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AM3 CPUs are getting hard to find (and other build musings)

VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
I lucked out, I was looking for an AM3 CPU for a board I have already installed into a case. Anyways, Newegg used to carry a triple-core, but that's sold out now and probably won't be restocked. The only AM3 CPU that they have left in stock is a single-core, I think Sempron 145 or something like that. With the right motherboard (unsure if this one is), you can sometimes unlock those CPUs to dual-cores, but I would much prefer to find a real dual-core, or even a quad/hex-core for it.

I went to Ewiz (SuperBiiz), and they had an OEM Athlon II X2 245 2.9Ghz AM3 dual-core CPU for around $40. Perfect!

So, I've got a pair of 2GB DDR3-1333 (maybe 1066) DIMMs, and I've got a spare Kingston V300 120GB SATA6G SSD. I don't think that this mobo has a SATA6G port on it, heck, it still has an IDE port on it. So performance might be slightly reduced, but still, it should be snappy, right?

OS will most likely be Windows 7 64-bit.

Maybe I can talk my friend into paying a few $$$ toward this rig, if I hook him up with it. His GF's rig had a HDD failure, and it looks like either the PSU or mobo, or both might be going too. I spent three hours on the phone with him troubleshooting, trying to get Win7 on there from a DVD, after getting the replacement IDE HDD recognized. The PC has an E5200 on a G31 micro-ATX board. Turned out the DVD drive in that machine was dead, so we tried a USB installed. The brand-new 32GB SanDisk Cruiser Glide I had given him recently, wouldn't be recognized by the MS ISO Tool. So he had an older 4GB stick which was recognized, but then when attempting to use it into the target system, it wouldn't boot from it, it would hang, and then the USB stick wouldn't even be recognized in the BIOS. So I had him use Vconsole.com's USB flash drive tester on the 4GB drive, on his other machine, and it tested out fine. So I'm guessing either the PSU's 5V line is out of spec, or the mobo is getting flaky.

The weird thing is, going into the BIOS, and going into "PC Health" section, there is no 5V line listed. There is a 12V, 3.3V, 1.8V, and vCore, but no 5V. I don't quite understand that.
 
what are phenom 2s? i was thinking about whether a phenom 2 for fairly cheap might have been a good processor.
 
norseamd said:
what are phenom 2s? i was thinking about whether a phenom 2 for fairly cheap might have been a good processor.
Click to expand...

A Phenom II is AMD's previous major chip generation. They're basically equivalent to an equivalently cored and clocked Intel Core 2. So fast enough for most people, but certainly not a speed demon.
 
mfenn said:
A Phenom II is AMD's previous major chip generation. They're basically equivalent to an equivalently cored and clocked Intel Core 2. So fast enough for most people, but certainly not a speed demon.
Click to expand...

i know that. i was asking what socket they were.
 
but what about to buy. not all sotck is always sold.

amd should be around at least a few more years. i think it is doing better than many people think. they are hiring new talent by the way.
 
You might be able to find decent deals on Phenom II's on ebay, or maybe even on the fine For Sale/Trade sub-forum here at AT.

It'd be tough to find a good deal on one new that would inspire you to purchase it and not say, an FX-6300.
 
Still have several of these AM3 builds in service with family members and friends. They get the jobs done. I expect them to last many more years. SSD's, even on sata 150, are quicker than hard drives.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Before Intel had the Sandy Bridge "K" CPUs, the Phenom II X4 CPUs were known as the go-to budget gaming chips.
Click to expand...

Yup myself and a friend had those chips. Great value for money if not slightly power hungry. I think I had the Phenom II x4 940. (or something like that) :thumbsup:
 
does the phenom 2 have faster single thread performance than vishera like some people say it does. or does this only concern bulldozer.
 
norseamd said:
does the phenom 2 have faster single thread performance than vishera like some people say it does. or does this only concern bulldozer.
Click to expand...

vishera fixed most of the issues. iirc it's still slower per clock but when running at design clocks it has the same performance.
 
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