Looking for a new CPU mostly for MMOs

[Betatest]

No, there is not, I cleared it like a week ago with air in the can (not sure how it is called).

Okay, I fired up Aion to see changed and my temperatures were at 67ish both cores and cpu, which is I guess way too high and to see a real difference in FPS I think I would have to OC it a bit, something like 3.5GHZ.

 

[GaiaHunter]

If I want to go back to the original clock speed, do I just go to BIOS and change it to AUTO again and thats it?

Either auto or drop the multiplier to x15,

 

[dawp]

If I want to go back to the original clock speed, do I just go to BIOS and change it to AUTO again and thats it?

that or just set the multi to 15

 

[Betatest]

Okay, I am back at 3GHZ. Hmmm, what cooling would you guys recommend, would be Freezer 13 good enough, it looks good to me since it is useable on Sandy Bridge too.

I am in a tough situation, I really do not want to spend any extra money on something I do not really need. I do not want to sound like cheap ass, but I am kinda on budget now, so wouldnt be better to just start saving for new MOBO + CPU + RAM instead of drying the Phenom to death?

 

[soccerballtux]

you only need 55C for the higher end overclocks on C2 stepping chips. For example, I can hit 3.8Ghz but as soon as the CPU crosses 55C I BSOD.
The real #s on their product datasheets are 62C for quad core chips and 72C for duals.
I keep mine below 68 and haven't had any problems in stability or degredation of the chip. It only gets that high if I do something like run Prime95 though, otherwise it's pretty much always below 63C since it's never fully loaded in games and such.

If you overclock the CPU-NB and bus, that'll speed up your CPU noticeably too. It adds about 5% at your speeds and 10% performance at the higher speeds like 3.6+ghz.

You should overclock it, you're not going to kill it to death unless you give it like 1.6v and let it get above and stay above 73C.

 

[EliteRetard]

Most of the nicer tower coolers are universal, they can be used on AMD and Intel sockets...even if you dont overclock they run cooler and quieter than stock coolers. I think an aftermarket cooler is a good investment no matter what happens.

 

[EliteRetard]

I think the general consensus at this time is the CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ for around 30$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103065

It provides a combination of good performance and price and is compatible with all current sockets. So even if you swapped to Sandy Bridge or an AM3+ Bulldozer rig you could move the cooler to the new system and enjoy the temp and noise benefits.

Edit: Oh also its probably a good idea to check clearance, tower coolers are pretty big and may not fit (this one is like 6.25" tall). There are low profile options that can do a good job too though.

 

[Gryz]

so wouldnt be better to just start saving for new MOBO + CPU + RAM instead of drying the Phenom to death?

Yes. Current hardware can be an upgrade, but you won't get much result per dollar. Next year we'll have Ivy Bridge. It'll be faster and cooler than any CPU we have today. If I were you, I'd wait for Ivy Bridge.

 

[cebalrai]

The power of the Phenom II isn't this guy's problem and overclocking is not the solution. Overclocking might even drop his FPS.

I recently oc'd an Athlon II X3 3ghz to around 3.6ghz on stock cooling. When I went higher, temps would hit 62 or 63 degrees and the processor would throttle way back to like 900 mhz until temps dropped back to 60 degrees or so.

My money is on the CPU throttling back under load. The first thing to look for is a BIOS update and cleaning your computer's internals thoroughly. If that doesn't work go for an aftermarket cooler.

 

[Betatest]

I was thinking of waiting for Sandy Bridge to drop a bit or just see how the new MAD Bulldozers turn out, I really do not know where to go from now on.

 

[EliteRetard]

Yeah end of this year and early next looks like a big time for new hardware...from just about every manufacturer. If your computer was on the fritz and you had the money to replace it I wouldnt wait another 6 months or whatever...but I think you can at least extend the life of your current rig to last untill all the new high end fancy stuff hits the shelves. Even if you cant buy the best all the "old stock" goes on sale.

Seems like in your situation and budget its best to keep milking your computer for all its worth Save all your coins untill next year to get the most outta your money.

 

[Tuna-Fish]

Many peopel are saying that the low framerates in MMOs is caused by my GTX 460 1GB, I still think it is the combination of DDR2+CPU.

This one is easy to test. Drop your screen resolution to something absurdly low (think 800x600), and do some test gaming looking at your fps. Dropping the resolution does nothing to the load on the CPU, and significantly reduces the load on the GPU. If your frame rates improve, the problem is the GPU, if they don't, you need a new CPU.

SSD doesn't increase frame rates in any way -- they mostly reduce the time it takes to boot up, start programs, and load files. (including game loading times.)

 

[Betatest]

I still have my mind on the i5-2500k, everyone is reporting GREAT results in every single mmo out there, so guess I will buy a new cooler for now, OC it a bit and wait untill the prices drop.

 

[GaiaHunter]

I would buy a cooler to start with. You will be able to reuse it on a sandy bridge anyway.

A CM 212+ or a Xigmatek Gaia are very good coolers and aren't that expensive at $30. Apply with some decent thermal paste like artic cooling mx-3 or mx-4.

That will not only cool down you CPU substantially but also reduce the noise by a good amount.

Talking about noise, at what speed is your cpu fan running? If it isn't running at max speed you could try to ramp it up.

Additionally, how about that GTX460? At what temperatures is it running? Does it throttle while playing (check with GPU-Z while playing in window mode)?

Is the GTX460 properly seated in the PCI-E slot (thermal creeping might make the card not contact properly)? I ask this because sometime ago I was having some low fps in Guild Wars and problems in flash with my 6850, even though it worked fine with other games, and I found it that by taking it off and re-sitting it, the problem got sorted.

What is your performance in other games like?

 

[Betatest]

I have tested that and no, dropping my resolution to something like 800x600 does not give me a single FPS boost.

As I have stated, when I play LOTRO (the engine is old as hell) I get around 150-200 FPS being alone and 80 FPS in the biggest city. World of Warcraft 60+ wherever, but 25 man raids were causing trouble and fps drops. RIFT is a whole different story, the game was playable untill I saw someone on my screen, dungeons were 30 fps hell no matter what was happening. My GPU temps are perfectly fine, I would say around 50-60 on high load.

 

[GaiaHunter]

I have tested that and no, dropping my resolution to something like 800x600 does not give me a single FPS boost.

It might still be the GPU.

On the other hand the i5-2500K is a great CPU and should be good for quite a good time.

Bulldozer rumored launch dates wildly vary, from reports of quad-core BD being launched in August with 6/8 cores being released later on, other rumors state September and some even point out that BD is delayed until October.

 

[Betatest]

I might try to unplug and plug back the GPU later on, but I just think that my CPU is just not enough for the games I am playing, everywhere I go they say "If you want to play MMOs, get a great super CPU".

 

[sm625]

I tried Aion for a couple hours before it made me want to gag. Anyway, I cant imagine how that game could possibly be limited by an X4 940. The best thing to do would be to tweak the settings until you find that one single setting that is causing the biggest drop in fps. There is usually some setting in every game engine that causes an unusually large load on the cpu. Find a spot where you get low frame rates when you start spinning in a circle. Then change your settings one at a time and start spinning. Measure your fps. Then change another setting and repeat. That really is your only option if you cant overclock and dont want to spend any money. New cooler is a great idea though. Also, as others have said, maybe a NB OC and/or a memory overclock would help. If there is something in the game that is causing massive amounts of cache misses then it is the NB that needs to be tweaked.

 

[Necc]

Ihad the same problem as yours, you're cpu bottlenecked.

Iplay a mmo called lineage2 (same developer as aion) alone exploring iwould get like 100+ with my old Q6600 overclocked at 3,2Ghz ( Same current VGA), but in town or siege wars my fps would dip to the 15fps. that annyoed me a lot. switched platform. now with my oc 2500k @ 4.4Ghz my dips are between 50-60 and that with a lot of shit going on.

oc will help you but not much. isay switch platform now to the sandy bridge or wait for the bd/ivy.

 

[lsv]

A good aftermarket cooler for overclocking and an SSD would definitely improve the general feel of the system. Still, 30-60 FPS is perfectly fine. You can even play shooters with no problems at 30 fps, anyone who tells you different is talking out of his ass.
Generaly, your PC is in a good shape (at least the hardware). The Phenoms are highly overclockable, so it should serve you well for at least a year, depending on what you want to play.

FPs games at 30fps? Maybe TF2... Not CS...

 

[sm625]

In other words, all he really needs is a 20% increase in fps to get by for another year or two. And the solution to that is... "buy a 2500k". lol you cant make this stuff up.

 

[GaiaHunter]

In other words, all he really needs is a 20% increase in fps to get by for another year or two. And the solution to that is... "buy a 2500k". lol you cant make this stuff up.

Although in this case he is already convinced he needs/wants a 2500K.

I guess he expected to come to an enthusiast hardware forums from his game forum, where everyone was recommending the greatest CPU possible, and everyone would say "You need a SB-E not a punny 2500K."

 

[veri745]

I second the idea of a new CPU cooler and an overclock to 3.4-3.5GHz.

I run a PhII 955 @ 3.6GHz and have none of the problems you're having. I'm even still on a 790FX platform w/ DDR2

Temps in the 60s shouldn't be a problem unless it causes instability. Like soccerballtux said, TCaseMax for these CPUs are in the mid 70s.

 

[Makaveli]

You can easily run WoW at 60 fps on a $28 Sempron @ 2.6 ghz.

This is true until you get into zone with 500 gold farmers or fighting a boss (i'm not a wow player but have a friend that is obsessed).

So he is most certainly CPU limited.

 

[Betatest]

Hey again, sorry for bothering you guys, but I found out that I have Freezer 7 (it used to be on really really old C2D), should I install it on the cpu or should I get a better one, is the Freezer 7 enough for 3.4GHZ overclock?

Edit: Yeah, I forgot that it can not be installed on anything different then 775.

Thanks