Help me choose a CPU for budget gaming (options inside)

J

Japazo

New Member
Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a quick answer to what should be a simple question. I am trying to decide between one of the two CPU's below. I am unsure which would be better for a budget gaming rig (4GB RAM).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103911

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03846&cm_re=phenom_555-_-19-103-846-_-Product

I was under the impression that more than 2 cores wasn't really necessary for gaming and also thought that the Athlon was a lower quality chip. I don't know if the extra core is really worth it considering the quality of the Phenom X2. I would appreciate if anyone can give me a quick answer including a simple explanation. Thanks!
 
The Athlon is not a lower quality chip. They have the same cores, but the Athlon just has no L3 cache.

Really a toss up. If the Phenom II would unlock, the better deal by far. Plus its unlocked X, eaiser to overclock. I would get the Phenom, but thats my personal opinion.
 
Is saving up an extra $10 for the Athlonx4 not an option? Because that's what I would recommend. The odds of getting an unlockable phenom x2 these days probably aren't that good, as I'd wager a lot more people are opting for quad systems and they surely have a whole bunch of chips with bunk cores on them to turn into x2s. I'd much rather have 2 extra cores than a bit of L3 cache and 200mhz. This is just my take on it though, and I say it because more and more programs and games are making use of more cores. Most new releases are to the point where they require a low end dual core and recommend a quad.
 
Get the Phenom II dual core. Possible chance of unlocked cores is worth it, and even if it won't unlock you still have a black edition then for easy overclocking.

The L3 cache helps tremendously with gaming.
 
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