Conclusions
So, we've seen an awful lot of interesting performance data, but it all boils down to this: the Core 2 Extreme QX6850 doesn't change much. The QX6800 was the fastest desktop processor before it, and the QX6850 brings slightly higher performance in the same power envelope. The faster 1333MHz bus doesn't pay huge dividends, even for this quad-core part, but we did see reasonable gains in certain memory-bandwidth-limited tests.

Would I recommend buying this product? Nope, probably not. Long-time TR readers know about my aversion to paying the big premiums to get top-end products when reasonably priced alternatives are available. The Core 2 Quad Q6600 was secretly the star of our show today, with its quad-core performance and sub-$300 price tag. Grab one of those puppies and overclock it to 3GHz if you want a quad-core processor with a 1333MHz bus, fer crying out loud.

Still, I must admit that am warming to the idea that high-end processors may have their place. CPUs are relatively cheap compared to, well, a great many things, especially time. Our benchmarks have shown how a faster CPU can trim minutes and seconds off of common desktop computing tasks (and uncommon media creation and scientific computing ones, as well.) If time is money and your time is limited, the QX6850 may be worth every penny to you. One can't entirely quarrel with this sort of speed, and the easy overclocking is nice to have.

The thing is, as I've mentioned, Intel is about to change things all over again. Given the performance we've seen out of the Xeon implementation of the new "Penryn" core, we expect big things from the upcoming Core 2 Extreme QX9650, which is scheduled for its official launch on November 12. Hang onto your dinero for a few short weeks longer if you want to retain bragging rights for your shiny new monster PC for any reasonable amount of time.