Is it worth it to upgrade from an AMD 4000+ processor?

[Trevelyan]

Currently I have a 4000+ Athlon64 processor with an ASRock 939-DualSata 2 motherboard. I was wondering if there is a processor that would give me noticeable performance improvements in things like games, Photoshop, listening to music and surfing the web. I mainly play Source engine games (like CS:S, Half-Life 2, Dark Messiah: M&M) and I heard that the Source engine is heavily CPU-dependent.

My rig is currently:

4000+ AMD CPU
ASRock 939-DualSata2 motherboard
ATI X1800XT 512MB video card
2GB Patriot DDR ram
Dual Dell 2005FPW monitors
Two WD Raptor 74GB drives (no RAID)
400Gb Seagate 7200.10 IDE
160Gb Seagate IDE

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Listening to music and surfing the web? Probably not

You can try to get an idea here for games/photoshop if you want to
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

You should try to find out what res and videocard they're using for the gaming stuff.

Are you really having any issues running CS:S and HL2 with that hardware you have already?

 

[Trevelyan]

Hey Jello! Well I'm pushing 1680X1050 resolution on the Dell monitor, and with 4XAA and 16XAF the game can slow down, usually when there is a lot of action on the screen. So I'm wondering if more CPU power will help with that?

I'll check out that link, thanks!

 

[soccerballtux]

You're very nicely paired with that rig. To test about your CPU, turn off the 4xaa and 16xaf. If the lag goes away, it's your graphics card, not your CPU. My bet is your CPU is fine for the games you're playing

 

[Trevelyan]

What about upgrading to this processor?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819115003

The Tom's Hardware guide put this pretty far above the 4000+, even in games like FEAR, and 3dMark.

 

[Trevelyan]

The other reason for upgrading is, I can have like 20 browser windows open at a time, and I'm pushing two screens. I work in Photoshop and Dreamweaver at the same time too. I would assume at least a dual core setup would benefit with that kind of multitasking... is that right?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Yes, dual core for multitasking would probably be the greatest benefit to you if you upgraded your processor.

Be aware that if you were to go for a core2duo, you'd also need to not only upgrade your motherboard, but you'd also have to get some new ram that is quite pricey.

What might start out as a $300 upgrade could end up being more like a $600 upgrade

For a more reasonably priced alternative, you might think about just getting a dual core AMD so you'd be able to keep using everything else in your system.

 

[gramboh]

Try to find an S939 dual core Opteron (160/165/175) they had a huge price cut (165 was $170 I think), these babies overclock to 2.5-2.8GHz and are very powerful at that speed. Pretty sure that ASRock mobo can OC.

 

[Trevelyan]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
Yes, dual core for multitasking would probably be the greatest benefit to you if you upgraded your processor.

Be aware that if you were to go for a core2duo, you'd also need to not only upgrade your motherboard, but you'd also have to get some new ram that is quite pricey.

Well I could spend around $600 total I suppose, and then just sell my old motherboard and ram. Can you recommend a quality motherboard, that's a) fast, b) stable and c) good for overclocking? I haven't looked at Intel stuff in a few years, lol.

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
For a more reasonably priced alternative, you might think about just getting a dual core AMD so you'd be able to keep using everything else in your system.

Like an Opteron 175? Would that be an upgrade?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I'm still chugging along on an A64 3200+ with no plans to upgrade anytime soon, so I'm not caught up on the latest Intel motherboards either.

Yeah, that Opteron would really help out with multitasking especially and like gramboh said, some can offer very good overclocking results. I'm not sure which ones are currently good overclockers though if it has changed from when they were originally so popular.

 

[pkme2]

I have just upgraded from 3500+ to 4800+ and I'm just noticing a vast improvement in multitasking on my video rig. It didn't hurt to find a 4800+ available online at an affordable price. AT had one for sale, but I missed it. You gotta act quick, the X2s like 4800+ and 4400+ are disappearing fast.

 

[Geomagick]

If the game lags with AA and AF turned on then it is the graphics card that will be limiting you.

I used to have a 4000+ and changed it to a 4400 X2. I didn't overclock and I didn't notice the 200MHz drop in clockspeed, rather everything ran smoother and transition between apps became instant.

Also I can rip 2 DVDs and encode 2 at once as well now, and that's not half bad in my book.

 

[biostud]

For gaming you're probably not CPU limited, and slowdowns is because of running too high settings for your videocard to handle. For multitasking and photoshop you should opt for one of the dualcore opterons, and overclock it like gramboh suggested.

 

[Oyeve]

I use an X2 3800+ and everything plays great. I have 2 7800 GT in SLI and I know my CPU is a potential bottleneck, but I dont plan on upgrading anytime soon as I can play everything recent without any problems. I will wait until at least 2 generations of CPUs and mobos and posible DX10 cards until I upgrade. I personally dont think an upgrade for you is worth it at this time. Your system seems pretty good right now.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

At your playing resolution, you're mainly GPU-limited right now. Here is a review showing benchmarks across several games at 1600x1200, comparing the C2Ds and some X2s. Granted, your resolution is a tad less, but still roughly the same. What you're going to find is that the CPU plays little importance at resolutions that high. You could test this if you want and UNDERclock your processor and rerun some tests.

Your system is pretty good. To rip out the MB, RAM, and CPU and move to C2D seems a bit much for the little increase you would see in the things you do with the system. For your multitasking, I can't imagine a dual-core helping you out much. I've never had Photoshop take up 100% of my CPU cycles by itself, but maybe I'm not using it the way you do.

The only thing getting a bit aged in your system is your video card. An x1900xt would give you a 22% in HL2 Lost Coast (and Dark Messiah). A GX2 would give boost you even higher (another 30% on top of that).

But it's hard to recommend a new gfx card when nV's new line comes out in like 30 days. That will be your best upgrade. Then, if you still want to, grab a cheap Opteron 165 or X2 3800+ and overclock the snot outta them. But, at the resolution you play at, you won't notice much (if any) difference in gaming performance between all those CPUs (and certainly not compared to upgrading to a faster video card).

 

[Ike0069]

Not sure you really need to upgrade, but if you do, go with a 10X multiplier CPU. With that ASrock board, a 10X multiplier will defintiely help you on your OC.

The Opty's normally OC very well, and you'd need the 170.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103586

Or you can get the 3800+ (with half the cache), for even less $$.

 

[SparkyJJO]

My guess is the game slowdowns are from the graphics card, not the CPU. I have a 3700+ (OC'd to 2.86GHz) and I run CS:S with no trouble, but I do have a X1900XT. I'd guess the GPU is the more limiting factor for you.