difference between AMD Sempron/64/64 FX/ 64 x2 Dual core(K8)

[manaquin]

Hi all

In brief, as im totally confused, what is the main difference between these processors. Why pick one over another? I have a socket 939 system (GA- K8NF-9 rev 1.0 gigabyte motherboard) and want to upgrade my old amd 1.9 cpu to make mainly games run better.

any pointers?

thanks in advance

 

[TrainTrackHack]

(For socket 939 CPUs*):

Semprons - the lowest-end CPUs. Single-Core CPUs with only 128KB L2 cache, and generally fairly low clockspeeds. They also have some advanced features like VT and such turned off. Otherwise identical to Athlon 64s.

Athlon 64 - low-end by current standards, but out of all the Socket 939 CPUs mid-range. Single-core CPUs with 512KB or 1MB L2 cache, depending on the model. Clockspeeds go up to 3GHz (AFAIK).

Athlon (64) FX - All "FX" CPUs from AMD are multiplier unlocked, which makes them easier to overclock. They are intended for overclocking and you pay extra for the unlocked multiplier, not worth it for an average user.

Athlon (64) X2 - These are just like Athlon 64s, except they're dual-core (so it's got theoretically twice the power).

X2 are dual-core CPUs and are the "high-end" out of all 939 CPUs.

If you want to upgrade, you should get a X2 of X2 FX. What CPU do you currently have (1.9GHz AMD is not enough info)? However, I would recommend a new build altogether - I'm finding it impossible to come across a reasonably priced socket 939 dual-core CPU.

*by "for s939 CPUs" I mean that the info above holds true for them, for example there *are* dual-core semprons but they're for socket AM2.

 

[manaquin]

Hi Hackapelite,

Thanks for being so succinct in your explaination really focused my thoughts now

I currently have a AMD 64 3000 1.9ghz (venice core i think)

That was also another issue, what is the reasoning behind nameing the cores after different places? there must be a big difference i assume as the price does suddenly jump up for some of the place names.

P.S your right about the prices. i thought, if there are newer types of cpu that the price would come down for older style sockets?

 

[TrainTrackHack]

what is the reasoning behind nameing the cores after different places? there must be a big difference i assume as the price does suddenly jump up for some of the place names

That's just simply how AMD names their processor cores (there's no real "logic", a core just gets some place's name and that's it). For example, Brisbane is a dual-core Athlon X2 CPU (mid/high-end) whereas Palermo is a single-core Sempron (lowest-end, and unfortunately also the one I happen to have), naturally there's going to be a price difference since the Athlon X2s are so much better than Semprons.

As for the upgrade, I don't think it's possible, last time I checked they didn't have any reasonably priced socket 939 dual-core athlons even in eBay. Even the cheapest ones would've cost me more money than a new mobo+CPU+RAM combo which gets way better results. Of course, that's here in Australia, you may have better options available if you live in the U.S.

 

[gamerman4]

For a simple explanation:

Sempron for AMD = Celeron for Intel
They are made for people on a budget and have less L2 cache (onboard CPU memory) and often lower CPU clock speed. Can be dual or single core.

Athlon for AMD = Pentium/Core for Intel
They are the mainstream to high performance CPUs.

Athlon X2 for AMD = Pentium D/Core2Duo for Intel
The mainstream dual-core CPUs. Currently the most popular for Price/Performance.

Phenom for AMD = Core2Quad for Intel
Quad core CPUs. Phenom also comes in a triple-core variant.

Opteron for AMD = Xeon for Intel
Server CPUs, they occupy different slot types from the consumer CPUs, often they aren't much better than their mainstream equivalent.


For a socket 939, you will only need to look at Athlon 64s and Athlon X2s, FXs aren't worth it and if you want to make games run better, a Sempron wouldn't help much thanks to its tiny L2 cache. I would recommend looking at Athlon X2s, single cores are outdated and many things now take advantage of multiple cores.

The names such as Brisbane and Venice are just codenames for the core inside the CPU. They aren't always names of places, there have been Sledgehammer, Clawhammer, Hammer, and Thoroughbred. Though mostly they just use place names. I won't go into specifics but often the CPU maker will revise an older CPU and make it more power and performance efficient. For example: when AMD made the Athlon 64 3000+ core smaller (and as a result, less power hungry), they made a new core since it was different. The Newcastle core was 130nm and they made the Winchester which was 90nm, but the Athlon 64 3000+ was still the name.