E6900 or E8000 ?

[automagic]

My take on this is why spend the big bucks on the XE when all you really get is bragging rights. Spend $300 on a 2.4 conroe, then oc it and you'll have a really fast machine. IMHO

[LowRun]

My take on this is why spend the big bucks on the XE when all you really get is bragging rights. Spend $300 on a 2.4 conroe, then oc it and you'll have a really fast machine. IMHO

So very true but then again some people want every last drop of power higher multis could bring and they have the overclocked wallets to match, so why not?

[GoldenTiger]

So very true but then again some people want every last drop of power higher multis could bring and they have the overclocked wallets to match, so why not?

Sure if you have the wallet to match it for every component in your system, go ahead if you want... it's your money! I can't say I wouldn't in that position ! However, for most of the OC'ers on even these forums, we don't have huge wallets, and would rather get a lower CPU that will overclock to 90-95% of the performance, then use the extra money "saved" toward a second video card for SLI to whomp on what we could get if we went for the highest CPU and a single videocard.

[Thorburn]

My take on this is why spend the big bucks on the XE when all you really get is bragging rights. Spend $300 on a 2.4 conroe, then oc it and you'll have a really fast machine. IMHO

The XE offers the ultimate performance for people who don't want to overclock or for those who want the extra flexibility to get the optimum performance from there system by being able to choose the most suitable combination of FSB and multiplier.

[GoldenTiger]

The XE offers the ultimate performance for people who don't want to overclock or for those who want the extra flexibility to get the optimum performance from there system by being able to choose the most suitable combination of FSB and multiplier.

So you're saying if I want the best performance on a budget of oh say, $2000, I should go for the XE for $1200 and then have to dump my video cards into the toilet along with RAM quality/amount and hard drive speed/size? Yes, it is the ULTIMATE in performance for those who don't want to overclock, but for OC'ers, unless you're a hardcore bencher with tons of cash to throw at it, the XE is a poor choice. Most OC'ers don't have $5000 per rig to upgrade every few months to the next ubar-$1200 chip for 5% gain in system performance to grab those WR's.

I completely agree it's *THE BEST* chip for benchers, but saying it is "optimum" performance for those who want to be able to choose their multi, is bunk if you ask me. You will get the best optimum *system* performance by going for bang for the buck even on the higher-end of the spectrum such as the 2.4ghz-2.66ghz Conroe's, along with SLI video cards, instead of the XE with a single video card and slower RAM.

[Durzel]

So you're saying if I want the best performance on a budget of oh say, $2000, I should go for the XE for $1200 and then have to dump my video cards into the toilet along with RAM quality/amount and hard drive speed/size? Yes, it is the ULTIMATE in performance for those who don't want to overclock, but for OC'ers, unless you're a hardcore bencher with tons of cash to throw at it, the XE is a poor choice. Most OC'ers don't have $5000 per rig to upgrade every few months to the next ubar-$1200 chip for 5% gain in system performance to grab those WR's.

I completely agree it's *THE BEST* chip for benchers, but saying it is "optimum" performance for those who want to be able to choose their multi, is bunk if you ask me. You will get the best optimum *system* performance by going for bang for the buck even on the higher-end of the spectrum such as the 2.4ghz-2.66ghz Conroe's, along with SLI video cards, instead of the XE with a single video card and slower RAM.

I have to say I totally agree with this.

Assuming a fixed budget, if it was a decision between an E6700 and Crossfire/SLI and X6800 and a single card - then for gaming at least the Xfire/SLI option would be clearly faster.

X6800 may be the fastest chip, but that doesn't automatically make any system with it as a component the "fastest system".

Obviously if your pockets are bottomless and you intended to buy the absolute best (read: most expensive) of everything then the X6800 would be a no-brainer.

[SturmoV]

My take on this is why spend the big bucks on the XE when all you really get is bragging rights. Spend $300 on a 2.4 conroe, then oc it and you'll have a really fast machine. IMHO

Agreed. IMHO, it would make me feel much better OCing a lowly $340 E6600 to a crazy speed, than an $1000+ XE chip. I could probably get a phase change box for the difference in price alone.

[p360stick]

I will probably just get E6600 too