Ok, let me start by saying my budget is really small and I have zero interest or ability to upgrade my entire system right now, so to "just get an Intel" is not really in the cards. My question is about improving the performance of my existing system:
Without touching another component or having to upgrade to a new mobo, RAM, etc, I can upgrade to a Phenom II X4-975 (quad-core, 3.6 GHz, 45nm) or 1100T (six-core, 3.3 GHz, 45nm) for about $140 to $200+, respectively. I can swap that into my existing AM3 mobo, and keep my 8GB of RAM and even my Zalman 9700 cooler.
Question is, assuming I keep this PC for another couple years and will not be rebuilding any time soon, is that a worthwhile upgrade to a quad-core for $140, or even further to the six-core for over $200? Main usage is games (Battlefield 3, Deus Ex:HR, Ghost Recon and a few others on the horizon) and graphic design (Photoshop, etc)... and I'm sure my dual-core Athlon II is a hell of a bottleneck at this point. Again, a full upgrade to Intel would probably be more like $350 + new RAM and a new HS/F, so unfortunately that's simply not an option. So any help on the value of upgrading the 975/1100T would be great. Thanks!
- Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P mobo -- AMD 790X with AM2+/AM3 -- LINK
- Athlon II 7850 Black Edition (dual-core, 2.8 GHz, 65nm)
- 8GB of DDR2-1066 RAM
- AMD Radeon 6950 (2GB)
- Corsair 750W PSU
Without touching another component or having to upgrade to a new mobo, RAM, etc, I can upgrade to a Phenom II X4-975 (quad-core, 3.6 GHz, 45nm) or 1100T (six-core, 3.3 GHz, 45nm) for about $140 to $200+, respectively. I can swap that into my existing AM3 mobo, and keep my 8GB of RAM and even my Zalman 9700 cooler.
Question is, assuming I keep this PC for another couple years and will not be rebuilding any time soon, is that a worthwhile upgrade to a quad-core for $140, or even further to the six-core for over $200? Main usage is games (Battlefield 3, Deus Ex:HR, Ghost Recon and a few others on the horizon) and graphic design (Photoshop, etc)... and I'm sure my dual-core Athlon II is a hell of a bottleneck at this point. Again, a full upgrade to Intel would probably be more like $350 + new RAM and a new HS/F, so unfortunately that's simply not an option. So any help on the value of upgrading the 975/1100T would be great. Thanks!
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