I no its been ask and discussed several times but I like to get more information on those 2 CPU's before I buy. I think people seems to say that CPU Speed is a lot better than Cores for FSX. I wanted the Q6600 because I'm thinking of the future, but it doesn't seems there are too many games out there built for Quad core. 3 GHZ verses 2.4 on the Q6600. If I had the money I will just get the Q6800, but I spent $900.00 on my last CPU an FX 55 which is a dinosaur now after a year and a half. Thats when I decided never to pay more than 500.00 for a CPU. Thanks for your help.Joe

If your into overclocking then you could always clock the Q6600 up to the E6850's speed or beyond. That being said my E6850 easily clocks to 3.6Ghz on default voltage (many do). Some Q6600's can do 3.6 but it requires some added voltage and often watercooling.Now if your not into overclocking then I'd have to think for raw performance the E6850 is the stronger option. Quad cores sound attractive and all, but their power just isn't being tapped right now in terms of mainstream consumer computing. To a point I don't even think the dual core CPU's are being utilized to their fullest extent half the time.FlightSim has always been more CPU MHz hungry and with the cheap prices (near parity) for the the Q6600 and E6850, I think you'd get better bang for your buck by getting the 3GHz E6850.FYI, the 6850 also runs at a faster FSB of 1333MHz compared to that of the Q6600 at 1066MHz.Might be helpful if you ever decide on going with a DDR3 capable system.Just my 2 cents anyway :)http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpg

Thanks...I'm leaning towards the E6850 myself. I was interested in Quad core for future sake but its not catching on as you said. Thanks appreciate your comments.Joe

Hi JpnFord,Right now quad is good for the future, just like you said. If you just play games right now and dont do much else like multi-tasking, then go for a dual-core. In any case have a look here, deals with the comparison E6850 vs. Q6600http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel...aspx?i=3038&p=8

Thank you sir...Joe

You might want to read this blog post by Phil Taylor before making your decision:http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2007...ntel-quote.aspxI suspect that faster cpu speeds will contribute to higher fps, but more cores will lead to smoother performance (ie, fewer stutters).

Thanks, very interesting read.Joe