# CPU advice needed



## Kweku (Feb 24, 2010)

im looking to upgrade my pc and im not sure which CPU to get. please advise, i got a P5Q-Pro motherboard with 2GB 800mhz ram. amongst these processors which will be best bang for my buck?

Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9400 (6M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E8500 (6M Cache, 3.16 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 
Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9505 (6M Cache, 2.83 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB) 

I also attached a pdf of the comparism info from intel site.

Thanx in advance


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## Asylum (Feb 24, 2010)

A Q9650 would be the best upgrade you could get for that board.
Might as well go with the best.


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## Kweku (Feb 24, 2010)

i forgot to mention that ya'll must stick to the provided list due to prices down this side, stuff is not easy


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## Asylum (Feb 24, 2010)

Go with the 9505 then if thats the best you can afford.


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## Kweku (Feb 24, 2010)

yeah i think it is bru! and second choice would be?


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## Yukikaze (Feb 24, 2010)

What is your current CPU ?


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## Kweku (Feb 24, 2010)

does that really matter?


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## BradleyKZN (Feb 24, 2010)

I agree with the Q9505, and then i would say Q9400


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## Yukikaze (Feb 24, 2010)

Kweku said:


> does that really matter?



Yes, because if you're running a E8400, for example, then all of those are a waste of upgrade money.


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## Kweku (Feb 24, 2010)

im runnin a single core celeron! so i do need the upgrade no matter what


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## Yukikaze (Feb 24, 2010)

Kweku said:


> im runnin a single core celeron! so i do need the upgrade no matter what



Q9505 then


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

thanx chaps! will update as i get the CPU


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## JrRacinFan (Feb 25, 2010)

What exactly is your everyday daily use on your PC?


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

Basic computing, website development, application development! Yeah basic programmer stuff


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## pantherx12 (Feb 25, 2010)

Kweku said:


> Basic computing, website development, application development! Yeah basic programmer stuff





I'd get the 9400 in that case then, and overclock it if you need to.#


Although it does depend on what applications your developing of course


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

I'm normally in dreamweaver these days, but I also use stuff like expressiona and visual studio, notepad++ and the likes


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## King Wookie (Feb 25, 2010)

Hmm, looks like about a R400 price difference between the 9400 and the 9505. And oc ing will make up that difference surely?


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## TIGR (Feb 25, 2010)

For that usage I'd just get whatever's cheapest.


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

@wookie R400 is alotta cash bru

@TIGR why? 

Guys what's the diff between core 2 dou and dual core?


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## King Wookie (Feb 25, 2010)

Depends on the model really. Where you shopping? They have a website?


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## TIGR (Feb 25, 2010)

From your single-core Celeron, any of these will be a significant upgrade. None of the tasks you stated you'll be using it for really require anything particularly high-end, so you should be happy with any of these.


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

Was going to use frontosa, or pcint, where else can I get?


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## King Wookie (Feb 25, 2010)

http://zapsonline.co.za/
http://www.sybaritic.co.za/store/index.php
http://www.prophecy.co.za/
http://titan-ice.co.za/catalog/

All do shipping, so it's a case of checking prices and shipping costs.

Maybe look at the Q8400. Not sure how mich difference the extra L2 will make on the 9400.


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## Lionheart (Feb 25, 2010)

Hey Bru!


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## Kweku (Feb 25, 2010)

I'm guessing pcint is still my best bet as its a walk away from my house, but I mean there are going to be days when ima have to play some games and all, so I'm looking for something that won't let me down when I have to, I forgot to mention that ima also use music making software on this! Going to have the likes of Reason, FL Studio and Ableton running all at the sametime, so I think I do need some bang


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## King Wookie (Feb 25, 2010)

Well, the Q8400 at PCInt. was a good price. And a quad core will be really handy for audio work. I think those programs support multiple cores.

I just upgraded to a i5 750 for using protools. Well, and crunching.

Just check to see if you need to update your bios to support the new proc.


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## Kweku (Feb 26, 2010)

they do support multiple cores! need to maximise on that, so you recond that i really wont see the difference between the Q9400 and the Q8400?


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 26, 2010)

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0299412

Q9550 12mb cache $179

Overclocks well if you need it. Mine runs 3.83ghz 24/7


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## Kweku (Feb 26, 2010)

some people don't read! 
SmDH

I gave the three because of my budget and explained that i am in south africa so things is not as cheap plus its so obvious it will cost a lot if i import! read MAN!


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 26, 2010)

Kweku said:


> some people don't read!
> SmDH
> 
> I gave the three because of my budget and explained that i am in south africa so things is not as cheap plus its so obvious it will cost a lot if i import! read MAN!



I saw where you are located and I didn't have time to look up the prices of the 3 cpus you listed to compair. I only know that the 9550 is the best bang for the buck. If that CPU only costs you a few extra bucks it's well worth it due to it having twice the cache. I also don't know Microcenters shipping rates ect ect ect ect ect ect ect ect. Did you bash the guy who suggested the 9650 too?


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## Kweku (Feb 26, 2010)

LOL! this dude!

Nah man the price difference between the other CPU's is a bit too much, rather give me advice on the three i provided, oh you can suggest something within the same price range


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 26, 2010)

Kweku said:


> LOL! this dude!
> 
> Nah man the price difference between the other CPU's is a bit too much, rather give me advice on the three i provided, oh you can suggest something within the same price range



Out of your 3 choices I'd go with the E8500 due to the higher clock. If you actually log the load on quads you'll see alot of it goes to waste when your running typical apps (many single threaded), web surfing, gaming, ect. So unless your encoding video and crunching all day or have a ton of apps running at once you might as well stay with the c2d. I can personally vouch a few years ago I went from a E6600 to a Q6600 and it did nothing for my framerates in anything but Crysis and benchmarks. The E8400 will also run cooler and o/c higher on air then a quad and with it's higher multiplier you don't have to push the bus so high to get more out of it.
But hey, I've only been doing this 20 years. What do I know. ^_^

This may be a good read for you.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/cpu-scaling-in-games-with-quad-core-processors/1


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## King Wookie (Feb 26, 2010)

Lazzer408 said:


> Out of your 3 choices I'd go with the E8500 due to the higher clock. If you actually log the load on quads you'll see alot of it goes to waste when your running typical apps (many single threaded), web surfing, gaming, ect. So unless your encoding video and crunching all day or have a ton of apps running at once you might as well stay with the c2d. I can personally vouch a few years ago I went from a E6600 to a Q6600 and it did nothing for my framerates in anything but Crysis and benchmarks. The E8400 will also run cooler and o/c higher on air then a quad and with it's higher multiplier you don't have to push the bus so high to get more out of it.
> But hey, I've only been doing this 20 years. What do I know. ^_^
> 
> This may be a good read for you.
> ...



Interesting. But seeing as at least some of the audio programs he is running are multi threaded, a quad makes more sense.


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## JrRacinFan (Feb 26, 2010)

Kweku said:


> I'm guessing pcint is still my best bet as its a walk away from my house, but I mean there are going to be days when ima have to play some games and all, so I'm looking for something that won't let me down when I have to, I forgot to mention that ima also use music making software on this! Going to have the likes of Reason, FL Studio and Ableton running all at the sametime, so I think I do need some bang



Your best bet would be one of the 2 quads. What's the price difference between them? If you're struggling for cash I'd opt for the cheaper one.


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## CJCerny (Feb 26, 2010)

E8500 if you want the best gaming CPU. Q9550 if you want the best apps CPU.


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## Lazzer408 (Feb 26, 2010)

JrRacinFan said:


> Your best bet would be one of the 2 quads. What's the price difference between them? If you're struggling for cash I'd opt for the cheaper one.



Is it worth the extra cash to get _some _extra speed from _some _of his apps? That's his call. Audio is pretty for any CPU these days. I actually force Reason onto one core to help with a latency issue and clicking.


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## Kweku (Mar 23, 2010)

I got a Q8400


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## DRDNA (Mar 23, 2010)

Kweku said:


> I got a Q8400



Nice! That should hold you for a while. Let us know how you get on once its installed.


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 23, 2010)

Kweku said:


> I got a Q8400



Congrats! Keep us posted.


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## King Wookie (Mar 23, 2010)

Kweku said:


> I got a Q8400



Nice! Do enjoy.


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## Kweku (Mar 25, 2010)

I report that I have been getting the BANG of my life with this!!

Excuse the pun


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## Hayder_Master (Mar 25, 2010)

q9505 best option, but my advice more bucks for q9550 will be cool


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## Kweku (Mar 25, 2010)

^^did you read the whole thread??


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## AhokZYashA (Mar 25, 2010)

Q8400 is 2.83GHz?
6MB L2 and 1333FSB right??

nice then..
keep us posted..


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## AhokZYashA (Mar 25, 2010)

sorry for the double post..

please delete it,.


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## Yukikaze (Mar 25, 2010)

AhokZYashA said:


> Q8400 is 2.83GHz?
> 6MB L2 and 1333FSB right??
> 
> nice then..
> keep us posted..



Q8400 is 1333Mhz FSB, 2.66Ghz and 4MB L2 Cache.


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## Kweku (Mar 25, 2010)

its actually 4MB L2 cache, but its really working out for me


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## King Wookie (Mar 25, 2010)

What cooler are you running on that cpu?


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## Kweku (Mar 25, 2010)

Using the standard one that came with it, looking for a better one(cheap too)


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## AhokZYashA (Mar 25, 2010)

oops sorry for that, 
unusual with new quads..

if your looking for cheap, and top of the line heatsinks.
Xigmatek HDT-S1283, or the Dark Knight will do it's job perfectly..
or CM Hyper 212+


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## Yukikaze (Mar 25, 2010)

Other good cheap options are Scythe Katana III (Ran my Q9650 at 4Ghz with half-decent temps) and the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro.


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## King Wookie (Mar 25, 2010)

Sadly Xigmatek and Scythe are not available locally.  Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme ( http://titan-ice.co.za/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_25&products_id=788 )is a really good option, but pricey. The Zalman Flex ( http://titan-ice.co.za/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_25&products_id=2337 )might be an idea, or the Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus ( http://titan-ice.co.za/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24_25&products_id=1811 ) is money is tight.

Of course if you can afford it, I'm loving the Corsair H50. ( http://titan-ice.co.za/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=163_211&products_id=1716 ).


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## Hayder_Master (Mar 26, 2010)

Kweku said:


> ^^did you read the whole thread??



sure, and i give you the best chose first q9505


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## Kweku (Mar 28, 2010)

Then you might have realised that I got a CPU already!!


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## Hayder_Master (Mar 28, 2010)

Kweku said:


> Then you might have realised that I got a CPU already!!



so good luck


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## Kweku (Mar 31, 2010)

thanx budda


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## Kweku (Apr 17, 2010)

Upto 4gb of 800mhz ram, pc feeling really good, can really feel the boost with my netbeans! Thinking of going faster really soon!!!


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