Product ReviewsIntel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz Quad-Core (BX80569Q9450A) Processor

Q9450 I deffinetly recommend.

To be honest I had no intensions on buying a quad core processor at all. I was running a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 which Ive had for years and loved it. I bought COD Black Ops and the Core 2 Duo seemed to not run the game properly which lead me to a website that said dual core processors dont run this game very well at all. So I bought this processor instead and tried it and it did the same thing with Black Ops. I double booted XP and Black Ops runs great on XP. Anyways, I did notice a 10 to 15 percent improvement on exsisting games such as Battlefield Bad Company 2 and so on. Huge improvement in windows opperations, programs, and picture and video editing. If you do those things alot which I dont, you might look into processors with large memory caches like this cpu. Also Intel has lead the pack in processor power for a while. Also in most performance bench tests the Q9450 only lags slightly behind faster cpus such as the Q9650 but since the 9450 has an odd speed of 2.66 vs 3.0 Ghz most people opt for the Q9650. This leaves the 9450 with a great price point and can be had for a much lower price. Lots of processors come with L3 memory cache and lower the L2 cache. L2 cache is faster and provides better performance overall and this cpu comes with 12 L2 cache. Can smoke I5 processors and even lower end I7s im sure.Read full review...

pure performance ths cpu.

The performance of the Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 was better than the ol' familiar Q6600. This, of course, was the expectation going into the testing. In the scientific benchmarks, the Q9450 pulled out ahead in 20 out of 35 tests. While that does not seem like a world beater, 9 of the 35 tests were drive related and the expectation is that no change would happen. So taken as 20 out of 26 tests, this looks a bit better. In the gaming tests, it pulled ahead of the Q6600 in 25 of 36 tests. Surprising? No! The performance of the Q9450 in the gaming tests show that game performance falls for the most part between the old standby and the king of the hill, the QX9770. In some of the tests, the performance of Q9450 was on par with that of the QX9770.

Am I disappointed in the overclocking headroom available from this processor. Not in the least! With the insane speeds being offered up by the dual core variants, I was still searching for a bit more than the 3.7GHz I was able to pull from this quad core processor. But even though I was expecting more, a greater than 1 GHz overclock is nothing to laugh at. The clockspeed increase was also done with a relatively low 1.36 volts to the processor. Much less than I have needed with both my Q6600 and QX9770s to gain the maximum core speed. Temperatures were, for the most part, kept in check throughout the testing. 64 degrees Celsius under load was the highest temperature I saw on air cooling during my stability testing with Prime 95. With better cooling, could the max overclock be increased? Probably, but the vast majority of users will be on air, so that's where I spent my time testing.

As enthusiasts, many times we buy a lower end processor hoping for increased performance so that we do not have to spend big coin on the top rated processors. Of course, with the big bucks come a guarantee of processor speed whereas in overclocking your mileage may vary. What you have with the Q9450 when overclocked is performance that beats the QX9770 in all but a few instances. On this account the Q9450 is a success. Ultimately, it means top end performance for bottom line dollars (at least for a Quad Core). Priced at $379, it does cost more than the Q6600, but is a far cry from the $1400 of the QX9770. Again, on this point it is a success. But is the performance that much better than the Q6600 it replaces for that same price? It really depends on what you want to do. In the scientific testing, it sure was. In the gaming, it was not as much of an improvement as I would have hoped for. For almost $200 more (at this point), the price may be a bit steep to make a switch from the old to the new, but ultimately any performance increase for an enthusiast is an increase. The Q9450 performance scales well as the clockspeeds increase, so with that being said, quad core 45nm performance can be had without the "Extreme" dollars that were needed up till this point. The price/performance ratio is there. If you are in the market for a new quad to add to the stable or just looking for a performance boost, Intel's non "Extreme" 45nm quad core is out right now! Finally!Read full review...

What a value

This CPU may not be an i3, i5 or an i7 but it's fast enough for daily chores on the Socket 775 computer. On the Passmark scale it ranked in the top 28% out of 2249 CPU's. Built in 2008, it continues to perform well. I am not a gamer so a $400 CPU is not what I need.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: reddotonlineinc

Q9450 - Great processor but read my review

This LGA 775 chipset is fantastic. I upgraded from a E2180 and can tell a difference. I'm using it with an Asus P5N-D motherboard. However, if your looking for stable overclocking and hardcore gaming on a budget (be mindful of your motherboard and PSU when overclocking) get a Wolfdale E8600. Wolfdale is the code-name for the E8000 series of Core 2 Duo desktop processors. For the cost of the Q9450, purchased for $140 in October 2012, I should have upgraded to a core i3 LGA and a LGA 1155 Socket Asus or Intel mobo for only $75 more. The core i series made some great improvements by dropping the southbridge and running everything on the CPU which runs smoother, faster in both multitasking and gaming. I build systems professionally and have personally worked with all the core i generations. If you need any help regarding mobo or processor help I suggest Toms hardware or Overclockers.net.Read full review...

Intel proc Q9450.

It has been received the goods, but yet not installed because to stock up the assessment l love five stars.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: gtron7

Good experience.

Nice upgrade from the Core 2 Duo CPU, and has extended the life of an older setup. It has served as an inexpensive upgrade that has staved off a major purchase for at least another year or two (next step would have been motherboard, cpu, and RAM, which would have cost me 4-5x what this CPU did). If you're upgrading from a Core 2 Duo cpu, do yourself a favor and upgrade to at least the stock fan of the Core 2 Quad CPU. It has a copper core, and is much beefier than the stock Core 2 Duo fan.Read full review...

Happy for the bang for the buck

The processor was a good bang for the buck upgrade, now the system is maxed out on processor and ram. It's strange to see a system become more efficient with more processor cores when it comes to the electric bill, but it was! It has helped with many projects I work on and a temp solution until I can build a quality 3rd Gen i7 system with a couple of nVidia cards.Read full review...

Worth the money.

Was pleasantly impressed by this CPU. Ran the Intel test for stability and it passed easily.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bustosinc2012

Great upgrade for older motherboard!

This processor is a great way to upgrade a Core 2 Duo motherboard without going all in for an i5 or i7 processor. On my Windows 7 machine this processor has greatly improved performance of Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Photomatix Pro 4. That said, the stock cpu cooler is junk. I put on an aftermarket cooler and it works much better.Read full review...

Excellent chip

Excellent processor. Overclocked to 3.2ghz no problem using a standard intel heatsink and fan. 12mb for the q9x50 vs the 6mb for the q9x00 is very nice. improved WPI score of precessor and ram(probably has more to do with timings). replaced a dual core e8300. much better at multitasking now.Read full review...