Q9400 is a Core 2 Quad on socket 775 - its finish of life and a dead-end. You may acquire a cheaper system now but you will require purchasing new CPU, RAM and motherboard (as a minimum) for the next machine as there will be no promotes.

At least the i7 has some degree of last aptitude in it. When you say the i7 runs at 2.66GHz I suppose you're referring to the i7 920? That runs on socket 1366 motherboards and they do contain some legs in them with the 6-core i9 on its way next year.

The i7 920 is greater to the Q9400 even at the same clock speed, so personally I'd complement a bit of last ability, create the extra investment now and go i7 on socket 1366. You can go i7 on socket 1156 but I'm unsure how much durability 1156 has in it.

Certainly choose the i7 model it’s worth the cost and also LGA 775 is EOL (End of Line).

And that's Hyper threading which several programs (not all) advantage from it like AVG Anti-Virus.

Well it will rely on how many threads the program can sprint on. If the program can run on all 8 threads of the core i7 then it will be an enhanced choice as the q9400 has only 4 threads. Also the core i7's have turbo boost which will provisional augment the CPU cores speeds.

So you guys are saying that LGA 775 is too old now?

Fine I deduction ill have to choose i7.

At this exact instant in time, if you're on a budget then LGA 775 is OK because we're only just starting to use the power of the i7/i5 and Phenom II BUT it won't last long and is a blind alley for improvement. Sooner or later you will have to purchase a whole new machine.

If budget isn't as much of an issue or you desire to spend in a new base for future improves, then bite the bullet now and construct a system based around LGA 1366.

Well yes and no. It's just that the LGA 775 is attractive much over and the LGA 1156 and 1366 are the novel kids on the block.

What we quite much seem for is:

Ability to improve in future.

Cost to presentation ratio.

Best CPU for the position.

When we observe your needs/want for the present and future we perceive the core i7 being the best option.

The core i7 is a quite new product that will meet all your wants for the next 2 to 3 years. When needing to improve to a newer cpu, there will be the core i9 which is a 6 core 12 threaded cpu that will run on the present LGA 1366 socket.

Now don’t obtain us wrong the Core 2 quads are superior CPU’s that could last somebody for while. It just that the core i7 are better and in long period will be more cost effectual.

Hello friends

If you don't desire to give the bucks for i7 then go i5 or Phenom II.

Constructing a new system around C2Q is an object of the past now.

Concur fully, the overclock is superior with the i7 920, in addition you have ddr3 memory which adds extra push in speed, MB are actually good stuff, I have a Gig MB that is fast and handles all the speed possible for the i7 920.

There was a time many years before when I started with my own case; I would complement a medium grade processor. Then I realized, placing a little more into the build will save you money in the long sprint as it will provide you 12 - 24 months more service.

DDR3 more speed? MHZ possibly presentation - next to nothing.

All i7/1366 boards are fundamentally the same thanks to only one chipset being obtainable and your gigabyte would overclock about the similar as any other board in its class.

To the OP - don’t go near a 775 build.