arturmarques.com iLog

With the recent slump in memory and cpu prices, I decided to spend some money on new gear for my personal computer.
My options were: the Intel Q9650 (4 cores, 12MB shared cache, 3 GHz, CORE2 QUAD technology) and 8 GB of DDR2 PC2–8000 RAM, in the form of 4x 2GB sticks, from GSKILL.

In less than one hour I cleaned the PC, replaced its CPU and RAM. Not bad, because I am extremely careful on these updates. I have to thank my CPU cooler: the good old NOCTUA with a 800 rpm 12cm fan. It remains the best cooler, for my requirements, which value silence and ease of CPU replacement. This NOCTUA is silent and it proved easy to remove, clean [the thermal paste] and reinstall: all it takes is to handle two screws that fit into two strong springs that prevent over tightening.

The Intel Q9650 does seem to be energy efficient. I measure ~240 W of power consumption on my most frequent tasks, like reading and writing, which is the exact same value I had with Intel Q6600, that runs 600 MHz slower…

Above, the CPU, still in the box.

Above, the CPU, now already inserted into the LGA775 socket.

Some RAM sticks. I am yet to understand why the hardware auto identifies them as DDR2 800 MHz, instead of DDR2 1000 MHz. I have to set the 1 GHz speed manually.