i7 compared to q6600

I am going to be pulling the trigger on a new build in the comming weeks and was basing my new system around the q6600 for affordability. My system is looking like it is going to cost me around $1300 with monitor. To my surprise it seems people are building i7 systems for around the same price. Is this somewhat accurate? Can I build a quality system around the i7 920 for a similar price? Is there a large difference in performance? Gawd, trying to get a system together is stressing me out like I am back in college getting ready for finals!

From the tests it looks like the I7 920 is a killer processor compared to the 6600. Now is the cost worth it to you? If the I7and ph2 are coming into the market won't the 6600 and other model cpus go down in price pretty fast?

SSMUFF said:

From the tests it looks like the I7 920 is a killer processor compared to the 6600. Now is the cost worth it to you? If the I7and ph2 are coming into the market won't the 6600 and other model cpus go down in price pretty fast?

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I don't know if I want to wait for things to go down in price , prices are always falling. I have been pouring over customer reviews/stickies/item specifications for about a week straight. I need a break. Better yet, I need to rent a geek for a few days.

the q6600 is going to be gone soon enough, its end of line, so after q2, its going to be non existant

Yep Intel is retiring a lot of their C2Q but they are bringing out 65w version quad-cores so id wait for them if you don't wanna shell out the cash for I7.

The new i7 series are a great processor and yes they will go down in price over time (maybe a few more months?). Unless you are really in need of a Quad-Core (video rendering, 3d rendering, HD video, etc.) I wouldn't spend the extra money on it just yet. With the new i7 you are dealing with a new socket type (LGA 1366) and a new processor technology, meaning there are still going to be quite a few bugs that need to be worked out. Plus the price for socket 1366 motherboards are expensive and you'll have to get DDR3 RAM since it is required for i7 cores (meaning even more money being shelled out). If gaming is going to be what you do for the majority of your computer usage I would recommend getting a Dual Core since performance-wise they still hover over the Quad Cores for that. If you are going to be dealing with video editing then I would lean towards the Quad Cores and the i7 series since it is, in a sense, "future-proofing" yourself. I have a feeling everybody is going to start implementing the i7 technologies for their processors because they are highly efficient and perform so well (single die for all 4 cores, on-die memory controller, and no more front side bus since it got replaced by quickpath interface). In my opinion, if you got the money and feel that you need it, get the i7. Otherwise just get a Dual core and wait to see where the i7 processors take us. There's no need to rush into buying one.

But hey, don't wanna say anything bad about the i7 cuz after all...I'm getting one

thanks for the responses. My situation is that I am without a computer atm (useing my fathers every chance I get and he is getting sick of me). So waiting is a tough call. On the flip side I don't want to buy something that will be quickly outdated (is that avoidable? . Looking to spend no more than $1500 with monitor. That doesn't mean I need everything like dual GPU's to start with. I just need a computer that runs good, maybe can upgrade some later, and costs less than $1500. I like to game but I am not used to high end hardware or games, been playing diablo 2 for years on a dell 8200. No more diablo 2 and no more dell 8200, where do i go from here?

If you get a good core 2 duo I don't think it will be outdated anytime soon. But if you would like to step it up and get a quad-core you can get a good core 2 quad for cheaper than an i7 and since it'll be a LGA 775 socket it will cost less for the motherboard and you can get cheaper ram since this processor type supports types below DDR3. Overall you can make a low cost build with either of these. If you aren't someone playing high end games or watching HD video on your computer then you wont have to worry too much about parts getting outdated. They may be outdated by other people's standards in time, but all that really matters is what you use it for (I know people who still use pentium 4 computers because all they do is internet browsing, itunes, and simple things like that). In my opinion you should consider more of what you need than what you want because want is based off of marketing hype anyways. Cost will change as new parts are released and when you feel you want to step it up to that level then go for it. Until then, just get what you need.

1300 can get you a decent i7 setup, i'll post up in a list in a bit

The i7 clock for clock kills the QX9770 so... the Q6600 is just not even in the same league.

core i7 920 294.99
asus p6t deluxe 299.99
6 gb's of gskill 154.99
sapphire 4870 199.99
750 watt corsair 124.99
vista home premium 64 bit 99.99
antec 300 49.95
500 gb hard drive 65.99
dvd burner 22.99
don't think i left anything except for a moniter off, but that's your personal choice

I am your name. Thank you for the setup. And thank you all for responses. I think I am going to go with an i7 setup, try to make it cheap, and upgrade later. Do i need 6gb ram to start? I havn't looked into to details yet. All my research up until now has been ---->Q6600. Now I got to reboot, rethink, to tired, going to bed. You all are great.

6 gb's probably isn't needed, but its probably the better thing to go with, as i think its only a 50 dollar difference between 3gb's and 6gb's of ram

If you can this processor up from here then congrats.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0300438

Personally, I would go i7

here is my i7 build and it's specs:
i7-920 - $229 plus tax at Frys
Gigabyte EX58-UD3R - 199 plus shipping at newegg
G.Skill 3x1GB DDR3 1600 RAM ( 9-9-9-24 timings) - 99 shipped newegg
8600GTS - 50 bucks newegg deal (I have a pair of HD3870's to run in crossfire due to arrive monday, 180 shipped for the pair from newegg)
1 TB segate drive - about 100ish (mine was given to me by a friend)
DVD burner drive - 20ish shipped at newegg
TRUE CPU cooler - 80ish from performance-pcs.com
Antec Case 70ish from newegg (borrowing from a friend LOL)
PC&P 750 watt PSU 109 shipped from newegg

the total for this setup is then about 1100 without a monitor if I add everything up using the pair of HD3870's for video. You could easily get a decent video card for about 100 and make it 1000 even instead of spending 180 on a pair. A decent monitor can be had for 150ish, so there ya go.

DarkTears said:

If you can this processor up from here then congrats.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0300438

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I just paid three bills at newegg.

^ that is how it always happens....I swear they wait till you do it too.

DarkTears said:

If you can this processor up from here then congrats.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0300438

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Thats a great price! How good is that company? Anyone ever dealt with them before?

paratwa said:

Thats a great price! How good is that company? Anyone ever dealt with them before?

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I don't care heh. I am heading down to boston on sunday to go to a Bruins game on monday. I will be picking up an i7 920 if they have any available to seal the deal. No FSB here I come.

paratwa said:

Thats a great price! How good is that company? Anyone ever dealt with them before?

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Microcenter is a solid company. I've never dealt with them myself, but they're a known retailer.