CPU/Mobo Doubts in upgrading AMD CPU

[cricfan]

I have a tried and tested Athlon X2 5600+ CPU purchased over 4 overs ago..and a Gigabyte 690v mobo too...On the Gigabyte site its mentioned the Mobo only supports 955BE(Highest Performing CPU on AMD) but only the 95W version.All the 955's i see on Indian Websites are the 125W variety.Do u get 95W ones in India?My mobo doesn't support 960T.

And if i don't find a 95W 855BE , I will settle for a 555BE for around 4K.The thing is my board is a AM2 board,There is warning on the gigabyte ste saying the HT3.0 (5200M/T) will come down to HT 1.0(2000M/T). And the DDR3 is also ruled out.I will retain my ddr2 2 X 1 GB combo.In short ..will i see any degradation in performance because on all these limitations in real time..Thanx in advance.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Mods..can u please move this to CPU and Motherboards section.

 

[ALPHA17]

^^ OP best if you do not upgrade just now, let your current RIG die and then do a complete overhaul as the AM3 socket is also EoL and very noncompetitive against the current Intel line-up [Core i3 / i5].

 

[vivek.krishnan]

I agree with what ALPHA says, stick to your current setup.

However, if you do want to upgrade to a 555 BE, dont worry about the HT1.0 thing, it wont matter much. I was running an old 7750BE on a HT1.0 bus and performance was good enough for me. However, if you add a fast GPU, you might probably see that the CPU will slow down the system, as the bus is not wide enough. FPS might be lower than expected.

 

[cricfan]

Thanx for replying.My plan is to go for 555BE with the same board and get a new board with good onboard gpu and get a new setup altogether...but this will take up a year minimum..But if u know of a site selling a 955BE 95W cpu please let me know.

 

[ALPHA17]

^^ Sire, if you want to go for a new set-up for gaming + day-to-day tasks, get this setup [highly budget sensitive] --

Core i3 2100 ~ 6200/-

ASUS / Gigabyte H61 based motherboard OR Intel DH67-BL ~ 3200/- OR 5800/-

Corsair 4GB x 1 ValueRAM ~ 1200/-

Corsair CX V2 430W ~ 2300/-

This set-up is much more future effective as well as a more sensible path to take in my view, hope this helps.

 

[cricfan]

Thats way out of my reach.So major changes are not possible at this point in time.and i am a kind of AMD fanboi..at max i can invest 5k..

 

[ALPHA17]

^^ AMD fanboy OR not telling you do not waste money on that dying RIG of yours it'll gain you no major dividends in actual performance and will be a worthless waste of money, what do you wish to use your system for?

 

[vivek.krishnan]

^^ AMD fanboy OR not telling you do not waste money on that dying RIG of yours it'll gain you no major dividends in actual performance and will be a worthless waste of money, what do you wish to use your system for?

Mate, no need to force your opinion down his throat. He seems to be hell bent on an AMD upgrade.

And to be very honest, if all he is going to do is gaming at medium res + normal stuff, it should work for him too. Plus he has a small budget too.

@OP

However, let us be very clear on one thing, if you want max performance + good upgrade path, you will need to go the Intel route.

 

[ALPHA17]

^^ Sire, look being very honest I'm being very forceful on the point TRUE, but I'm doing this because of the fact that on 90% of today's scenario the Core i3 beats an AMD Deneb OR catches upto it on most levels [except for solely CPU intensive tasks like rendering an image in MAYA OR particles in Autodesk Combustion OR Nuke for that matter], it comsumes lesser power ~ 90W at load compared ~ 125W on load fro the AMD processor.

At gaming the above said chasm only widens, games aren't highly threaded tasks [FarCry 2 being the sole game that has managed to register better performance with more cores].

The Intel processor on stock is still highly competitive to an AMD processor over-clocked ~3.8 GHz thanks to Turbo Boost 2.0. Thus I think OP should hold for a while longer with his RIG and make a more calculated choice on the whole, no point getting a Phenom IIx2 555 now and then realizing what could have been with a slightly more ambitious budget.

Not being argumentative, just stating the facts [as I live with my mistake(s)]. Cheers!

 

[vivek.krishnan]

^^ Sire, look being very honest I'm being very forceful on the point TRUE, but I'm doing this because of the fact that on 90% of today's scenario the Core i3 beats an AMD Deneb OR catches upto it on most levels [except for solely CPU intensive tasks like rendering an image in MAYA OR particles in Autodesk Combustion OR Nuke for that matter], it comsumes lesser power ~ 90W at load compared ~ 125W on load fro the AMD processor.

At gaming the above said chasm only widens, games aren't highly threaded tasks [FarCry 2 being the sole game that has managed to register better performance with more cores].

The Intel processor on stock is still highly competitive to an AMD processor over-clocked ~3.8 GHz thanks to Turbo Boost 2.0. Thus I think OP should hold for a while longer with his RIG and make a more calculated choice on the whole, no point getting a Phenom IIx2 555 now and then realizing what could have been with a slightly more ambitious budget.

Not being argumentative, just stating the facts [as I live with my mistake(s)]. Cheers!

You are not the only one....even i have to live with mine.....:sigh:

 

[Striker10]

I'm also in a similar dilemma. I have a 4800+ on 690g board. Don't want to spend too much. If 555be is available it'll be at least two times faster right. Where's it available online,op??

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[ALPHA17]

I'm also in a similar dilemma. I have a 4800+ on 690g board. Don't want to spend too much. If 555be is available it'll be at least two times faster right. Where's it available online,op??

No that is saying all theoretical limits are achieved in real-time, the HT 1.0 doesn't choke the HT 3.0 compatible Phenom IIx2 processor, the RAM provides sufficient band-width also if the motherboard chipset supports all the features of the aforementioned processor [unofficially most manufacturers have put an AM3+ socket on their 88* series motherboards, but many advanced features of Zambezi are lost in this setup (Turbo Core 2.0 for example)], here are some examples -- AMD FX-8150 | CPUs | Reviews | PC User / ASUS vs. AMD: Bulldozer Support on Old Motherboards via BIOS Update - Bright Side Of News*.

For where the processor is available online -- AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor - C3 Revision / Buy AMD Phenom II Processor | AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 1MB in India | Buy AMD Processor in Mumbai.

Honestly not a good upgrade path for AMD users as of yet.

Hope this helps, Sire.

 

[ch@ts]

OP, I think plopping a new CPU into your motherboard is a great idea. Instead of getting a Phenom II X4 get an Athlon II X4 (or a Phenom II X4 840 - a rebadged Athlon). They're all 95w processors.

While you won't get the performance or power efficiency of an Intel Core processor, you'll get a cheap upgrade, and a nice speed bump. Don't get anything less than a tri-core, as that won't be much of an upgrade.

I think you're on the right path. Upgrade the CPU now, and the motherboard (to an AM3+) and RAM when the motherboard shows signs of dying. You'll have a rig that'll last another 3-4 years.

You may land up spending about 10k totally, but it won't be at one time.

 

[$$lIoNkInG$$]

cricfan - Phenom II X4 960T 3.3GHz 95W / Thuban X4 - better IMC than Deneb(PIIX4955).

You can find it with any local retailer in ur city for about 6.5k.

 

[ALPHA17]

^^ Phenom IIx4 960T Zosma core is OEM CPU, rare to find in market in PiB format -- can't say it is better than the Phenom IIx4 955 [Deneb], it trades a open multiplier for Turbo Core feature from Thuban family.

Still say please don't invest anything more on this system, just wait for it to go Zoink and then make a brand new build.