Eyeing the 4600+

[m1ldslide1]

So I'm going to want to move to dual-core sometime in the next few months, but I'm not going to have the $$$ to switch to C2D: 2gigs of DDR2 is around $300, the 6600 is $330, the mobo would be another $150, and I'm looking at around $800 for a CPU upgrade when all I primarily do is gaming.

Seems like the smart thing for me to do is to get a socket 939 4600+ for $239 and plunk it into my current setup. This will last me a while it seems, at least through 2007 and Vista or until I have muchos dineros to get the latest and greatest. Plus I can use all that saved cash to invest in a new DX10 video card in Q1 '07.

I'd be stoked to wait as long as possible on buying this 4600 to see how much money I can really save, but I'm unsure as to how long I'll actually be able to purchase it new?

Anybody have any idea about how long the 939's will still be available on newegg or zzf?

 

[XBoxLPU]

Not worth it with what you have

 

[lopri]

Just do it. You know you want to. Why need an excuse?

On a tad more serious side, as the above poster said, your current CPU should be good for at least another year, unless you plan to buy Vista on day 1. (I believe the Vista Ultimate is something like $500?)

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: XBoxLPU
Not worth it with what you have

Why is that? The C2D will give me, what, 10% increase in gaming FPS versus the 4600? For $600 extra and the time involved in building a new system, I don't see how that's worth it.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Originally posted by: lopri
Just do it. You know you want to. Why need an excuse?

On a tad more serious side, as the above poster said, your current CPU should be good for at least another year, unless you plan to buy Vista on day 1. (I believe the Vista Ultimate is something like $500?)

I kinda interpreted XBOXLPU's comments to mean that I should go C2D, but maybe he meant hold onto the 3700+? I'm just worried about Vista and upcoming gaming titles with support for dual-core... Seems like I could stretch a 4600+ build for a long time with GPU upgrades.

 

[ChunkyBarf]

XBOXLPU meant that you should maintain your current rig. The processor (4600+) would not be that drastic of a speed increase relative to your 3700+ you have currently. Gaming is most dependent upon a good video card (which you have and when paired with your 17" LCD monitor is probably not even being stretched at a high-res as it is) more so than the processor. In addition, future games are being more and more "dual CPU aware", but are still lagging relative to video/audio encoding apps. The 4700+ would be an inconsequential upgrade in the grand scheme of things. 939's days might be numbered, but there is still a lot of life left in builds encompassing such a platform.

Good luck,
ChunkyBarf

 

[lopri]

Socket 939 CPUs will not disappear, especially with the current state of AM2 CPUs. Many AMD users opt to stay with 939 instead of upgrading to AM2, so even though AMD stops manufacturing 939 CPUs (which will be a year from now? I'm not sure about the exact roadmap) they will still be around. As for Vista, why don't you download the RC-1 and try it out? Vista has a built-in benchmark (albeit in a very crude form) and rates your system. San Diego @2.7GHz is FAST. Now, what I don't know about is the upcoming games that are hyped to be multi-threaded. The jury is still out there and I'm going to believe it when I see it.

 

[m1ldslide1]

Awesome - thanks for the replys. I agree that for gaming the 4600 won't do much of anything right now, and even in a year or so when there are more multithreaded games out the GPU is far more significant than the CPU(s).

Maybe it's just like lopri said originally - I know I want to and am just searching for excuses.

I'm gonna sit on this for at least a month and see if prices come down even more. I know that in the past when I've upgraded anything besides GPU I've been disappointed in the results I got for my money...

Thanks again.

 

[Munky]

I upgraded from a single core A64 to a dual core Opteron 165 about half a year ago, and I saw a whopping 0% improvement in games. But not only that, I also had to install patches to get my existing games to run smoothly on dual cores, and some older games still require me to manually set affinity to 1 core only. The irony of this "upgrade" is sure not lost on me.

I recommend keeping the rig you have, and if needed, get a faster video card. It will provide a much more tangible improvement in gaming.

 

[jiffylube1024]

If you do lots of gaming and little multitasking, I'd upgrade the video card. A 7950GT or X1900XT would do wonders with that CPU.

If you do a lot of multitasking in Windows and whatnot, I'd get the dual core. You can do more with dual core! (TM)