Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz Processor

Not the Cheapest, but One of the Best

Strengths: 1333 MHz Front Side Bus, 12 MB Cache

Weakness: Cost a lot more than a Q6600

This is by far the fastest processor I have ever used. I've been building my own systems since 1996. Back in the day, I would have used AMD because I got better performance for about half the price. That's just not the case anymore and I am very impressed with this Core 2 Quad. I chose the Q9450 because of the bus - It runs at about 1/3 faster than some of the less costly Core 2 processors, and...
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This is by far the fastest processor I have ever used. I've been building my own systems since 1996. Back in the day, I would have used AMD because I got better performance for about half the price. That's just not the case anymore and I am very impressed with this Core 2 Quad. I chose the Q9450 because of the bus - It runs at about 1/3 faster than some of the less costly Core 2 processors, and while I admit that the average user may not even notice the difference, the difference is huge for those of us who multi-task or run heavier applications. In fact, that was the primary reason as to why I "upgraded" from a 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 (800 MHz Bus) to this 2.66 GHz Quad. Just don't make the mistake that a lot of unknowing users make - don't waste your money to get the faster bus speed if your motherboard doesn't support it. If you do - you'll notice little to no difference at all. Also, having the maximum amount of L2 cache helps a lot as well. The only downside is the cost - the best deal I found was $325 with a free game included while the Q6600 can be found for as low as $199. I wouldn't recommend it for the average user because of the cost alone, but if you run more serious applications, this one in my opinion is the best bet.

By coldfusion721 - Jul 13, 2008

Awsome processor

Strengths: 12mb cache pwns most cpus. Price worth it over the 1000 dollar one.

Weakness: 8x multiplier decreasese overclocking. Better than q9300. q6600 gives a little less performance for 130+ dollars cheaper. Going to be phased out in q3.

Very good processor if you dont own a q6600 already. Performance between the two is not noticeable. q9450 will be phased out an a 9400 with the less cache will be released. Supply problems have lead to the q9450 being expensive.

By hackztor - May 31, 2008

Very Happy w/ Core 2 Quad 9450

Strengths: Intel, Quad, 12MB of L2 cache, FAST.....

Weakness: None.

Runs cool with an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Heatsink on an ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP mobo in an Antec Sonata III ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply. Last cpu was a Pentium 4, and this thing looks like light speed by comparison!

By Yadro16 - Sep 30, 2008

Intel Core2Duo Q9450 CPU

Strengths: Fast; cool; overclocker

Weakness: Expensive; stock cooler not sufficient

I upgraded from a Q6600 CPU. Didn't really need to, as it was a great performer, but I decided what the heck! :-) To be honest, with the stuff I do, I didn't notice any performance difference. I had to use a Zalman heatsink versus the bundled stock fan, as the CPU was just getting too hot. Be careful that your motherboard supports this new 45nm processor. You might need to flash the BIOS, and...
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I upgraded from a Q6600 CPU. Didn't really need to, as it was a great performer, but I decided what the heck! :-) To be honest, with the stuff I do, I didn't notice any performance difference. I had to use a Zalman heatsink versus the bundled stock fan, as the CPU was just getting too hot. Be careful that your motherboard supports this new 45nm processor. You might need to flash the BIOS, and you'll need another processor installed to do that.

By sierra_nevadas - Sep 15, 2008

Intel Core2Quad Q9450: Outstanding processing with low power consumption!

Strengths: 45nm fabrication makes power consumption amazing Quad core really helps with encoding video and audio Great overclocking potential

Weakness: Temperature Sensors are commonly stuck or give back incorrect data on these processors Cost is kind of high Included cooler isn't very good

This has been an outstanding processor. It overclocked to 3.2 GHz straight out of the box with no increase in voltage. The processing power of four cores is amazing when an application actually takes advantage of it. The huge 12 MB cache on this processor really helps speed some of that up as well. I highly recommend an aftermarket cooler for this processor. It isn't that the included cooler is...
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This has been an outstanding processor. It overclocked to 3.2 GHz straight out of the box with no increase in voltage. The processing power of four cores is amazing when an application actually takes advantage of it. The huge 12 MB cache on this processor really helps speed some of that up as well.

I highly recommend an aftermarket cooler for this processor. It isn't that the included cooler is bad, but it certainly wasn't good. It was kind of noisy and doesn't keep the processor very cool under prolonged periods of heavy use.

All in all, I would highly recommend this processor to anyone looking for a good quad core processor. You can find this as low as $250 on special occasions, but you should almost always be able to get it for close to (if not under) $300.

By McNutty - Aug 29, 2008