Upgrading motherboard and processor, need advice

[Logan.M]

I saw Gigabyte GA-EP45T-DS3 motherboard on a site and wanted your comments on it. Is it recommended or should I go for some other motherboard? Also which is best Intel's processor: Duo and Quad Core? I will be using my PC mostly for gaming. Which one would you recommend?

Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 3.33 GHz Socket 775, 6MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/ Fan
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Socket LGA775, 1333MHz, 12MB, Boxed w/ fan
Intel Xeon E3360 2.83 GHz, Socket 775, 12MB, 1333MHz, Boxed w/ Fan

Do I buy a fan as well? If it comes with a fan, is it advisable to purchase a new/ additional fan for the processor? I am upgrading my PC for the first time since I bought it.

[Marthaz]

Gigabyte GA-EP45T-DS3 motherboard is very good. The best part is that it uses DDR3 memory.

Most gaming with E8600 dual core might fit best with its 3.33GHz. But not particularly for games more than crysis.

However you should be able to do video editing, lots of multitasking, in addition with a quad core.

And Xeon 9550 CPU is basically the same except that in some Xeon CPUs you can open any server instructions using micro code. However, this is without significance on a desktop. The Xeon processor links to a budget Xeon server (s) so I think it is exactly the same as the Q9550.

Also if you want to try overclocking, then you may need a 3rd party cooler.

[MindSpace]

The choice between dual and quad core is also a bit depending on the length of time you plan to sit on the system. If you use your computer quiet often (at least once a year) then you can buy a dual core; but if you sit on the same system in 2-3 years then it better to just go for quad core one.