Comparisons
Intel quad
AMD wants us to believe that its processors offer better bang per buck than Intel's. Here's a table comparing three AMD and three Intel processors at similar price points.
| Product | Cores | Clock (GHz) | L2 Cache (MB) | Price ($) |
| AMD X4 9950 BE | 4 | 2.6 | 2 | 186 |
| Intel Q6600 | 4 | 2.4 | 8 | 193 |
| AMD X4 9650 | 4 | 2.3 | 2 | 156 |
| Intel E8400 | 2 | 3.0 | 6 | 163 |
| AMD X3 8650 | 3 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 123 |
| Intel E7200 | 2 | 2.53 | 3 | 113 |
On paper at least AMD seems to be competitive here; offering higher clock at the top end and compensating for lower clock further down with more cores for your money.
One of the reasons for the Q6600's enduring success is its reputation for overclockability. AMD's Black Edition versions are designed to be an answer to that, as they claim to offer good overclockability too.
"The overclocking market is important for itself, but there is also a halo effect for the whole brand from having products that are popular with enthusiasts," said Buxton. We would like to hear from any readers that have overclocked either the Q6600 or a Black Edition processor or, ideally, both to know how they found it.
