Which AMD 64 to get???

sirmixalot42691

sirmixalot42691

New Member
Hello everyone. i am currently deciding on which amd 64 to upgrade to this summer. i decided i did not want to get am2 since i akready have 1gb ddr ram and the prices for s939 should go down. i cant decide on which model to get. im not really on a budget but the most i would spend on a cpu is $300 for the x2 3800, but i dont want to buy something that im not gonna use to its full potential (im kinda cheap like that). i plan on keeping this system for about 3ish 4 years. i also do occasional gaming on w.o.w. and css. some guidance for me please?
 
If you are not planning to OC the FX-60 is the top model single core. Four use over a 3 to 4 year period you would look for the fastest your board support to avoid the need for buying a faster model during that time frame. But if you just wanting a cpu that will already be maxed out from the start you would go the lowest a S939 board would support. Then you always be trying to push the speed up. The AMD64 3000+ was one single core that can be turned up a little according some seeing nearly 3ghz when OCing.
When running games like Counter Strike you will probably that 2gb not 1gb will see better performance due to the demands some games place on resources. Depending on make and model board you will also be looking at some PCI-Express video cards over AGP while some S939 boards still use them.
 
If your gonna be keeping it for 3 to 4 years, then the x3800 would be the way to go. Whilst its unlikely to be used to its potential in the present, it certainly will do in the near future.
 
it sounds to me like the best cpu for you would either be the X2 3800+... or the single core 3700+
they're both really good cpu's, the 3700+ has more cache per core and 200mhz faster... the X2 3800+ is dual core which can be a big advantage in some areas.
I personally like to play some music and maybe have some background processes while playing battle for middle earth 2, or unreal tournament 2004. thats why i got dual core, my old 3400+ would always lag when i did that! unreal tournament uses about 50% of my cpu, which would've been 100% of my 3400+
thinking back i could've just changed unreal tournaments priority to realtime, but why not just get dual core right?
also, 2gb of ram is definitely worth the extra money, now my rig never slows down! :)
 
If you are looking for a cpu that will last for a while, among the sub $300 cpus the X2 3800+ looks best: it can be overclocked a LOT, and it is dual core (most apps in the future will be dual core optimized).
 
sirmixalot42691 said:
wow thanks for all the posts. how low do you think the prices for the x2 3800 will go when am2 comes out?
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I'm not sure but I've read on extremeoverclocking.com that it will be somewhere around $235
 
But then? There's an old saying that can apply when rushing to buying one model due to cost instead of seeing if the price drops in a month or a few; Haste makes waste! When you plan a build to last for a 3 to 4 year playing field you don't want to look back after an say that you went with the wrong choices just because you didn't wait for a price drop. When the time comes when you know precisely what hardwares you are going with the OEM deals can be a big cost saver at times.

The link there is within your budget for the cpu model that is working quite well on a friend's new build. If you have a definite time frame to shop and build that will work. Here I never pay over $180-US for a new cpu. I'll let the prices come down to a more reasonable figure and then buy.
 
If you can spend a little more, go for the Opteron 170 but if not then the 165 or the X2 3800 would both be good choices.
 
I'm still trying to go through a few more reviews at this time. But there are many looking more at the Opteron 165 as the choice over the other dual cored models going up to the 4800+ X2. But that is a little questionable at this point. Lately I've seen some good reviews on the FX line too.
 
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