Noob questions about processors (AMD):

[jread]

Pardon my ignorance but I have been out of the loop for a looooong time.

I'm looking at upgrading to a newer AMD processor and motherboard, but I'm having trouble deciding what I want and what each thing is referring to. I'll just list the few questions I have below and hopefully someone can educate me a little:

1. What's with the different socket numbers? What socket type is best? I don't understand where there are so many different ones, but I don't want to get one that will be outdated too quickly.

2. What is the difference between the Athlon 64 and the Athlon 64 FX? What do they mean by 64-bit enabled anyway?

3. Are Dual Core processors really worth it? I understand that they let you multi-task, but if you're only running one thing at a time (say a computer game and nothing else), would you really gain any advantage from a dual core processor?


Thanks and I appreciate any help!

 

[GMtheBest]

1. The current socekt is 939, but new processors based on a new cocket are comming out in a few months. If its worth the wait ?
2. They are the same processor, the FX name is reserved for the high end processors (processors with the highest CPU speed)
3. At the moment, unless you are duling alot of multi tasking or using software designed for multiple threads, my opinion is no. But multitreaded games are already planned for development.

 

[alimoalem]

1. the difference between the socket numbers is the motherboard requires a cpu with the specific pin count. if you get a s754 cpu, it has 754 pins. if you get a s939 cpu, it has 939 pins. 939 is currently the newest socket, but socket M2 is coming out in june, i believe. it will have an additional pin, meaning 940 pins.

2. the difference between A64 and FX is price. if i remember correctly, the FX CPUs are basically overclocked opterons. go with a normal athlon 64

3. depending on what you do, dual core could be worth it. your primary task is gaming. that being said, multi-threaded games and applications are coming out so dual cores take advantage of this. i would recommend going the dual core route and getting the 3800x2. if you know how to and are willing to overclock, get the opteron 165.

hope i helped

 

[mordantmonkey]

1. Socket 754- An older socket for A64's and semprons that only supports single channel memory. Somewhat out of date, but you can find some really good deals on these if you are on a tight budget since the budget Sempron processor runs on this socket.
socket 940- predecessor to socket 939, was quickly dropped for a64's, this socket is mostly used in server boards with socket 940 opterons.
socket 939- the current socket for A64's (single and x2 dual core), and 939 opterons, (also OEM sempron 939's not available to public yet). this is the most current AMD socket. supports dual channel and all their current processors. However AMD is no longer designing new chips for this socket (note they are still mfg the existing ones though)
socket AM2- The up coming socket, that will add DDR2 RAM support. This socket will phase out the 939 socket within a year or so. All new processor architechtures will be designed on this socket.
2. the FX series is marketed for "enthusiasts". they boast better overclockability, and an unlocked multiplier (for OCing). They are only suggested if you have money to burn, since they are priced much higher than other AMD CPU's. 64bit enabled just means that it can run 64-bit programs (also can adress more memory than 32bit) unless you are running 64bit windows this doesn't really matter right now.
3. Depends on what you do. Currently they are only an advantage for multitasking, and a handful of programs that utilize dual cores. Gaming currently doesn't take advantage of Dual core to any real extent. However, this will be changing in the near future. UT2007 is rumored to make extensive usage of dual core processors.

 

[gobucks]

If you're not afraid of overclocking, a low-end dual core CPU is generally the best option. Athlon X2s, like the 3800+, 4200+, and 4400+, are pretty reasonably priced for their performance, and the Opteron 165 and 170 are also good choices. The FX is pointless in my opinion. Sure, it has unlocked multipliers, but you probably won't get much use out of them - most FX's are within 200MHz of their absolute maximum anyways, so you'd be better off just buying like a slower chip and just overclock the FSB instead.

Also, I really am not very excited about socket AM2. Sure, it'll bring DDR2 support, but benchmarks with an AM2 4800+ and DDRII 800 show pretty much no advantage over a socket 939 system. the only way it will be better is if 1) the CPUs OC a lot better than 939 chips (~3.0-3.5GHz) or 2) the virtualization technolog really takes off and someone discovers a use for it in a home system (yay, I can run windows and linux at the same time, but who cares....). Other than that, I'm just waiting for the socket 939 fire sale when AM2 comes out, cause I've been itchin for a dual core chip, but don't wanna lay out $300.

 

[jread]

Thank you very much for all of the replies! You guys really helped with my understanding of the different CPUs.

Do you know of a good place I could go to learn more about processor specs? I don't know what they mean by "Stepping", "Frequency", etc. I was looking at this comparison tool and realized I wasn't sure of all the differences: http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop

 

[alimoalem]

you see at the top of the page where it writes "ANANDTECH your source for hardware analysis and news"? see those tabs that say Motherboards, Memory, Storage, etc.? click on the CPU/Chipset tab and just read about the benchmarks and the new or older sockets that you want to learn about. it should help a bit