AMD 3700 vs X4200

[roush2fast]

Hello , my current system consists of :
Giga-byte K8NSC
AMD 3700+ ~2.5
Kingston DDR 400 ( 1gig )
Geforce 6800gt OC ( 256mb )

Right now I have the boredom bug. I am not quite ready to upgrade my whole system but I want something new. My current rig runs pretty much flawlessly and plays Bf or D3 without any problems on med settings.

My question is , would I see any real performance gain by upgrading to the 4000 or X2 4200 ? Both CPU's are relatively inexpensive so it wouldn't set me back much. Also , what is the top performing 939 cpu out there for gaming ?

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[piratepast40]

This is an old argument. You've really asked 2 questions. The first is about dual core. You'll see a noticeable overall performance increase with dual core in normal day to day computing operations but not necessarily in gaming. As for your second question - well, I'm not that bored that I'd want to get involved in another flaming thread!

You will see considerable performance increases with both a dual core upgrade and another gig of ram - both are cheap right now. However (you knew there had to be one of those), you're upgrading an aging platform. Anything you spend will most likely not transition well to a future system. If you're bored and want to upgrade relatively cheaply - gopherit!

 

[rodney_ws]

I typed up a big long response and then re-read the OP's original post... he's already got an AMD running at 3.5... no way in hell is he getting an X2-4200+ anywhere near that... just ain't happening. That said... unless whatever application the OP is using FULLY utilizes the additional core, it'll almost be a downgrade. Caveat emptor!

 

[roush2fast]

Well shame on me !!! I can only dream of a 3700 running at 3.5. The correct statement is 2.5. That's what happens when you try this at work. lol. So , given that I am running 2.5 Single core what is your take on the dual core ?

BTW Love the caveman avatar !!!

Thank you for your response Pirate. Note taken.

 

[spanner_razor]

I did a similar upgrade from a 3700 to a 4600 and It was an ok upgrade, I suspect that another gig of ram would give you better load times and things.

 

[TechnologyCoordinator]

Upgrade your video card and get a second gig of RAM, that's where you'll see gains.

 

[pogsnet]

Yes. I think you need more RAM or Replace a Video Card for temporary upgrade then go to socket AM3 when it is available. For now or next year your PC is will not be left behind from majority of applications. Dont buy a socket 939 when it is phasing out already, jump to huge difference not a slight one, since AMD is not expensive you can afford it.

 

[TechnologyCoordinator]

If you're gonna get a new motherboard, go with Intel procs.

 

[roush2fast]

Well , thank you for your input people. This is my first time here at this forum and I am impressed.

I am going to stick with my 3700 for now as it's been a trooper from day one. With tweaking I had it up to 3.0 but sacrificed stability. I think I will pick up another gig of ram today and notate the difference. Of course this brings up another question.

I currently have two sticks of 512 running dual channel. Am I better off buying two new 1gb sticks to run in dual channel or just buy two more 512 to coincide with the current. My MB has 4 slots.

So the config would be
2x1024 dual channel
or
4x512


Thanks again !!

 

[soloman02]

I have a similar setup:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ "San Diego" @ 2.49Ghz (225x11)
2GB PC3200 G.Skill in dual channel @DDR450
EVGA Nvidia 7900GS KO 256MB @ 575/820
160GB Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 8MB cache SATA 3.0
ThermalTake Purepower 420 Watt

I just ordered an x2 4200+ Manchester core, and will be installing it tonight when it arrives. I'll let you know my overclock on it and what tangible increase I see in performance. Also, adding another 1GB of ram will significantly boost performance. In games, a card like the 3850 would also boost performance compared to what you have, but then you might as well just upgrade your whole system.

 

[quantumsheep]

Dual channel doesn't make that much difference in gaming so you may aswell get what's cheapest.

I recommend an ugprade for the graphics card as well. I have a 6800GT in my second rig and it is feeling rather dated, you can pick up a HD3850 for around $180, it's a steal at that price.

 

[cfvh600]

I just ordered an x2 4200+ Manchester core, and will be installing it tonight when it arrives.

Where did you order from? I would like to upgrade my ageing system to x2.

 

[roush2fast]

Well from what I understand if I was to use 4x512 speed would drop to 333 as opposed to 400 with 2x1024. I would love to save the $60.00 buy purchasing 2x512 and avoid using my old 512 as paperweights but I want this to run at peak perf. until I go AM3. I have gathered conflicting information from the web and I am left scratching my head.

cfh600 here's a link to the x2
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3273995

 

[soloman02]

I bought mine from Newegg.com for $65.

Newegg is cheaper. also, Tiger is wrong about the cache. The Manchester core did not have 1MB of l2 cache per core. Only the higher model Toledo cores do (IE X2 4400+ and above)

 

[roush2fast]

Ahhh I was wondering about that too. Good catch

Well I'm off to get my RAM in about 30 min. I have the option of buying 2x512 for $57.00 or 2x1024 for $130.00. Keep in mind I currently have 2x512 in dual channel. Is dual channel worth me shelling out the extra dough for the 2x1024 ? Also , if I was to go 4x512 would the benefit diminish because I was accustom to 400?(well faster with oc) If I go to 4x512 it will drop to 333.

Please let me know how the Manchester works out. If the gain is noticeable I will probably do the same.
Thanks

 

[TechnologyCoordinator]

You'll get a lot more bang if you upgrade your pokey video card before you upgrade the processor. Many games are only single threaded anyway.

 

[spanner_razor]

Ensure you get the same ram type as I had to change all of my ram when I put in another gig.

 

[soloman02]

First Directron is robbing you of $30 as newegg is $30 cheaper. I have ordered many times from newegg without a problem. I even had to RMA a DOA hard drive and it was a smooth process.

The difference between ddr333 and ddr400 is ddr333 has a transfer speed of 2700 MB/s verses ddr400 speed of 3200 MB/s. I would recommend getting the 2x1024. Thats what I have currently and it works great.
Just browse newegg.com for the memory.

 

[spanner_razor]

Here's some 3dmark 2006 comparisons from when i did my upgrade:

3700 (7600gt and 1 gig ddr 400) - 2932 marks
4600 (7600gt and 1 gig ddr 400) - 3621 marks
4600 (7600gt and 2 gigs ddr 400) - 3516 marks

That last one is somewhat bollocks tho as it clearly runs faster with 2 gigs of ram as the older ram used to have hanging spikes.

Adding a 1950pro 512mb took my score up to 4950.

 

[rodney_ws]

I had a similar problem with a system like yours with a memory purchase decision... I originally had 2 X 512 MB and wanted to go to 2 GB... I opted to buy 2 additional 512 MB modules. I was told that I gave up a little in my ability to overclock by going that route, but I honestly don't know if that's true or not... 4 X 512 MB worked fine for me.

Now that we're clear you've got a 2.5 Ghz processor... yeah, an X2 will be a decent upgrade... ESPECIALLY if you can score a used one on the cheap. Anyone should be able to get an X2 up to 2.6... with a little luck and some good cooling... 2.7 shouldn't be out of reach. So you'll have a slightly faster CPU when doing stuff that doesn't utilize the 2nd core... and for the stuff that does, you'll definitely feel it.

 

[rodney_ws]

Jesus! I gotta pay more attention... I was so fixated on that "3.5 Ghz" Athlon that I didn't even notice that 6000 series Nvidia video card. Yikes! Definitely time to upgrade that puppy.

 

[soloman02]

I have it running at 2.5GHz (my old 3700+ ran at this speed). I am sure it will go higher but, I am not sure my ram will take it higher, Gkill is good memory, but is not meant for high overclocks. It is currently running at ddr 454.

I have not done any performance tests yet (mainly running crysis) but I did notice a faster boot time into windows.