Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 Quad-Core Processor, 3.2 GHz, 12M L2 Cache, 1600MHz FSB, LGA775 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I helped a friend with this CPU (he went all out and spent 3k on the entire computer) about 2 years ago and he still has it to this day.

This CPU is an extreme edition (meaning it has an unlocked multiplier) and can overclock very nicely for enthusiasts. This is not difficult to overclock to 4.0GHz and over on good air cooling. It's 12mb of L2 cache and wide variety of instruction sets ensures all programs run smooth and fast. This cpu will perform very well in CPU benchmarks such as Mark06 and Vantage.

However, one of the problems is heat. It's TDP is already over 130w, so you need a good CPU cooler/HSF. High end overclocking demands either a high end HSF with 120mm fans, or water cooling. Furthermore, another problem is the price and timing of the release. This CPU is overpriced for the now obsolete 775 socket. The i7 920 came out 9 months after this CPU was released and outperformed it by a good margin - with less heat, better architecture, features such as hyper threading and turbo boost, etc.

Furthermore, even for Core2Quads series, this CPU doesn't offer the best bang-for-your-buck. A Q9550 and Q9650 costs around $200-$300 (1/5 price), $300-$400 respectively (1/3 price) and performs almost the same. The Q9550 and Q9650 dont't have unlocked multipliers, but will still hit an overclock near 4.0GHz with good air cooling.Pros:
1. Fast and top of the line Core2Quad
2. unlocked multiplier for enthusiast overclocking

Cons:
1. Expensive when it first came out, still expensive now
2. Came out less than a year before i7s, which made socket 775 outdated and obsolete
3. Outperformed by far cheaper i5's and i7's today.
4. Loses in bang-for-your-buck to cheaper Core2Quads such as the Q9550
5. Produces a lot of heat > 130w TDP

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Product Description:
With multiple computing "brains" inside one processor, the latest multi-core processors are ideal for hardcore gamers, HD multimedia enthusiasts, and anyone interested in running the most demanding software applications with ease. The latest generation of 45nm quad-core processors from Intel combine many exclusive innovations to deliver the best possible performance when running a wide range of software applications.
Amazon.com Product Description
With multiple computing "brains" inside one processor, the latest multi-core processors are ideal for hardcore gamers, HD multimedia enthusiasts, and anyone interested in running the most demanding software applications with ease. The latest generation of 45nm quad-core processors from Intel combine many exclusive innovations to deliver the best possible performance when running a wide range of software applications.

Intel® Core™2 Extreme Processor Product Highlight
Put the four cores of the Intel® Core™2 Extreme processor to work inside a computer and experience the latest games, HD entertainment and more the way their creators intended. Built on Intel's revolutionary new 45nm processor technology, this Intel Core 2 Extreme processor packs more processing technology into a smaller space than ever before. The result? A cool, quiet, highly efficient computing platforms with plenty of performance to run not only the software applications of today, but tomorrow as well.



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.

Gaming
Today's games feature much more than jaw-dropping graphics. Devious enemies, ultra-realistic physics, and immersive surround sound combine to deliver an incredibly immersive and super-intense experience. Unfortunately, all this visual and audio realism can place big demands on a computer's processor. When facing an intense dogfight, or heated battle online, the last thing you want is your computer slowing down or struggling to keep pace. To experience games the way their creators intended, choose the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor with Intel Advanced Digital Media Boost. With four processing cores and a host of next-generation technologies, the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor delivers performance to run the games of today and tomorrow.

Multimedia
With professional-grade photo and HD video editing applications growing in popularity, you might have considered editing your own photos and home movies for family and friends. But did you know that these editing applications can consume huge amounts of computing resources? Built to handle resource hungry creativity applications with ease, the four cores of this Intel processor help ensure that when you're manipulating high-resolution photos or editing HD-quality home movies, your computing platform will keep pace with your creativity.

Multitasking
Whether at work or home, running multiple applications is commonplace. When these applications demand significant computing resources (like photo editing, video compression or conversion, video conferencing, gaming and more) multitasking can mean slowdown and inefficiencies. For users who want to accomplish a lot simultaneously-whether at work or play-the Intel Core 2 Extreme processor combines a number of Intel-exclusive technologies that help ensure that performance is available when needed.

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