SOLVED: Best CPU upgd from Phenom x3 8750 on Asus M3A78-EM

[Herkulese]

I have a nice PC that I built several years ago, and have upgraded the MoBo and CPU as follows:

Power Supply - Antec True 480
MoBo - ASUS M3A78-EM (BIOS # 2701 10/8/2010)
CPU - Phenom X3 8750 2.4 Ghz
Memory - 4.00gb DDR-2
OS - Windows 7 Home Addition

I was wondering if it would be worth upgrading the CPU to one of the Phenom II's or if it would be a relatively un-noticeable change.

Would there be any other CPU's that I could upgrade to rather than a Phenom II that would net noticeable performance increase?

I don't play games. I mostly do office aps, interned surfing, etc...

Thanks

 

[escrow4]

A Haswell i7 would be 50% faster minimum, but you'd gain more from the platform - SATA 3, USB 3 etc than the speed. That being said, you would see an increase overall in everything with a modern box. You'd also want an SSD and at least 8GB RAM.

 

[Prey2big]

50%?
More like ~300%.

http://anandtech.com/bench/product/24?vs=837 (and this is only the i5)

 

[Elixer]

I don't play games. I mostly do office aps, interned surfing, etc...

Well, I don't really see a reason to upgrade for the things you listed, unless you are seeing a slowdown.
If so, what program(s) are you seeing a slowdown in?

 

[gammaray]

if you can find a phenom II X4 or X6 it would definitely make a big upgrade in performance. Just make sure you have the latest BIOS if you go down that route.

 

[Herkulese]

A Haswell i7 would be 50% faster minimum, but you'd gain more from the platform - SATA 3, USB 3 etc than the speed. That being said, you would see an increase overall in everything with a modern box. You'd also want an SSD and at least 8GB RAM.

I don't really want to upgrade my MoBo at this time. I was only looking for a possible increase via a CPU upgrade. If that is not available, I am good to stay with what I have for now.

 

[Herkulese]

if you can find a phenom II X4 or X6 it would definitely make a big upgrade in performance. Just make sure you have the latest BIOS if you go down that route.

I found a Phenom X4 9500 at Amazon for $70.
Would that be a serious upgrade?

 

[gammaray]

if you are going to change your cpu, get a phenom II.

 

[Herkulese]

if you are going to change your cpu, get a phenom II.

I had read that, but forgot.

I have found a Phenom II x4 940 for $110.
Also a Phenom II x4 955 USED at Amazon for $114.

Would I see noticeable improvement, with either of these, from the Phenom x3 8750, or would it be a waste of money to do that upgrade?

Is it a save thing to buy used CPU's?

 

[spdfreak]

I'm kinda in the same boat you are- older AMD system that still runs well and does everything I need in the office. (X6 1075T) So instead of doing the MB and CPU upgrade, I bought a 240GB M500 SSD when they were on sale for 112.00 and put a fresh copy of windows7 on it. Pretty snappy and the SSD makes opening all the usual stuff like PS, Quickbooks, Office, etc much, much faster. You might try the SSD before you try a new CPU. I think you'll be happy.

 

[Herkulese]

I'm kinda in the same boat you are- older AMD system that still runs well and does everything I need in the office. (X6 1075T) So instead of doing the MB and CPU upgrade, I bought a 240GB M500 SSD when they were on sale for 112.00 and put a fresh copy of windows7 on it. Pretty snappy and the SSD makes opening all the usual stuff like PS, Quickbooks, Office, etc much, much faster. You might try the SSD before you try a new CPU. I think you'll be happy.

Interesting suggestion. I will consider it, and look into the possibilities.
Thanks

 

[gammaray]

either case will be a good choice, ssd or phenom 2. yes the phenom 2 is quite faster than the first phenom.

look at this chart:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/24?vs=80


keep in mind tho, that your mobo probably not support the maximum transfert rate of new SSDs (6gbs) so it will still be fast but not as fast as it could be.

 

[Herkulese]

either case will be a good choice, ssd or phenom 2. yes the phenom 2 is quite faster than the first phenom.
look at this chart:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/24?vs=80
keep in mind tho, that your mobo probably not support the maximum transfert rate of new SSDs (6gbs) so it will still be fast but not as fast as it could be.

Those are awesome numbrs. I have looked at a lot of charts but had not seen one showing that kind of disparity between the two.
Thanks.
____________________________

Now, at Sears, of all places, I have found the following, all NEW and with FREE SHIPPING:

Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - HDZ955FBGMBOX - $158
Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition - HDZ965FBGMBOX - $181
Phenom II X4 970 Black Edition - HDZ970FBGMBOX - $204

The ASUS support site shows that for the M3A78-EM mobo, the highest suported Phenom II X4 , as the 965.
At $158, I am tempted to go with the 955, although the 965 is tempting as well, at $181.

Any comments?

 

[Pohemi]

I'd suggest keeping your eyes out for a Phenom II for sale on the forums here, you might be able to save a good amount of money on one.

Also: I had a Phenom II 955 for a while and it ran like a charm. Stable as a tank and fast, too.

 

[Herkulese]

I'd suggest keeping your eyes out for a Phenom II for sale on the forums here, you might be able to save a good amount of money on one.

Also: I had a Phenom II 955 for a while and it ran like a charm. Stable as a tank and fast, too.

Good suggestion.
Thanks

 

[Pohemi]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2368851&highlight=phenom

Only recent one I found here, but not a bad deal for a combo...you'd have an extra mobo for backup or to resell. Also- that gigabyte board has sata 3 and USB 3.0 if I'm not mistaken...

 

[coolpurplefan]

That reminds me when I was comparing a Phenom 965 to a Core2Duo E8500. In some games it's about the same. With an i5-3570 (or i5-4670), you almost double that.

If you reconsider getting a new CPU/mobo/RAM then you get into a weird situation. Would you get a dual-core and 4GB of RAM and a lower-cost motherboard just to have new hardware? Because a quad-core CPU and 8GB of RAM looks more common now. If you wanted new and wanted to save money though, the Gigabyte GA-H87-D3H motherboard and Intel Core i3-4330 (with 1.5V RAM) would cost less (than buying an Asrock Fatal1ty H87 Performance and i5-4670).

 

[Herkulese]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2368851&highlight=phenom

Only recent one I found here, but not a bad deal for a combo...you'd have an extra mobo for backup or to resell. Also- that gigabyte board has sata 3 and USB 3.0 if I'm not mistaken...

I was just coming back to bring that FS Combo up for discussion, as it looked like a good deal to me as well, and mostly used as stock speed.

This is the CPU for sale (From the CPU link provided in the FS Post:
HDZ965FBGM

Here are the two 965's listed as supported for my MoBo on the ASUS Support Sight:
HDZ965FBK4DGM
HDZ965FBK4DGI

Not exactly the same, and I don't have time to swap MoBo's.
Would there be any possible issues?

 

[Herkulese]

I decided to by Engr2's combo.
if the CPU won't work on my board, I will just swap for his when I have the time.

DONE!!!

Even though I had already found that combo for sale, I do really appreciate the the heads up just the same.

This was and remains a great forum.

Years ago, approx 1995 or 6, when I got started with computers, I learned much of what I needed to know back then, right here in these forums.

Good to know these forums are still here and thriving.
Roger

 

[pyjujiop]

I would recommend you use the motherboard you just purchased over the one you have. The Gigabyte 970A-UD3 is a newer and better board than your current one, and it's an AM3+ board, so it will give you an option in the future to step up to an 8-core FX processor if you so desire. I've been using that board for over a year with an 8350 at 4.8 GHz. Or you could just get a better CPU cooler and run the 965 at 3.8 or even 4 GHz. The board can handle it; it's got the same 8+2 onboard VRM's as Giga's 990FX models.

 

[Herkulese]

I would recommend you use the motherboard you just purchased over the one you have. The Gigabyte 970A-UD3 is a newer and better board than your current one, and it's an AM3+ board, so it will give you an option in the future to step up to an 8-core FX processor if you so desire. I've been using that board for over a year with an 8350 at 4.8 GHz. Or you could just get a better CPU cooler and run the 965 at 3.8 or even 4 GHz. The board can handle it; it's got the same 8+2 onboard VRM's as Giga's 990FX models.

Thanks for the info on this board.
I fully plan to switch to this board as soon as I can just not right now, unless forced to.
If I can use this chip on my old board, I will still keep this one for use in the near future.

Thanks again

 

[spdfreak]

Thanks for the info on this board.
I fully plan to switch to this board as soon as I can just not right now, unless forced to.
If I can use this chip on my old board, I will still keep this one for use in the near future.

Thanks again

I second that... I have the same board and it has been rock solid for years with all the configuration and tweaking options you could want. And I'd still recommend the SSD if finances allow.

 

[Herkulese]

I second that... I have the same board and it has been rock solid for years with all the configuration and tweaking options you could want. And I'd still recommend the SSD if finances allow.

An SSD will most likely be my next upgrade, or maybe 4 more gigs of Ram.
Probably ram first as it would be the cheaper upgrade, then SSD, but most certainly an SSD in the near future.
Also, my older HD is IDE, which will not work with this board, so I will have do do something anyway.

QUESTION: BTW, what would be the best IDE Hard Drive to SATA MoBo converter to get? I see several, and they are not that expensive.

Tiger Direct - has the ULTRA - $40
NewEgg - has the VANTEC - $13
Walmart - has the STARTECH - $14

Again, I don't really have time to swap motherboards right now, if I don't really have to.

Thanks again.

 

[redant71]

Not to troll this thread, nor to disagree with the mobo switching suggestions, but sticking with original upgrade from Phenom (I) X3 8750 BE (HD875ZWCJ3BGH) - reqires Bios v. 2401, i have only ONE log in the official CPU support list with notion of later Bios (v. 2501) and that being "Athlon IIX3 450 (ADX450WFK32GM), 3.2GHz, 512KB, rev.C3, 95W, SocketAM3" (guessing AM3/AM2+ only difference is support for DDR3 and that this CPU will support DDR2), best option in the list would be the Phenom (II) X6 3,2GHz -(HDT90ZFBK6DGR).

https://www.asus.com/se/Motherboards/M3A78EM/HelpDesk_CPU/

How ever on the Drivers & Download section of the page shows latest Bios being v. 2701 with notion:
"M3A78-EM BIOS 2701
Support new CPUs. Please refer to our website at: http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx"

So here is my following question: What new CPU's are now supported? (guessing they also need to support DDR2), unless its the 2501 Bios one, since note for that version in Bios download page only mention improoved stability...

Is there a 2010 CPU better than the Phenom II X6 3,2GHz supported on the M3A78-EM AM2+ / DDR2?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Is there a 2010 CPU better than the Phenom II X6 3,2GHz supported on the M3A78-EM AM2+ / DDR2?

I highly doubt it. For AM2+ boards, the Phenom II X6 CPUs are as high as you can go. FX CPUs require a very recent AM3 board with a BIOS update, or an AM3+ board.

Granted, you can get some entry-level AM3+ boards pretty cheap these days. (That Gigabyte AM3+ 760G board comes to mind, for $60 or less with rebate.)

That would get you DDR3 and SATA6G, I think, and then you could use your current Phenom II X6, and upgrade to an FX at your leisure.

But overall, the FX is a bit of a dead-end, so I would think twice about investing in both a mobo and CPU for it.