CPU Upgrade. X2 5000 ---> X4 9850

[slimjim2005]

If I upgrade, Will I see a big increase it games? It seems like my cpu is holding me back.

I have

X2 5000 BE @ stock 2.6ghz
4gb ram
ati hd 4850

 

[SlowSpyder]

Before you buy a new CPU, you should try and overclock your current chip. The 5000+BE's are pretty easy to get to 3GHz+ from what I understand.

 

[slimjim2005]

I've tried before, but the problem is that my mobo is a piece of ****. ECS =\. It does not let me overclock my CPU. So I was wondering what type of performance increase I would get if I got the 9850

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: slimjim2005
I've tried before, but the problem is that my mobo is a piece of ****. ECS =\. It does not let me overclock my CPU. So I was wondering what type of performance increase I would get if I got the 9850

If your motherboard doesn't have overclcoking options, you should check to see if it will support a 125 watt CPU. Sounds like a low end board, my guess is that it will not support the 9850.

 

[Rhoxed]

no ECS currently supports 9850 to my knowledge

 

[slimjim2005]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813135083

That's the mobo I have. It says it supports phenom?

 

[Pederv]

ECS web site reports the board is limited to 95W TDP, not enough for the 9850.

ECS

 

[nerp]

You should upgrade your mobo, maybe to a 780G board or something like that with support for 125W TDP support. Newegg labeles the boards that can handle newer phenoms pretty clearly.

Then, OC your BE X2 for a while, get it to 3 to 3.2ghz and milk that while you prepare for the X4 purchase later.

I think in this way you'll encounter some noticable boosts in crysis without buying the X4 yet. A new motherboard with a more recent chipset might provide a significant boost over your 6100/430 board and unleash the true potential of your 4850. You'll also be able to OC that BE by raising the multiplier and not touching other settings at first. Take advantage of that fact.

You should see a nice improvement with a new board and OCing the X2.

The only caveat is that you might want to wait a little longer until boards with the 750 southbridge come out. This apparently improves X4 overclocking results significantly.

Maybe shelve Crysis until Warhead comes out. Then get new gear and the sequel at the same time.

 

[Cheesetogo]

It's pretty unlikely that your CPU is the bottleneck in Crysis. I'd be willing to bet that the 4850 is what's holding you back.

 

[slimjim2005]

You guys are really helpful on here. Could anyone recommend me a good overclocking board?

 

[slimjim2005]

I have narrowed it down to these 3. Any help deciding which one to get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131325
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128335
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813138114

Also when it says ddr2 1066. Will my ddr2 800 ram be compatible?

 

[aigomorla]

i highly recomend you upgrading the board to futher enhance your fun and overclocking.

SB750 FTW!

 

[Pederv]

Of the boards that you have listed, it looks like the ASUS is the only one that will support all of the X4's currently available.

Except for rare occasions, most boards will support slower memory than what they are rated for. So the 800 DDR2 won't be a problem.

You can always take aigomorla's suggestion and wait for the motherboards with the 750 southbridge to arrive.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I'm not 100% sure if the AMD Overdrive utility works with A64's or AM2 (non plus) motherboards, but you could always give that a try as well. It's a free download from AMD's site that is a Windows based overclocking utility.

*Edit - Also, for whatever it's worth, this is just by memory - so I don't have the exact numbers, but I think in Crysis I averaged 26.5FPS @ 1680x1050, everything set to 'High' no AA. This was on a 2900Pro @ 800MHz, your graphics card is faster. But, even with that, I still don't think your 5000+ is holding you back that bad, but I'd still give it an overclock if you can and see what kind of increase you get.

 

[Markfw]

(puts on flame suit)

So if you are going ot replace your motherboard and cpu, why does it have to be AMD ? Or does it ?

 

[MrStryker]

Your flame suit won't do you any good because it's nonexistent. Where are you getting at? I would have never thought a mod'd talk like that lol...

Anyway, there is a really decent ECS board that support the Phenom which is the ECS A780GM-A. But I would recommend you to wait until SB750s hit shelves before replacing your CPU because that's where AMD greatly benefits from.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
(puts on flame suit)

So if you are going ot replace your motherboard and cpu, why does it have to be AMD ? Or does it ?

I don't think his 5000+ will work in a 775 board. I was thinking when the Phenom 9850 fell through for the OP, he was looking to get a better overclocking board for the 5000+? Maybe not?

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: MrStryker
Your flame suit won't do you any good because it's nonexistent. Where are you getting at? I would have never thought a mod'd talk like that lol...

Anyway, there is a really decent ECS board that support the Phenom which is the ECS A780GM-A. But I would recommend you to wait until SB750s hit shelves before replacing your CPU because that's where AMD greatly benefits from.

I am also a poster and a member here. I am not sure what comment you can;t believe. The bottom line is, the OP said nothing about brand, just that he wants a faster CPU, and now it appears that he needs a new motherboard also. I was suggesting that possibly this would be a good time to switch to Intel, due to their performance and overclocking superiority.

If he wants that, I will reply with options, otherwise I will let the current AMD experts give him advice.

 

[MrStryker]

Allright, I'm sorry. I come from many different forums and I had gotten the wrong impression that you were implying the OP was rather dumb to stick to AMD where he had the opportunity to go for an intel combo instead. This explains my slight outburst.

 

[Markfw]

Well, I am not Implying anything of the sort, except maybe he is not up on the latest benchmarks(and I don't even know there), and with the need for a new motherboard and CPU to fit his needs, this would be the perfect time to switch over to Intel. A nice Q6600 OC'ed to 3.4, on a DS3L motherboard would give hime everything he needs for Crysis to run smooth for <$300.

 

[Pederv]

Markfw900, my impression was that he wanted better performance in Crysis and since his motherboard didn't allow overclocking he was looking to upgrade his processor.

Any of the motherboards that he was looking at on Newegg would have given him the ability to overclock his CPU, but the ASUS board would have left him open to upgrading to an X4 at a later date (if he chose to).

 

[Markfw]

ah... Well, I didn't think that an X2 5000 BE even at 3.2 would be enough for Crysis from what I read, but I could be wrong.

 

[nerp]

My main suggestion was for him to realize that if he bought the X4 as he was originally planning, he wouldn't be able to use it because of his board not supporting the higher power requirements. I also noticed that his BE chip is essentially underutilized and he already owns a 4850, which is a respectable card. I figured the most cost-effective purchase for immediate gains would be to overclock his CPU. Since he's thinking about X4 down the road, a new mobo that could a) exploit his BE's potential with just one purchase b) support his future plans of upgrading to an X4.

I was thinking, basically, "how can he get a nice boost now buying one part" to save him the grief of buying an x4 and having to shelve it or worse, blow his board.

An entire platform switch is possible, if he so chooses, but I wasn't under the impression that he wanted to do a whole platform switch. It sounded like he was looking for a quick shot in the arm.

He can tell us his thoughts, I guess. I think it's good that people are throwing out a variety of options for him to consider.

 

[Markfw]

Great feedback guys, I wasn't trying to derail as much as give good advice, and it sounds like we all agree, that there are options to be considered.

 

[slimjim2005]

I wish I did some more research. I would have bought a new mobo + the e8500 =

I already bought the giga byte mobo though. Guess I am stuck with my 5000+