Processor for Gaming

[psionkey]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
The best deal on a single core CPU is the FX-55 at newegg for $139, it's the same San Diego core with 1mb cache as the 4000+ but its clocked higher at 2.6ghz and has the unlocked multi

It would have been, but it's $189 now: still a really good deal. Here's a Venice 3800, which is the same speed as a 4000, with half the L2 cache, for $109: link. It seems that the supply of 1MB socket 939's is already dwindling. A $109 3800 Venice would be a very good deal, though.

What are you talking about? The FX-55 is still $139 at the egg. You have the apply the coupon code AMDROCKS to get the $50 off

 

[dexvx]

I seriously cannot believe some people are recommending spending on overpriced single-core CPU's. While its true that 95% of games are not Dual-Core optimized, considering the fact that a retail E6300 + 945P Motherboard at Fry's goes for $179, its hard to justify purchasing a 4000+ for the $200 mark or even an FX-55 for $139, when a stock E6300 will probably beat or match it in single core operations.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: psionkey
What are you talking about? The FX-55 is still $139 at the egg. You have the apply the coupon code AMDROCKS to get the $50 off

Ahh, I didn't realize that was how it worked. So, the FX-55 would be what you'd want. And yeah, an X2 4200 would work just fine as well. Note that they use two different sockets, so require two different motherboards.

Originally posted by: dexvx
I seriously cannot believe some people are recommending spending on overpriced single-core CPU's. While its true that 95% of games are not Dual-Core optimized, considering the fact that a retail E6300 + 945P Motherboard at Fry's goes for $179, its hard to justify purchasing a 4000+ for the $200 mark or even an FX-55 for $139, when a stock E6300 will probably beat or match it in single core operations.

A stock E6300 is not only slower at single-threaded apps than any 2.6 Ghz A64, that motherboard 1) barely overclocks and more importantly, 2)only has a 4x PCI-E slot. This is for gaming, not for word processing.

 

[chelch]

Ok..so you guys think the AMD Athlon 64 FX-55 San Diego 2.6GHz Socket 939 Processor is the way to go. I would like something high performance for my gaming.

 

[hennethannun]

more importantly, the OP seems to have a socket A athlon XP,

so if that is the case, maybe he should consider a full system upgrade to AM2 or C2D.
he won't be able to bring his DDR ram to the new build but it is probably DDR333, and he needs to buy a new motherboard anyway, so maybe it is a good time to bet a new video card and DDR2. For gaming, AM2 processors offer very competitive single core options.

For dual-core, with the need to purchase a new motherboard, I see little reason not to buy a Core 2 Duo E6300.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: myocardia

Originally posted by: dexvx
I seriously cannot believe some people are recommending spending on overpriced single-core CPU's. While its true that 95% of games are not Dual-Core optimized, considering the fact that a retail E6300 + 945P Motherboard at Fry's goes for $179, its hard to justify purchasing a 4000+ for the $200 mark or even an FX-55 for $139, when a stock E6300 will probably beat or match it in single core operations.

A stock E6300 is not only slower at single-threaded apps than any 2.6 Ghz A64, that motherboard 1) barely overclocks and more importantly, 2)only has a 4x PCI-E slot. This is for gaming, not for word processing.

Wow seriously... do a little bit of researching before pouting off. Its an ECS AGP/DDR VIA based board. Even at a paltry 1.86Ghz, its still a match @ stock for the 2.6Ghz FX-55 plus the original owner can keep his DDR/AGP card.

On the other hand, considering the cheapest retail E6300 on the web are $180ish, you can easily turn around and eBay the motherboard for $20-40. Bringing the actual cost of the CPU down to $160-140. Buy an overclocking ($140ish) 965board, it'll up the total to around $300. Overclock that to 3Ghz, and nothing will touch it except a faster Core2.

 

[hennethannun]

FX 55 for $139 is a fantastic deal, and EXTREMELY tempting for anyone who already has a socket 939 motherboard to use with it.

But for the OP, i don't think buying s939 is the way to go.

an E6300 + DS3 combo costs about $330. It will perform roughly equivalent to an X2 4200+ at stock, should OC up to at least 400x7 (ie 2.8 ghz) at which point you are talking about FX-62+ performance.

Yes, that would cost about $100 more than getting an FX-55 and decent s939 Mb, but it will also be signifcantly more future proof and offer better single threaded and multi-threaded performance (assuming you OC).

another option would be to buy a decent LGA 775 Motherboard and a cheap Pentium D (like the 805) and use that for a while, then grab a Kentsfield when they become available for reasonable prices next year.

There are definitely a lot of options for the OP, but i think that he is best served by looking outside the s939 range, since he does not currently have a legacy s939 board...

 

[akshayt]

i would prefer a x2 over fx 57, besides get c2d, besides alan wake won't run on a fx 57 while it will rock on a singtle 1900xt + c2q

 

[deadseasquirrel]

IMO, the OP shouldn't upgrade at all. He's got an AMD cpu at 2.5ghz matched with a 7950GT. There isn't any game out there that he can't play at his playing resolution of 1280x1024 right now or in the near future. His main activity is gaming, so any cpu-heavy multitasking benefits from a dual-core are wasted at the moment.

Originally posted by: akshayt
i would prefer a x2 over fx 57, besides get c2d, besides alan wake won't run on a fx 57 while it will rock on a singtle 1900xt + c2q

This has to be the worst advice ever. Buy a new processor now so that you can play a game that won't be out for 6+ months and will *require* Vista. And, I'm sure the game will run on a single-core CPU. That video was made at an Intel developers conference if I'm not mistaken. I wouldn't believe anything put out by marketing folk. I'm willing to be it'll play BETTER on an X2 3800+ with an 8800GTX than an x1900xt with C2Q.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: dexvx
Wow seriously... do a little bit of researching before pouting off. Its an ECS AGP/DDR VIA based board. Even at a paltry 1.86Ghz, its still a match @ stock for the 2.6Ghz FX-55 plus the original owner can keep his DDR/AGP card.

On the other hand, considering the cheapest retail E6300 on the web are $180ish, you can easily turn around and eBay the motherboard for $20-40. Bringing the actual cost of the CPU down to $160-140. Buy an overclocking ($140ish) 965board, it'll up the total to around $300. Overclock that to 3Ghz, and nothing will touch it except a faster Core2.

You're the one who needs to do his research, before spreading FUD. First of all, the motherboard in that Fry's deal has a 4x PCI-E slot, and overclocks extremely poorly. Deal with it.

Secondly, in any single-threaded application ever written, a 2.6 Ghz A64 will stomp a 1.86 Ghz C2D at least as badly as the E6300 would cremate a 1.8 Ghz A64 3000. Yet again, deal with it.

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel
IMO, the OP shouldn't upgrade at all. He's got an AMD cpu at 2.5ghz matched with a 7950GT. There isn't any game out there that he can't play at his playing resolution of 1280x1024 right now or in the near future. His main activity is gaming, so any cpu-heavy multitasking benefits from a dual-core are wasted at the moment.

You're thinking of the wrong thread. This guy has an Athlon XP.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: myocardia
You're the one who needs to do his research, before spreading FUD. First of all, the motherboard in that Fry's deal has a 4x PCI-E slot, and overclocks extremely poorly. Deal with it.

Secondly, in any single-threaded application ever written, a 2.6 Ghz A64 will stomp a 1.86 Ghz C2D at least as badly as the E6300 would cremate a 1.8 Ghz A64 3000. Yet again, deal with it.

Wow seriously, learn to STFU when you're wrong. Hot-Deals link:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=1924578&enterthread=y

Ad-Link (Still there when I was at Fry's Oregon last week):

http://ads.ocregister.com/interactive-ads/ocr/images/pdf/20060921093313.pdf

Intel Core2 Duo + ECS P4M800Pro-M V2

NO PCI-E, AGP 8X Only, DDR or DDR2. Newegg Link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?Item=N82E16813135027

Overclocks to around the upper 200's and walls at around the 300FSB Mark. Xbitlabs average performance:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2duo-shootout_12.html

Gaming Performance (what the OP wants):

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2duo-shootout_5.html
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2795&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2802&p=9 (Overclocked included)

Only real game it falls behind in is Quake4, all other games it beats or matches a 2.6Ghz X2-5000.

E6300 @ Stock is around the same as an X2-4600 (2.4Ghz) in all-around performance. However, in gaming performance, its more or less equal to an X2-5000 (2.6Ghz). Overclock it just a little, and it'll be more than a match for a SINGLE CORE 2.6Ghz FX. Although AFAIK, I'm not recommending using this board (I'd actually shell out just a little extra for a $140ish PCI-E 865 overclocking board). Then you can overclock the E6300 to X6800, and NOTHING in the S939 field will touch it performance wise in single threaded apps.

 

[Pabster]

Allendale/Conroe > X2 or A64

The E6300 runs very close to the X2 5000+ at stock clocks. With just a mild overclock it runs all over it.

Can't believe all the misinformation in this thread.

 

[dexvx]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Allendale/Conroe > X2 or A64

The E6300 runs very close to the X2 5000+ at stock clocks. With just a mild overclock it runs all over it.

Can't believe all the misinformation in this thread.

Lot of mis-information, but again, E6300 only matches the X2-5000+ (2.6Ghz) in games. It will only match around a X2-4200 in encoding and general applications, and average out to around a X2-4600-ish level. However, the OP clearly wants a gaming machine, and the stock E6300 is the way to go. You get a DUAL CORE CPU thats as fast as suggested single-core CPU's for around the same price (Single Core 4000+ for $200? give me a break).

You have to remember the OP is running an AthlonXP system. His equipment carry-over is minimal: he has to buy a new motherboard AND new memory anyways, which means it further negates his reasoning to buy a S939 system. The only other thing I would consider is an AM2 X2-3800 system and overclocking that the around the 2.6Ghz level (which is very attainable with stock cooling). But seriously, if you're shelling out for a 7950GT, I'd consider:

1) AM2 X2-3800+ and Overclocking to around 2.6Ghz
2) Core2 E6300 + O/C 965 board and overclocking to around 3Ghz

#1 = Cheaper starting price
#2 = Best performance

The Performance/Price ratio for both options is about the same, but #2 will obviously have the higher starting price (by around $100-150). Both options are miles above any single-core option; which is antiquated these days when considering a new system.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: dexvx
Lot of mis-information, but again, E6300 only matches the X2-5000+ (2.6Ghz) in games. It will only match around a X2-4200 in encoding and general applications, and average out to around a X2-4600-ish level. However, the OP clearly wants a gaming machine, and the stock E6300 is the way to go. You get a DUAL CORE CPU thats as fast as suggested single-core CPU's for around the same price (Single Core 4000+ for $200? give me a break).

Yep, but like I said, even a modest overclock will send the 6300 stomping all over the highest-end AMD offerings. It really is a no-brainer.

You have to remember the OP is running an AthlonXP system. His equipment carry-over is minimal: he has to buy a new motherboard AND new memory anyways, which means it further negates his reasoning to buy a S939 system. The only other thing I would consider is an AM2 X2-3800 system and overclocking that the around the 2.6Ghz level (which is very attainable with stock cooling). But seriously, if you're shelling out for a 7950GT, I'd consider:

That is part of it too. When starting from scratch, there is no compelling reason to go with a 939 setup now.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: myocardia
You're thinking of the wrong thread. This guy has an Athlon XP.

Yep. My bad. Scratch what I said.

 

[hennethannun]

Originally posted by: Pabster
That is part of it too. When starting from scratch, there is no compelling reason to go with a 939 setup now.

isn't that what i said like 10 posts ago?

if the OP is interested in getting dual core AND has to buy a new motherboard, then he should go C2D, hands down.

If the OP HAD a s939 motherboard, he could consider getting a fast single core CPU for gaming (like the newegg FX-55 for $139) and just upgrade his processor.

But coming from Socket A he really just needs a whole system upgrade: ie C2D there is no cheap way to upgrade his system effectively, and there is no point buying a new s939 or AM2 system when C2D will outperform it for the same price...