Can’t Find the Q9450? How About the Xeon X3350 Instead?

Yesterday, I posted about Intel’s new 45nm Quad-Cores and the fact that they are seemingly non-existent. But, if you have been wanting to pick one up, chances are good you are already well aware of this. As mentioned in that post, there are comparable Xeon models that you can keep in mind instead, as they offer identical specs and are priced pretty much the same.

As it stands, there are two e-tailers I can find that are stocking the mid-range version of the three, the X3350. This is a 2.66GHz offering, includes 12MB of L2 Cache and a 1333FSB… identical to the Q9450. Right now, NCIX has good stock and are selling for $389.99 CAN, while PC Connection is selling theirs for $385.04, at the time of writing:

• NCIX (Canadian) – $389.99
• PC Connection (USA) – $385.04

If you are looking to delve into the 45nm Quad-Core world right now, I have no reservation in recommending the Xeon X3350. Though marketed as a server chip, there will be no loss of performance when compared to the Q9450, so you can buy now or wait a few more weeks until e-tailers get their desktop-variant stock in. If you are interested in the other Xeon models, here are the ones to look out for:

• X3360 – 12MB L2 Cache, 2.83GHz, 1333MHz, 95W
• X3350 – 12MB L2 Cache, 2.66GHz, 1333MHz, 95W
• X3320 – 6MB L2 Cache, 2.50GHz, 1333MHz, 95W