Intel Q9450 vs Phenom 9850 - ATI HD3870 X2

[Hornet331]

from market's perspective

1) insignificantly in games
2) for a cost
3) scaling is the same as for Intel's CPUs. Platform's scaling is higher
4) true, though not sure about the "unfortunately" part. There should be a reason to buy high-end GPUs

1) not if you look at the data jack/legion hw has provided, phenom seriously gimps the 4870X2
2) depends, you need a 9850 to competent against a Q6600 (still a bit slower then a Q6600) and they are the same price, when we factor in ocing, the Q6600 is the better value.