Core i7 960 vs Core i7 970, some opinions please.

[Katmai500]

I'm not sure if anyone here is familiar with the Intel Retail Edge program, but long story short I have the option of purchasing either of these two CPUs:

Core i7 960
3.2GHz 45nm Quad Core

$85.00 USD

or

Core i7 970
3.2GHz 32nm Six Core

$215.00 USD

Both are killer deals. I'm building a new computer mainly because I can get one of these chips so cheap, and because my main desktop is 3 years old. It just feels like a good time to upgrade. I honestly don't think anything I do on my computer will benefit from the extra two cores, but I'm having a tough time deciding if I'll regret not having the extra two cores two years from now. Also the thought of having a six core gulftown monster in my desktop is tempting. Basically it's a debate between sensibility with money vs. go big or go home.

Any opinions?

[CPUShack]

For twice the money, you are not getting twice the performance.

Cache per core etc is all the same, cock speed is the same, 'bus' speed is the same. Power dissipation is the same, so ALL you get is 2 more cores.

Use the money you save to buy more RAM and you'll probably be better off.

[gshv]

It seems that you're not going to use all Core i7 960 power (4 cores + HyperThreading), so it's not worth going for Core i7-970. Like CPUShack said, it's better to get the 960, and spend extra money on RAM, or video card if you're into video games.

Gennadiy

[max3]

[off]

[Barren Realms 007]

[Kimura]

I have the xeon variant of the 6 core and if you're going to be doing anything cpu intensive I would say its worth it. I fold on mine and it has never failed to impress. Of course I did upgrade from a dual netburst board.