Q6600 or E6850, that is the question, and a tough question at that. I keep going back and forth between these two, and with the price cuts coming shortly I really need to get my mind set on one or the other. From what I read FSX utilizes 2 of the 4 cores on the quad while the other 2 sit there doing nothing?But I don't want any surprises, like microsoft rewriting code to utilize all 4 cores and releasing it with the dx10 patch. I'd be hosed at that point. If the E6850 is going to perform better while keeping up with texture loading than the choice is clear. I'm going to overclock either way, the Q6600's with G0 stepping are being hyped up big time for their overclocking abilities which just adds to my dilemma. Let me know what you guys think.

Go for the Q. YMMV, but the G0 stepping is reported to be good to 3.6ghz with stock cooling (maybe 4.0 with a Tuniq?) That's 4 cores at 3.6ghz+. The FSB speeds are irrelevant. You'll wait 6 months for the (next gen) Penryn Q's release at a standard clock of 3.2 ($500, but O/C-able to 4.0, easily). Then you'll have to wait another 6 to get that P-Q down to 250 bucks. That means it will be a full year until a comparable (post July 22nd) $/Performance value will be available. Then, in another 18 months the core design ends and then (yet another) whole new ballgame will emerge called Nehalem. Let it go by. Get the Nvidia G90 as your VeRy last video card you will eXeR buy. Then let the G100 and G101-super-duper-X2Zulu go by too. Wait for the next one. AMD will be back, and it'll be called Fusion.

Hi Chris,I have the same question as yours. I decide to go ahead with E6850. My reason is, the Q6600 has a better performance if all 4 cores can be utilized. However, I do not see there will be many games or software will support using all 4 cores together in the coming two years. There will be, but not that many. My PC purchase pattern is buy new every 3 to 4 years. So, I would buy a faster speed dual core CPU this time. My next buy in 2010 or 2011 will be a quad (or more) core CPU.Another issue, I read some online review, the overclock performance will be limit by the quad core's high temperature (double as the dual core, same speed CPU). I am not a pro about PC stuff. I assume C2D can be easier and better overclocked than C2Q.Alkit

That's just the issue the G0 stepping addresses. The latest Q will run cooler. O/C the Q to the same clock as a dualie. If no one wants those extra 2 cores, just let 'em roost for now. Crytech has their Farcry demo running on 4 cores right now. The Q will be will be in full play 6 months from now. In a year, it will be just plain ol' standard equipment.

Hey Sam, I might be buying a Q6600 in a few weeks and I'd like to be sure I get a G0 jobba. How proliferous are those G0 stepping Qs now? Gary

Cancel that question - google is my friend :-hah. It seems that GOs are only out there now in dribs and drabs and that July 17 they are expected to ship out to retailers in ernest. Tankguys is accepting pre-orders for G0 Q6600s at this link http://www.tankguys.biz/product_info.php?c...roducts_id=1712 - I might just get in line :-)Gary

Q6600 it is then. I know that Crysis and Alan Wake take full advantage of multi-core architecture but fsx was my main concern. I'll just get the Q6600 and my planned Heatsink, the Tuniq Tower with a silverstone 120 mm fan. :D

The GO/Q6600 is reported to run to 3.6 with the FactoRy hEatsinK. What a rascal! Might want to give it a try before spending another 50-70 bucks. Get another gig of ram (I just got to 4 gig-O-ram and I'm seeing 3 gig in-use on occasion). I'm really interested to see what it will do with good air, but my guess is that 3.6 will be about it short of liquid nitrogen.Also, did you find a definitive way to tell what stepping these CPUs are without running them with CPUID? Is there some exterior marking?

Yes, the S-spec code changes from SL9UM (B3) to SLACR (C0) for the Q6600 and this is written on the outside of the box.Gary

Hello Sam and Gary,Is the Q6600 "SLACR(C0)" version already available in the market? This thread make me re-consider the choice again. I plan to buy a new computer within a week.My most concern is Sam's comment"In a year, it (the Q) will be just plain ol' standard equipment." I did think of this point before but I was guessing this will happen in 2 to 3 years. I suppose to get a new computer every 3 to 4 years. Perhaps I should go Q this time.Wow, I skip the dual core from a P4 2.8 single core to Q!Alkit

That's exactly my plan too. Then skip the Penyrn. We'll see about the Gainstown. Right now, I'm thinking skip that too. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/32624/135/Skip the 8800s and wait 3 more months for the 92s:http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=39829Skip the DDR3 nonsense. DDR2 available speeds are still massive overkill for even tomorrows CPUs. The gen beyond the Gainstown may herald the first GPGPU based systems. Here, the front side buss goes away completely. Who knows what memory interface they will be using. The GPGPU is 3-4 years out. I like 3 year refresh cycles too. That has been getting me a 10X performance increase. A Q6600 @ 3.2 is a 10X increase over any P4-anything. The G92 will drive a 42" (46"!?) 1920 X 1080 fine, but it'll need lots of AA. I'm thinking a Q6600/G92 ought to do it.But in 3 years, we'll be looking for 10X again. Intel is talking 80 cores for the GPGPU. There's the next 10X (ahh, 20X?!). 3-4 years. Here's to you, Mr. Moore. I'll bet we'll get it.

G92!!!I think this time I will settle in the 8800 graphic card this time. As I expect the G92 series will be unaffordable to my budget when it becomes available for the first half year. (above $800?!) Q6600 + 8800GTS (640MB) + 2GB DDR2I hope this system will run the FSX smoothly with "good, not the best" graphic qualityCurrent system (2003) P4 2.8G HP + 7600GS (512MB) + 1GB ramCan only run the FSX with very low graphic setting (19 fps), no addon

Boy, oh boy, it certainly is getting to be crunch time.Now that the E6850 Core 2 Duo is to be priced the same as the Q6600, the burning questions I have are what can the 6850 reach on stock cooling, and will that speed more than make up for the two extra cores and extra cache in the Q6600, overclocked. From Sam, I know to disregard the quad pumped FSB figure, so that's pretty much irrelevant.Then it's time to pick a nest for that baby to live in. Sam's commented positively before on the Asus boards. I have some niggles with them. They sacrifice two possible USB ports by including their proprietary wireless networking gear. I don't particularly want wireless on my motherboard. I don't need it, and if I were to have it at all, I'd rather have it on a separate dedicated router with its built-in safety net firewall, and skip the Windows firewall entirely. And Asus follows the P35 convention of disposing with the PS2 mouse port, which means an additional USB port has to be used for that. That leaves only 9 USB ports free, out of a possible 12. Nine doesn't get it done for me, although I suppose an externally powered hub isn't out of the question.On the other hand, Abit appears to be making some interesting P35 boards with a PS2 mouse port and 12 USB ports. Reviews are looking pretty good so far. Decisions, decisions ....From a future-proofing standpoint, waiting for a G92 seems attractive, but I'm inclined to say that waiting nearly a year after the release of FSX to build a system capable of running it acceptably is long enough, even aside from that expected price premium, and I'll also take my chances with the 8800 series cards. It really seems high time to quit cutting bait and go fish.-Seadog

Just keep in mind a C2 is a C2 is a C2. They are all the same. it's only packaging (dual or quad) and the stamp on the outside (E6850, Q6600). The speed is changed with by welding in different multi / fsb presets.Go for the quad. It's twice as many CPUs and therefore a 2X the E6850.I agree about the Mobo. Thanks for beginning that analysis. I need to consider these things too. I've had the old abit IS7 for years. It'll be hard to give up this old friend.That 92 is a 3X-er. Get a 7600GT for 100 bucks. In Sept, get the 92. Use the 76 as a secondary card to drive those extra monitors!

Re: the cpu, that's my strong inclination, to go with the Q.Re: the gpu, well, doggone, I already have a 7600GT, but I sure was looking forward to having more than 256 MB on board. I guess it won't hurt anything very much to give it a try for a few months and see how the market shakes out.Re: the mobo, I'm going to have to read the manuals for the Abit IP35 and IP35 Pro to choose one. The web site specifications pages aren't quite clear enough. Let you know which, and why.Thanks for the input, Sam, and that analysis of the prediction for potentially required memory assets was superb. Kind of reminds me of a 40 seat restaurant where Microsoft has a standing reservation for 20 seats. Call up with a party of 21 and you can't get anybody in ... even if only 18 actually show up. :D -Seadog