Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been building a number of systems lately, and needed to put together a few of my own too. So in addition to building several servers based on newer Xeon chips, I also have had the pleasure of building two core 2 quad systems recently.
Intel's entire lineup of new chips have some real positives. The Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Quad-Core Processor, 2.66 GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB, LGA775 is a great chip in particular that offers you some of the benefits of a server CPU at a home PC price point. It's also very compatible with the types of boards and set-ups that most gamers or heavy application users (read Photoshop :) ) will want in their rigs.
Like the Xeon Quad-core - X3350, the 9450 also gives you the 12 MB of L2 Cache, which is the largest easily available through retail channels and 50% larger than the 6600. True, for $200 you can get the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 here on Amazon. It has a very similar clock speed (easily over-clocked) and a respectable 8 MB of L2 cache, which is nothing to sneeze at. Like I said, I used that guy in my personal box, but I did find that it was possible to locate the 9450 at a similar price. So while Amazon's price does vary, if you do your research you can get the larger cache and slightly faster clock speed of the 9450 for the same price as the 6600.
People building a home server that is pulling multiple duties or running multi-threading apps like Adobe Photoshop CS3 will benefit from the extra cores. Not to mention, if you have gotten away from 32 bit OS and moved to 64 bit (Either Vista x64, Linux, Solaris, Suse, or another one) you will definitely be able to squeeze some extra juice out of the extra hardware.
Unlike the Xeon, this guy isn't compatible with the 3200 board architecture that gives you ECC DDR2 800 ram and some other extras. So while that makes the Xeon better for server specific applications, the 9450 is definitely comparable in performance for all other functions.
The LGA775 architecture is somewhat standard for Intel's core-2 quads. You get support for a 1333 FSB. Once again, with a 64 bit OS you get to take advantage of much more RAM too.
If you are a home user or are building a workstation, it may make sense to go down to the Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600. But if you have a system running processor intensive functions, the extra cache of the 9450 can come in handy. Similarly, if you do your homework you can get it for about what the 6600 will set you back.
Check it out and do your research before you decide.
Enjoy.
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Processor - 1 x Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 / 2.66 GHz ( 1333 MHz ) - LGA775 Socket - L2 12 MB ( 2 x 6MB ) - BoxFour computing cores in a single processor give multitasking users the ultimate edge in efficiency and performance—no matter what software application they are running. With a quad-core processor featuring Intel's revolutionary new 45nm architecture, multimedia experiences are faster and more responsive as video transfers, image rendering, data compression, and intense gaming applications are streamlined to process seamlessly with remarkable speed. As a result, demanding users can accomplish more in less time.
Amazon.com Product Description Four computing cores in a single processor give multitasking users the ultimate edge in efficiency and performance—no matter what software application they are running. With a quad-core processor featuring Intel's revolutionary new 45nm architecture, multimedia experiences are faster and more responsive as video transfers, image rendering, data compression, and intense gaming applications are streamlined to process seamlessly with remarkable speed. As a result, demanding users can accomplish more in less time. Intel® Core™2 Quad Processor Product Highlight Starting with Intel's revolutionary new high-efficiency, high-performance 45nm processor technology, Intel engineers decided to go one step farther in the performance department. By including up to 12 MB of shared L2 cache and Front Side Bus speeds of up to 1333 MHz, the Intel® Core™2 Quad processor pushes the technological innovation envelope farther than ever before. For users, this means the latest and most advanced software applications can open and run faster than ever before with superior responsiveness. When used with the latest multimedia software and next-generation games, dropped frames, long waiting times and stuttering performance are history.Intel Technology 45nm Hafnium-Based Architecture. Thanks to a naturally occurring element called Hafnium, Intel engineers were able to shrink the size of new Intel processors and pack more computing technology into less space. The result is improved performance with less energy wastage. Intel® Wide Dynamic Execution. Enables the delivery of more instructions per clock cycle for shorter execution times and improved energy efficiency—accomplish more simultaneously and with greater efficiency. Intel® Intelligent Power Capability. Turning off portions of the processor when they aren't being used improves overall energy efficiency and reduces heat production, resulting in a quieter, more energy efficient system. Intel® Smart Memory Access. Increasing available data bandwidth means more multitasking with less slowdown—run more demanding applications simultaneously and accomplish more in less time. Intel® Advanced Smart Cache. Placing data closer to the processing cores improves platform responsiveness and performance with a wide range of applications. Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost. Accelerates performance with a wide range of applications, including video, gaming, speech and image, photo processing, encryption, financial, engineering and scientific applications. Intel® HD Boost. Available only on the latest 45nm Intel processors, this revolutionary technology takes Intel® Advanced Digital Media Boost and improves it even further enabling significant gains on the latest SSE4 instruction set. SSE4-optimized applications, such as video editing and encoding in high-definition resolution, will see additional performance improvements Multimedia With professional-grade photo, music and HD video editing software readily available for consumers, it's becoming increasingly popular to create, edit, and share entertainment with friends and family. Unfortunately, these same applications are notoriously performance hungry. Built to handle the most demanding software, the four cores of the 45nm Intel Core 2 Quad processor help ensure that when you're working with high-resolution photos, exporting your next audio mashup, or editing HD-quality home movies, your computing platform will be able to keep pace with your creative muse. Multitasking A computing platform featuring a new 45nm Intel Core 2 Quad-Core processor maximizes processing efficiency, allowing computer users to juggle multiple projects in multiple applications without experiencing the slowdown typically seen with traditional single-core processors. Gaming Next-generation gaming is more than just pretty environments and smooth motion. Behind the incredible visual realism of waterfalls or the unlucky ricochet of a bullet are intense, high-speed calculations of asset streaming, terrain generation, 3D rendering, and physics effects. When running select next-generation games, each of the cores in the Intel Core 2 Quad processor can be dedicated to each of these individual processes, resulting in smoother, more lifelike graphics and further blurring the line between virtual and reality.
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