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Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 05:06:26 PM

I am very close to buying a new system and the price difference between the FX57 and the FX60 is nominal. According to this chart: http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html the FX57 actually does better with graphics/gaming (I think). I realize the FX60 is dual core but, will that really matter to me if my primary concern is gaming? Or should I save a few hundred dollars and get a slower processor in favor of faster video cards (SLI)? Hurry with those opinions . . . I've got the "got to have it now" fever!

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RichPLS   03-31-2006 at 05:08:47 PM
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You should get the Opteron 180 or 185 instead ot the FX.
Why, because it is cheaper, same quality and design, overclocks to roughly the same.

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Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 05:20:57 PM
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I have read several references to the Opteron on this forum but I gotta tell ya. I'm not into the overclocking thing. I will be buying this system from either ABS or Cyberpower and if I overclock there goes my warranty . . . right? And, I don't know if they offer systems with the Opteron. I'll check into it. In the mean time can you tell me about the Opteron? Is it dual core? Why isn't it in the main stream? Will it use the same mobo as the FX's?

Reply to Meperidine
Luminaris   03-31-2006 at 05:27:01 PM
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Yeah, since your buying a prebuilt system, overclocking would more than likely void any warranty. Get the FX60.

Reply to Luminaris
RichPLS   03-31-2006 at 05:28:22 PM
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They would never know if you bumped the fsb up 15 or 20 Mhz

Reply to RichPLS
chuckshissle   03-31-2006 at 05:29:10 PM
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You should buy the 4800+ if you want dual core. I have the same and I'm very happy with it. Im able to overclock it more, but I return it to default cuz its' already fast. I play games like BF2 and FEAR most of the time and this cpu is just amazing and super fast. FX-60 are faster but it's just too expensive. So get a dual core X2 like the 4800+ and get some good water cooling for it. :D

Reply to chuckshissle
Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 05:44:26 PM
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That's the thing . . . I don't know if I want or need dual core. I can save some bucks by getting single core and get two 512mb gforce7900GTX cards instead of the dual core with two 256 gforce 7900GTs. Where would the money be better spent? GPU or CPU?

Reply to Meperidine
tchiwam   03-31-2006 at 05:47:21 PM
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Get an opteron, cheaper and you get to have ECC memory. Specially if you are into overclocking.

Reply to tchiwam
RichPLS   03-31-2006 at 05:49:13 PM
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Quote :

Get an opteron, cheaper and you get to have ECC memory. Specially if you are into overclocking.


? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?


An Opteron 1xx uses non-ECC memory, which is a must if you are overclocking...

Reply to RichPLS
Luminaris   03-31-2006 at 06:01:27 PM
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Most prebuilt machines I've ever seen have the BIOS locked and can't overclock anyway. I'm sure there probably are some that you can buy that will allow overclocking. I've always built my own systems so, I don't know if there are any out there.

Reply to Luminaris
quantumsheep   03-31-2006 at 06:18:16 PM
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To me this is no contest, the advantage of the dual core fx60 far outweighs any minimal increase in fps you may get with an fx57.

Just my opinion.

Reply to quantumsheep
davesphone00   03-31-2006 at 06:36:02 PM
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If I had to choose between the FX-57 with two Nvidia 7900 GTX 512MB cards or the FX-60 and two Nvidia 7900 GT 256 MB cards, I would definitely take the FX-57 and the two hottest Nvidia cards. First, you'll be able to transfer those video cards into an upgraded system further down the line. FX-57 and FX-60 are the last of their kind before AMD switches to their new AM2 platform. Second, SLI physics is right around the corner. When the new drivers come out, physics calculations that are usually processed in the CPU will be transferred to spare processing power in your GPU's. Everyone knows that, for gaming, it's all about the video cards.

Reply to davesphone00
quantumsheep   03-31-2006 at 06:51:41 PM
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ahh i see the point, i didnt realise that he could get 2 x 7900gtx instead ..yeah go for the fx57 and the better graphics!

Reply to quantumsheep
Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 07:07:46 PM
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Actually, in order to keep the price where I want I would have to go with a 64 4000 or a 64X2 3800 . . . If I went with the dual 7900GTXs. Sorry to bounce back and forth here. I am looking for that "sweet spot" between optimal CPU and GPU. If I go with dual 7900GTs I would definitely go with the FX60. So, what I am looking for now (to stay in my budget) is: If you had a choice between the following three systems which is the best for gaming:
1. FX60 with dual 256mb 7900GTs
OR
2. 64 4000 (2.4 ghz) with dual 512mb 7900GTXs
OR
3. 64X2 3800 (2.0 ghz) with dual 512mb 7900GTXs
All of the other components are the same ASUS A8N32 SLI, 2gigs Corsair XMS RAM, 2 - 74 gig WD Raptor in RAID 0, 80 gig storage drive, 2 - DVD drives (one burner, one read only)

Reply to Meperidine
quantumsheep   03-31-2006 at 07:13:27 PM
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That's a tough decision you've got there, but i personally would go with the fx60, just cos of the dual core.

Reply to quantumsheep
Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 07:46:02 PM
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Any other opinions out there regarding message 14?

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Studj   03-31-2006 at 08:42:58 PM
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Expensive processors and SLI are both stupid and a waste of money. The difference to your gaming experience is so small its rediculous to double the cost of your machine. SO heres the deal, get the 4800 and ONE good video card. Your games will all run and look great. THEN in two years when hardware is twice as fast as it is today use the money you saved to buy a new gaming computer instead of wishing that you hadn't spent all that money on a machine that was only top of the line for 6 months.

Reply to Studj
pissclams   03-31-2006 at 09:40:04 PM
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For gaming-
I'd recommend the Fx-60 core and twin 7900Gt's.

Right now the dual core won't benefit you in game (any benefit worth noting), however I've got to assume that it will benefit you before you are ready to upgrade again.

Reply to pissclams
Meperidine   03-31-2006 at 09:40:51 PM
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Are you saying to get the 4800X2 or, did you mean the 3800X2? The 4800 X2 is only 50 dollars less than the FX60. And, while you're at it what video card do you suggest?

Reply to Meperidine
RichPLS   03-31-2006 at 09:44:01 PM
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The X2-4800 should be much more than $50 cheaper than an FX-60, that ain't right...

Reply to RichPLS
Studj   03-31-2006 at 09:49:59 PM
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Actually you're right the 4800 is a bit expensive too. If all you want to do is play games and have them look good. Its not necessary to spend a fortune for that extra 15 fps or for the next higher resolution. I just built a system with the x2 4200 and a 7800 gt. Everything looks great, granted i can't run the latest games at 100% MAX everything. But pretty darn close at 1280x1024. Theres a point of diminishing returns when it comes to spending money on a gaming machine. Look at the performance charts and look for the big price jump for the latest generation or procs and video cards. Pick the hardware right before that jump and youll have a good machine that didn't break your bank.

Reply to Studj
BaronMatrix   03-31-2006 at 09:55:31 PM
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Quote :

That's the thing . . . I don't know if I want or need dual core. I can save some bucks by getting single core and get two 512mb gforce7900GTX cards instead of the dual core with two 256 gforce 7900GTs. Where would the money be better spent? GPU or CPU?




I would go with a 4400+, the current sweet spot for non-OC systems. I love mine and it plays all the games super fast with a 7800GT OC. Now it even plays FEAR with the new nVidia driver. Going with the 4400+ also gives you a solid upgrade path to the FX60 next year.

Reply to BaronMatrix
CS986   03-31-2006 at 10:21:19 PM
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Quote :

Actually, in order to keep the price where I want I would have to go with a 64 4000 or a 64X2 3800 . . . If I went with the dual 7900GTXs. Sorry to bounce back and forth here. I am looking for that "sweet spot" between optimal CPU and GPU. If I go with dual 7900GTs I would definitely go with the FX60. So, what I am looking for now (to stay in my budget) is: If you had a choice between the following three systems which is the best for gaming:
1. FX60 with dual 256mb 7900GTs
OR
2. 64 4000 (2.4 ghz) with dual 512mb 7900GTXs
OR
3. 64X2 3800 (2.0 ghz) with dual 512mb 7900GTXs
All of the other components are the same ASUS A8N32 SLI, 2gigs Corsair XMS RAM, 2 - 74 gig WD Raptor in RAID 0, 80 gig storage drive, 2 - DVD drives (one burner, one read only)




I haven't heard first hand, but from what I have read, the registers in the video card are only @ 256 which doesnt allow the GPU to fully take advantage of the extra memory. I would be interested to see how many more fps you get out of 512 over 256.

I would personally choose the FX60, video cards come and go much more rapidly where as you should be able to hang onto the CPU for some time longer.

Reply to CS986
quantumsheep   03-31-2006 at 11:46:20 PM
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You could get a fx60 and consider an x1900xtx, the most powerful gfx card on the market at the moment, in my opinion.

Reply to quantumsheep
Meperidine   04-01-2006 at 01:16:24 AM
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Thanks everybody for your input. It looks like I need to do some more research to find what truly suits my needs. If anyone else reading this thread has suggestions please feel free to contribute!

Reply to Meperidine
Meperidine   04-01-2006 at 01:41:25 AM
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Thanks for that link about dual core gaming . . . very helpful. Thanks to you I have finally made a decision on one facet of my new rig.

Reply to Meperidine
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