The phenom is better binned and overclocks better because of it.

 

are you using it for gaming? if so you might want to lean toward the 555x2. i think l3 cache might benifit you more.

 

he is right and also the phenom has a higher cache which will benefit you in games. it will decrease stutter but helping stream calculations from RAM to the processor in larger chunks. definately worth it.

also, if you can find a amd 550 or 555 black edition dual core, they unlock to quad with any decent motherboard and are a great value.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-846-_-Product

the addition of 6mb l3 cache is the kicker, but it's dual core so if you dont plan on unlocking the quad core go with a native quad.

 

The Phenom 840 does NOT have l3 cache so in that case the phenom and athlon are almost the same thing, except you get more OC room on that 840.

 

The 840 does have L3, it just has 4MB instead of 6.

 

i think it would help to know the use of the pc and what mobo your looking at putting in.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkapoc The 840 does have L3, it just has 4MB instead of 6.

Other 8xx chips are deneb based and have 4 mb l3 cache.

the 840 is propus based and has no l3 cache.

 

Im gonna be using it mostly for gaming, and im putting it on a MSI 870-G45 motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290

but if I without a doubt can unlock the dual core to a quad core I would rather do that, whats the probability that i cant unlock the quad core?

 

I have owned both a Athlon II x4 635 and a Phenom II X4 955 and the 955 is superior is all ways: overclocking, gaming, daily task management.

Overclockability, I have found both the Athlon II X2 and X3 Chips to be better at obtaining stability at higher clocks then the X4 series when utilizing athlon II series chips. Phenom II series chips appear similar.

I am ready to get my hands on Bulldozer!