ghz...
Which would be faster Q6600 @ 3.0ghz or E8400 @ 3.66ghz?

 

[Zinn]

for video editing, take the quad core.

 

[KenF]

I'm not familiar with that power supply, but the rest of that configuration looks very good.

If it were me, I would wait another month for the Q9450. Video editing and encoding is one area that can make good use of multiple cores and Intel's new SSE4.

I am a bit surprised that you are only buying a 22" monitor. I edit a lot of high-definition video and couldn't suffice with less than 24" (1920x1200). When it comes to improving productivity, I find that a 24" monitor is one of the best investments you can make.

 

[colinstu]

I remember using Audition, After Effects and Premiere on a 1280x1024 monitor... the new 1920x1200 I got is amazing. Since you don't need a gaming monitor you could probably find one for around $400.

 

[boomhower]

I second the Q9450. The combination of the extra cache and SSE4(assuming you software of choice makes use of it) should make a monster encoder. Although the premium is a bit much over a 9300 it should be worth it for your uses.

 

[Markyip1]

If you are looking for a conservative overclock, the Q9300 or Q9450 would be your best bet. Both should be able to reach 3.0ghz without too much trouble. If, however, you are looking for a 3.6ghz+ OC on the quad, the Q6600 G0 should be your only consideration due to the higher multiplier. The 8400 is a great chip, but for your needs, a Quad would be better unless you plan to push the 8400 into the 4.2-4.5ghz range.

 

[BassKozz]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I actually went with both a E8400 and a Q6600 (see sig)

 

[elyrly]

true hardforum user "why not get both"

 

[TYoda]

true hardforum user "why not get both"

QFT

 

[Supershanks]

I have both the E8400 is a lot of fun but for real power all be it at lower clocks the Quad
see E8400 9x450 1.1.20 = 1080Mhz Bios vcore = 1.375v but compare to the q56600 benches linked at the biottom of the post. Wprime shows more the processing power & the quad beats the E8400

luck

 

[MrGuvernment]

get a better PSU like the corsair 750 for $160. coolermaster makes some good products but in the PSU market there is far better choices.