Athlon 64 3000 -> X2 4200 worth the upgrade?

[Codesmith]

I have an NF4 motherboard with a Athlon 64 3000 939 processor and 2 GB of DDR running at 500mhz.

I am considering a cheap upgrade to dual core processor (X2 4200 for $78) to give my system a boost until I feel like building an entirely new system.

All the system I have build for recently for others have been C2D systems. I have yet to play with any of the AMD dual core's.

Basically I want to know if this would be a meaningful upgrade or just a waste of money. Are there any other 939 CPU's worth considering?

Also would the retail heatsink on for a Athlon 64 3000 be enough for a X2 4200?

If not I also need to pick out an inexpensive heatsink.

 

[lunyone]

I think you'll like the upgrade. I would do it in a heartbeat if I had the $ to do it. Alot of the newer games are going to support dual cores and that is where your going to see a difference. The stock HSF should be fine for the new CPU, but if your going to OC mad than maybe get an after market one. I'm hearing the Arctic Freezer 64 is cheap and good, but I don't know for sure since I don't have one.

My 2cp's

 

[skittle]

thats a HUGE upgrade... and as long as you get a retail cpu you ca use the stock HSF that comes with the X2.

 

[turpit]

Honestly, I wouldnt invest any more money in a 939 system, especially with AM2 parts so cheap. If you can scrape up $79, you are just about 1/3 of the way to an AM2 mobo, CPU and 2GB of dual channel DDR 800Mhz.

Looking at the benchmarks, you will a significant amount going to a 4200, and it is cheap, but 939 is a dead end.

 

[choirbass]

with the recent price drops (recent meaning within the last 12 months), its certainly a worthwhile upgrade to consider, over what you currently have. certainly less expensive than what would basically amount to a replacement system. and itll prolong the usefulness of your current system by at least another 1-2 years, also greatly depending on how much additional demand youre going to put on it, compared to your current cpu. (smp coding is more common now for nonprofessional applications, than compared to before dual cores were introduced)

but as was mentioned, its definetly worthwhile for the price.

 

[locky28]

I'd say go for the 4200X2 for now, then once the next refresh of graphics cards and the 45nm Intel CPU's come out do a full upgrade.

You'll see a significant improvement from the Dual core in your OS, things will be more snappy and you can do more at the same time without lag, maybe not so much improvement in most games but the extra 400mhz will give you a bit of kick there (I'm assuming 3000+ is 1.8Ghz)

A Dual Core will also go very well with the 2Gb of RAM you already have. So I think it's a no brainer as long as you can find an X2 at a reasonable price. ~$80 for a 4200 is ok IMO.

 

[Codesmith]

The retail versions seem to be vanishing. I do most of my shopping at newegg and haven't seem a retail x2 4200 939 in months. A few other stores only had the OEM 939 x2's.

I guess I can look harder.

I do have an two unused retail AMD A64 3000 heatsinks from some SFF systems I built. It would be nice if I could just use one of those.

 

[choirbass]

s939 DC opterons are a worthwhile alternative, if you cant find any affordable s939 X2s in stock.

 

[turpit]

There are a lot of people making good points in this thead. Another point, if your not too strapped for cash, and can reasonably afford the $79 right now, then its prolly a good way to go. Its not going to give you a lot of longvity if new games are your bag, but Phenom and Penryn are right around the corner, theoretically, which should drive prices on NOS 939 and AM2 down even further in the not to distant future. If you are not looking for something to last several years, then buying an AM2 system now, with AM2+ supposedly due out soon, isnt a great stratedgy. Extending the life of your 939 (even though its a dead end) and waiting until AM2+ settles into the market is not a bad thing to do.

 

[Codesmith]

Thanks. I have decided to go for the X2 4200.

I do a heavy amount of multitasking and the only games I am currently playing are Civilization 4 BTS and Half-Life 2 Episode One.

Ideally I am hoping to get by until Quad-Core, DDR3 and Direct X 10 are mainstream and there is a Vista SP1. I like my major upgrades to be drastic.

Practically I have until I go on a gaming binge and realize that a simple video card upgrade won't let me play the game I am interested in.