CPU Upgrade

[MrTeerone]

Hello guys, first time poster here in need of some advice!

Basically I've been holding out for Bulldozer benchmarks and reviews and after reading the review here, I've decided against a platform upgrade and decided to install a new CPU in my AM3 motherboard (my Athlon is showing its age faster than I expected)

My computer is mainly used for gaming, so I was thinking between the Phenom II X4 955 or the 980 (from Overclockers uk, they're £87 and £120 respectively with a free game) and plan a light overclock with an Arctic Freezer 7 Cooler.

What I need an opinion on is is the £35 difference going to help my overclock? Or should I invest the difference in better cooling?

Thanks in advance

 

[malarky13]

They are near enough identical processors, difference being the 980 has a higher multiplier and price dont think there will be much difference between the two. Go for the cheapest I say or one of the hex cores if you can afford one.

Re: on overclockers 1055t with free game 109.99 or 1090t 129.99 thats what I would go for if it was my cash mate.

 

[MrTeerone]

Thanks for the advice

I was debating whether to get one of the 6 core models, but I've heard most games don't utilise more than 4 cores so I was thinking of sinking the saved cash into a better cpu cooler and/or case fans if needed. I don't really want to spend more than £150 but if the performance is justified ill consider it

 

[malarky13]

Wont make much gaming difference but for not much more money the hex cores are a much better deal. Think the aging phenom 2's x4 would be a bottleneck for some graphics cards.

 

[Matthias2437]

You would probably be surprised how many games coming out soon are taking advantage of more then 4 cores. Even some now can use more then 4. +1 to getting a 1090T. I have that clocked at 4 ghz, and it preforms FAR better then my old 955 used to.

 

[fcb]

If you're really on a tight budget and don't want to spend it on the 6 cores or a Phenom 2 x4 core, you could also take a look at the Athlon x2 640 quad core. It offers good value for a simple upgrade. It's not the best in the world, but you'll be able to OC it.

http://www.aria.co.uk/(Socket+AM3)...productId=41209

http://www.aria.co.uk/(Socket+AM3)...productId=39930

http://www.aria.co.uk/(Socket+AM3)...productId=40095

 

[MrTeerone]

It's amazing what advice you can get on this website! I think ill save up and get the 1090T.

One more question, any suggestions on a decent CPU cooler for this? I'm thinking the Arctic Freezer 7 wont cool this down enough even for a mild overclock. I've gone through the majority on Overclockers UK and can decide what to get in the £30 price range.

Once again thanks for the replies!!

 

[fcb]

It's amazing what advice you can get on this website! I think ill save up and get the 1090T.

One more question, any suggestions on a decent CPU cooler for this? I'm thinking the Arctic Freezer 7 wont cool this down enough even for a mild overclock. I've gone through the majority on Overclockers UK and can decide what to get in the £30 price range.

Once again thanks for the replies!!

For mild OC, Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus/Evolution could be something you could check out. It's not too expensive and will be adequate for some decent cooling.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...er+Hyper+212+Plus+CPU+Cooler+?productId=39577

 

[yassarikhan786]

For mild OC, Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus/Evolution could be something you could check out. It's not too expensive and will be adequate for some decent cooling.

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...er+Hyper+212+Plus+CPU+Cooler+?productId=39577

+1 on the Hyper 212+. It's a very nice cooler for the price and it keeps my i7 2600K under 65 C at 4.0GHz with hyperthreading ON. With it off the temperatures drop below 58 C, so it basically becomes a 2500k at 4.0GHz with a 58 C max temperature, which is very good considering the price of the cooler. I am happy with my overclock and if I ever decide to overclock the CPU past 4.5GHz I will most likely get a Silver Arrow or a NH-D14, but for the time being it is more than sufficient.

 

[Master&Puppet]

I was debating whether to get one of the 6 core models, but I've heard most games don't utilise more than 4 cores so I was thinking of sinking the saved cash into a better cpu cooler and/or case fans if needed. I don't really want to spend more than £150 but if the performance is justified ill consider it

I'm in a similar situation to you, but I bought the 1100t at the beginning of the year. BD is definitely not worth the money in comparison to the phenom IIs.

You're right, you don't really need the 6 cores but that doesn't mean they aren't useless. Having 6 cores allows you to hand pick the best 4 and run as a 'super quad'. What I've done is overclock my 1100t as best as I could keeping an eye out for for the weaker cores (as given by the silicon god). So basically as errors occured in prime i've turned off my 2 weakest cores and I'm running the remaining 4 at 4.3ghz.

If, in the future games/software become optimised for more then the other 2 cores can be turned back on (if threading is more important than clock speed).

Running at 4 cores also reduces the heat produced significantly

With my 360 rad:

6 cores @ 4 ghz hit 53C.

4 cores @ 4.3ghz hit 36C.

And in answer to your first question - the phenom II family are basically identical, just the multiplier has been set to a diff figure. It's basically like having a OEM overclock if you like. HOWEVER, the faster processor has been quaility controlled to the higher speed, therefore it's reasonable to assume that it will clock higher than it's slower brother - but that is all down to the silicon god again.

It might be worth holding on for a week or two and see what effect the BD will have on the Phenoms. Likely BD won't sell well which will reduce it's price which means the Phenoms will be forced lower too...

M&P

 

[MrTeerone]

I'm in a similar situation to you, but I bought the 1100t at the beginning of the year. BD is definitely not worth the money in comparison to the phenom IIs.

You're right, you don't really need the 6 cores but that doesn't mean they aren't useless. Having 6 cores allows you pick the best 4 and run as a 'super quad'. What I've done is overclock my 1100t as best as I could keeping an eye out for for the weaker cores (as given by the silicon god). So basically as errors occured in prime i've turned off my 2 weakest cores and I'm running the remaining 4 a 4.3ghz.

If, in the future games/software become optimised for more then the other 2 cores can be turned back on (if threading is more important than clock speed).

Running at 4 cores also reduces the heat produced significantly

With my 360 rad:

6 cores @ 4 ghz hit 53C.

4 cores @ 4.3ghz hit 36C.

And in answer to your first question - the phenom II family are basically identical, just the multiplier has been set to a diff figure. It's basically like having a OEM overclock if you like. HOWEVER, the faster processor has been quaility controlled to the higher speed, therefore it's reasonable to assume that it will clock higher than it's slower brother - but that is all down to the silicon god again.

It might be worth holding on for a week or two and see what effect the BD will have on the Phenoms. Likely BD won't sell well which will reduce it's price which means the Phenoms will be forced lower too...

M&P

This idea hadn't even crossed my mind but it makes a lot of sense thinking about it, definitely thinking outside the box!

So the general verdict is to buy a 1090T with the Hyper 212+ (both totalling ~£160), overclock to about 3.6-3.8GHz and I should be OK for gaming for a good while?

 

[Master&Puppet]

This idea hadn't even crossed my mind but it makes a lot of sense thinking about it, definitely thinking outside the box!

So the general verdict is to buy a 1090T with the Hyper 212+ (both totalling ~£160), overclock to about 3.6-3.8GHz and I should be OK for gaming for a good while?

Sounds reasonable

Whack your volts to 1.475 and see if you can hit 3.9 watching the heat!

 

[malarky13]

I used to get 3.8ghz on my 955 890fx chipset.

 

[SmoulderingCircuits]

They are near enough identical processors, difference being the 980 has a higher multiplier and price dont think there will be much difference between the two. Go for the cheapest I say or one of the hex cores if you can afford one.

Re: on overclockers 1055t with free game 109.99 or 1090t 129.99 thats what I would go for if it was my cash mate.

A common misconception. The 980 is a Thuban with two cores missing, the 965 and below are a different design (native quads)

 

[SmoulderingCircuits]

Also if you need ANY help overclocking your 1090 just ask myself or SPS - or if we're not online ask any of the other 1090 owners

plenty of expertise already on tap

 

[MrTeerone]

After taking in all the advice I've decided to get the 1090T and spend a bit more on cooling (lucky me got an unexpected tax rebate

and get a Thermaltake Frio.

Thanks again for the help, much appreciated