AMD Phenom or Athlon 64 X2 with my 4870

This is my Setup. I have currently a Radeon 4870 512MB with a core clock at 1125MHz and Memory clock at 1350MHz.
I want to be able to play games and get 100fps ex Counter Strike Source. Could I just up grade to a 6300+ Athlon 64 X2 or should I go Quad core Phenom? This is a question I have been pondering. I do understand that every game will differ on FPS I may never get 100.

Processor(s)

Number of processors 1
Number of cores 2 per processor
Number of threads 2 per processor
Name AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+
Code Name Brisbane
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+
Package Socket AM2 (940)
Family/Model/Stepping F.B.1
Extended Family/Model F.6B
Brand ID 4
Core Stepping BH-G1
Technology 65 nm
Core Speed 2104.7 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 10.5 x 200.5 MHz
HT Link speed 1002.3 MHz
Stock frequency 2100 MHz
Instruction sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, x86-64
L1 Data cache (per processor) 2 x 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache (per processor) 2 x 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache (per processor) 2 x 512 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory

Northbridge AMD 780G rev. 00
Southbridge ATI SB700 rev. 00
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 2048 MBytes
Memory Frequency 350.8 MHz (CPU/6)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 5.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD) 5 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 5 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 18 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 23 clocks
Command Rate (CR) 2T

System

System Manufacturer Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Name GA-MA78G-DS3H
System S/N
Mainboard Vendor Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Mainboard Model GA-MA78G-DS3H
BIOS Vendor Award Software International, Inc.
BIOS Version F3
BIOS Date 04/18/2008

Memory SPD

Module 1 DDR2, PC2-5300 (333 MHz), 1024 MBytes, OCZ
Module 2 DDR2, PC2-5300 (333 MHz), 1024 MBytes, OCZ

Software

Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

If your current board can handle a 125 watt Athlon X2, that would provide the best framerates in games today, but it won't be future proof. I'd say either wait for Deneb and see what you can upgrade to, or get one of the less expensive triples or quads to hold you over.

I had an Athlon X2 4600+ on a 690V board when I got my 3870x2 last February, and it was a bit CPU limited. So, I upgraded to a triple core 8750 on a 780G board this morning and will be benchmarking the 3 CRPG's I've played most to see what headroom it gives me.

Right now, I'm installing LOTRO and getting all the updates, that takes almost as long as updating Vista. Hopefully, upgrading to Deneb won't be as big a hassle because I'll have the same motherboard and chipset.

I'll also give 3DMark06 a try once again and see what the extra core provides. I got somewhere around 9041 with the old setup. Once LOTRO finishes, I'll give 3DMark06 a try and get back to the thread.

Well, if your board supports the phenom you can get the 9850 BE for only $169 right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103249

And you should get some better numbers. If that's not in your budget you should spend a little more and go with a 6400, or you can save money by going with the 5400BE and overclocking it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103289

+1 for waiting. Deneb will be out at year's end. Performance will be better than Phenom and less power hungry.
You could OC your cpu to get that extra boost while you wait

Apparently there will be a 2.8 Ghz and a 3.0 Ghz 125 watt TDP AM2+ Deneb (Phenom) in January 2009.
It should be a nice upgrade.

@OP, Holy crap, what resolution are you playing at? I get over 100fps at 1680x1050 with my dinky old Skt939 Opteron at 2.9Ghz and an 8800GT.

The triple cores will arrive later, as will other quads with less cache and lower thermals:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/d [...] Chips.html

AMD's gotten some grief for too many SKU's (but many of those kvetching don't criticize Nvidia's rebranding), and Intel also cuts cache and cores for budget models, so I don't think the criticism is worthwhile. I am surprised at Propus quads and Rana triples without L3 cache, though the Heka shared cache makes some sense.

I do wonder why they're doing any dual cores at all.

I guess I am gonna wait for the Deneb to come out. It is supposed to come out soon?