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Future AMD User

1443 Views 32 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  hal515, 
hal515
Hey AMD users,

Well, I have been thinking about upgrading my PC parts. One part in particular my Processor, and Motherboard. I have been looking at AMD for a long time now and some of my reasons for switching is 1 because AMD is cheaper for me and my family and 2 because I like there logo. I have built a couple of PCs so far but I have never built a AMD machine.

First off what processor would be the best to upgrade to, I heard the AM3 is coming out (like LGA 1366?) so I thought that would be the best time to upgrade. For the motherboard of course I want AM3 with DDR3 ram but I want one with Crossfire 16x/16x.

Also what are the differences between Phenom I and II.

Also Overclocking (why else would I be on this forum) is it really easy to over clock cause I had a hard time getting my Q6600 at 3.6GHz on air.
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C
AM3 is out. And it has been for a while.
Anyways, for a CPU I would recommend the 955
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-674-_-Product
It is mainly the same as the 965, the 965 is just "pre-OC'ed"
Also, this chip oc's very easily. Most people can get at least 3.5ghz with just stock cooling.

For a mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-363-_-Product
This is a very good AM3/DDR3 mobo that supports dual x16 lanes.

Phenom I and II are very different.
Phenom II has more cache and is generally faster and OC's better.
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M
well....AM3 has been out for quite a while.... from what i've heard intel is easier to overclock higher. Just so you know, the ddr3 1600 doesnt' run at that speed on amd. You are just as well served to get the 1333. Phenom I or Phenom had some issues, but Phenom II is alot better IMHO. You could also look at the Athlon II, it is a really good value but lacks the L3 cache that the Phenom II has. AS for the crossfire x16/x16, i'm not sure i think someone else could help you more with that....
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hal515
Which one is Quad core? Athlon or Phenom
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C
Quote:


Originally Posted by hal515
View Post

Which one is Quad core? Athlon or Phenom

Both Athlon II and Phenom II have quads.
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M
There are Phenom II x4 (quad core), Athlon II x4 (quad core),
Phenom II x3 (triple core), Phenom II x2 (dual core), Athlon II x2 (dual core). I think there are Athlon II x3 (triple core) too....

Athlon II http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...omparison.aspx
Phenom II http://www.amd.com/us/products/deskt...omparison.aspx
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H-man
There is.
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B
Athlon = Mainstream CPUs. not as fast as Phenoms. tho u can still game on Athlons. someone i know uses a quad athlon with two 4850s and can blast any game on the market.
id get a Phenom II 955 my self. wait for the C3 version tho
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I
I'd wait for C3 IMO.

The 965 isn't a particularly amazing deal compared to the i5 750 (don't even say the f-word, I have THREE Phenom II systems running here as well), so I would recommend the 955 C3 or even one of the tri-cores for gaming.

The Phenom II/790FX or even 770T platforms are SUPERB, some of the best ever IMO.

They also are a better bet if you want to do a budget crossfire setup, as the 16x/16x lanes are superior to most 1156/P55 intel boards. I don't personally like dual card, so I went with i5 for my main gaming rig because of the amazing power management.
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hal515
Wow, you learn something new every day I thought the Anthlon was like a Core 2 Duo, and the Phenom is like Core 2 Quad.
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hal515
is C3 like a batch? or like the Core i7 920 D0?
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Dopamin3
Quote:

Originally Posted by iandh View Post
I'd wait for C3 IMO.

The 965 isn't a particularly amazing deal compared to the i5 750 (don't even say the f-word, I have THREE Phenom II systems running here as well), so I would recommend the 955 C3 or even one of the tri-cores for gaming.

The Phenom II/790FX or even 770T platforms are SUPERB, some of the best ever IMO.

They also are a better bet if you want to do a budget crossfire setup, as the 16x/16x lanes are superior to most 1156/P55 intel boards. I don't personally like dual card, so I went with i5 for my main gaming rig because of the amazing power management.
I completely agree with you. The only reason someone should buy a 965 c3 over i5 is if they already have an AM2+/AM3 setup. Buying new, i5 ftw.
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hal515
So you think I should get a i5 instead? I really like the Tri-Core because it will run cooler and I can OC higher. But I think I will go with a X4.

Thanks guys, I like forward to joining the brotherhood
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hal515
bringupmypost
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T
lol nice bump. I am a huge fan of the Phenom II X3 720. I have it...games great at very low temps with my Dark Knight. For me, around 3.8ghz is the highest I can get, but that takes high voltage. I am at 3.5ghz now and I idle from 22-26C depending on my room temp. It has been as low as 18C =O.

For the price the 955 is the best quad core...can't really go wrong in either direction. If you want an actual quad just get one. Some people get the X3 expecting to unlock a core but it doesn't work...fortunately mine did.
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M
and mine, anyway it´s not like your going to regret getting stuck with a unlocked Tri, if you can pick one up. They stopped producing them didn´t they ?
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A
Depending on how much you're willing to spend, going i5 would be a better idea. If you're a budget gamer, look no further than the X3 720.
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L
Would recommend the X3 720. Don't waste your money on something you won't use.
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hal515
Quote:


Originally Posted by Afrodisiac
View Post

Depending on how much you're willing to spend, going i5 would be a better idea. If you're a budget gamer, look no further than the X3 720.

Well either way I have to get a new motherboard. But I am more of a gamer then photo editor or sony vegas person. All I really do on my PC is play games and homework.

So here is my questions:

From Q6600 3.3Ghz to Phenom II 955 C3- worth it?

From Q6600 3.3Ghz to Core i5-750- worth it?

Which one is more cost worthy, I still want a upgrade from my current CPU but I also want to get the one that has the best performance/cost ratio

What I am trying to do is get everything upgraded in all areas. (Crossfire support, PCI-E 2.0, etc.)
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A
AM3 is a much broader and simpler future-proof platform; anything that comes out in the near future, like the Phenom II 6-cores, will be supported by any AM3 board. The P55/X58 landscape is far less certain.

So, keeping that in mind, I say go for the 955. There's actually a funky thing i7/i5's QPI does that makes it perform less than AMD processors in a GPU-bottlenecked gaming scenario.

So yeah, for gaming and cost-worthiness (since if you get an AM3 board, you'll be able to use it for a long time), 955 C3 all the way. Pick up a 790FX board for cheap, like an MSI GD70 open box. That setup'll show Intel who's boss
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