Blade Quad Core

AMD Phenom II X4 810

What's AMD's up to? You'd assume it would use a high-end chip to launch its new AM3 socket. But here we are with this 2.6GHz quad-core model. AM3 is actually physically identical to the AM2 socket, which means this CPU will also slot into many existing AMD motherboards.

Significantly, however, it does add support for DDR3 memory. At least it would be significant if it made a real difference to the performance. We compared the 810 running courtesy of both DDR2 and DDR3 and found the gap was slim-to-none in reality.

As for overclocking, the 3.25GHz our sample hits with a conventional air cooler may not be spectacular, but it is more than enough to lift this affordable chip into genuine high-performance territory. Not bad for about $240.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600

The Q6600 has been knocking around in some form or other for well over a year. Even the latest GO stepping has been around long enough to take on legendary status. Yet it remained arguably our favorite quad-core PC processor in this test.

We expected a lot, thanks to its reputation for running at 3.5GHz or more. To say we're disappointed with our sample's refusal to run beyond the stock 2.4GHz is an understatement. If it had been our $290, we'd cry.

It's extremely rare to find processors that won't overclock at all. But our experience does emphasize that it could be worth paying a premium to get a chip from a friendly site to ensure you get a Q6600 with guaranteed overclocking headroom.

Armored Core Last Raven - Danger Halley VS Quad Pulverizer