Upgrade from a 6000+ ?

[Doomer]

I'm currently running an Althon XP 64 6000+ Dual Core. I have a Phenom 9950 Quad core I could swap out. Speed would drop from 3.0ghz to 2.6ghz. Would this even be an upgrade? Would I gain anything from doing this swap?

TIA

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Doomer
I'm currently running an Althon XP 64 6000+ Dual Core. I have a Phenom 9950 Quad core I could swap out. Speed would drop from 3.0ghz to 2.6ghz. Would this even be an upgrade? Would I gain anything from doing this swap?

TIA

I think it's a worthwhile upgrade, as more and more software is supporting quad-core.

Here's a cut 'n paste from a thread I started a month ago, regarding a similar circumstance.

A few weeks ago, an acquaintance of mine was kind enough to send me a Phenom X4 9850. I had been running an X2 4000+ @ 3 Ghz, and was curious what kind of improvement I would notice moving to a lower-clocked quad-core.

Base system:
Biostar TF8200 A2+ motherboard
4 GB (4 x 1GB) DDR2-800 RAM
8800gt @ 700/1800/1000
OCZ 500w PSU
Enermax Chakra case w/25cm fan on the side
Vista x64

CPU:
AMD X2 4000+ @ 3 Ghz (10.5 x 286, memory running as DDR2-780)
AMD Phenom X4 9850 @ 2.75 Ghz, everything overclocked by 10%

Subjective:
Naturally, there isn't much of a difference between the 2 CPU's with MSOffice, Web browsing, etc. Some web pages do seem to render a bit more quickly. Photoshop CS3 runs about the same, although the smart sharpen filter and the Focus Magic plugin are just noticeably faster.

Currently, I'm using a Cooler Master HSF. It was just hanging around when I was building this machine, so I used it. It kept the X2 4000+ @ ~ 52C under Prime95, with the fan spinning at 60%. The PC was quite reasonably quiet. Using the same HSF with the Phenom, things are of course noisier. At max Prime95 load the fan is at 80% or so, with CPU temps of 61C. Pretty loud, but not really an issue if playing a game or spinning up momentarily while applying a Photoshop filter. At idle, the HSF is definitely more obtrusive with the Phenom than with the X2 4000+, but not much of a bother.

Some numbers:

Far Cry 2, all settings 1680x1050, DX10, Very High, no AA, short ranch benchmark

X2 4000+
avg - 38.92 fps, 60.65 fps, min 26.86 fps

Phenom
avg - 53.61 fps, 73.13 fps, min 44.37 fps

3DMark06, default settings

X2 4000+
10349 3dmarks, 2177 cpu score

Phenom
12592 3dmarks, 3739 cpu score

Miscellaneous:

I originally plugged the Phenom into my g/f's PC. She has a Biostar TA770 motherboard, 4 GB RAM, 3 HDD, Antec Earthwatts 500w PSU. The mobo recognized the CPU properly, but would hang while booting into Windows XP. Replacing the Phenom with the original CPU, an X2 5000+ BE, alleviated this problem. The Antec PSU has 17A on the two +12v rails, and a max combined power rating of 408w on the +12V, +5V, +3.3V rails. The OCZ PSU in my rig has 18A on the +12V rails and a combined power rating of 481w on the +12V, +5V, +3.3V rails. I didn't bother with any troubleshooting, just an anecdote FWIW.

I figured this might be some interest to folks looking to upgrade their AM2-based systems, especially if Phenom prices drop with the release of Phenom II (Son of Phenom?)

 

[Doomer]

Thanks !!

 

[daveybrat]

The Phenom 9950 with 2 cores disabled would be around the same speed or faster than the 6000+......so you get 2 free cores for extra multi-tasking or games and apps that will utilize them.

 

[Doomer]

Thanks. Think I'm gonna do the swap.