Currently Have X2 6000-Should I wait? (Price Limit around $400)

hmm, I'm running a 6000+, and i've never had a noticeable freeze. Even when I'm encoding a DVD, playing music and browsing around. Even with the previous GFX card (1950XT) it didn't have any problems.

Personally unless you are desperate, or your wallet is REALLY itching I would suggest waiting until mid-January. You'll see 2 things happen by then. The Deneb will be out, and _may_ be worth a punt, and January sales will be in full swing. This year's January sales have the potential to be something very special.

well i just read another thread that said that the new phenom II 940 (3.0 GHz out of box, unlocked multi) will only be US$324. I would say wait, since the little bit of info released on the phenom II seems to be kinda promising.

I'm fine with my Athlon 5000@2.8 right now and I usually have lots of windows open when I'm not gaming. I guess it just depends on what programs your running, but perhaps you could benefit from more RAM instead. Anyway, I would recommend waiting. Deneb will be out in two months and at the least it should help bring i7 and Q9000 series prices down a bit so you can upgrade then.

Ok I think the main problem is I use Azureus for my media download.
WHat is the best client out there?

Ktorrent
love it  

How much RAM? If you are doing lots, upgrade to 4 Gb. Run HDTune and check performance of your HD.

Mike.

^+1

more RAM will probably make more of a difference as that CPU is no slouch.

only if multi-tasking with intense task (encoding/watching films/compressing) should your CPU cause too much slow down.

I believe i am right in saying the OP's board needs to have an AM2+ socket to consider an upgrade, the x2 6000 being the top of the line for AM2.

Whats your mobo jamesrwright?

I say hold and wait. like was said the good sales will happen in Jan.

Thanks for all of your responses..My MOBO is an HP motherboard. I think the top of the line for it is my current processor. I don't think they upgraded the BIOS so it could take a Phenom. I already have 2 GB ram..would another 2 GB help? I also thought that 2 GB Vista really wouldn't recognize anything above 2 GB?

I would prefer just to upgrade the MOBO as everything else is more than adequate..the hard drives..the tuner card..the video card, the power supply (I upgraded it myself) I am not sure how much of a pain switching out the MOBO would be..I actually like the HP case and what's in it..I would need help installing the SATA hard drive..never installed one before..not as straight forward as EIDE.

Here is a link to my system and a view of the case and the specs
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodinfoCategory?lc=...

"CPU/Processor Socket: AM2
Supports AMD Athlon 64, Athlon 64 X2, and Sempron processors"


You need AM2+ for every chip recommended above, you are currently at your limit regarding chips so, yes your next upgrade is your mobo.

One thing with the prebuilds like HP and Dell is that they are designed to keep your business in-house, so an aftermarket PSU or Mobo may not necessarily fit.

Nothing a hacksaw cant fix though  

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... is a really good AM2+ board, and very well priced.

Thanks for the response..I think I may go with the MOBO upgrade. I have a laptop so I can take my time in terms of doing things right..I can get away with having my desktop down for a couple of days..

However, I think my MOBO is a Micro-ATX. I would need to get one of those boards. I wouldn't mind sticking with AMD-especially with DENEB coming out next year.

Any suggestions for Micro ATX boards?

same here i'm having lockups while browsing in multiple windows in an X2 5000 @ 3.1 GHz. and sometimes i do re-encoding videos to h264 which can make things worse. there are scripts and java that can take all the processor resources easily.
though i can live with it, in the future i'll definitely get a quad core.
i suggest waiting for the phenom2 (deneb), i've read it will work with am2+ boards.

Unless you do really heavy multitasking, I don't think getting a quad will be worth it.

To know exactly what is causing the problem, take a look at the task manager when you are experiencing slowdowns. Check if the CPU or RAM are highly used. Maybe none of them are and it's a HD bottleneck. I think chances are your issue is either amount of RAM or simple "computer maintenance" (defrag, windows getting screwed-up by itself over time, ...). A 32 bits OS will be able to use ~3.5GB of RAM so you can go up to 4 and won't "waste" much.

Add some RAM if it's the issue, but otherwise keep you money for a future "overhaul" (Phenom 2/i7, MB, RAM, ...).

Well while we are suggesting this chap upgrades everything can i mention that i am always wary of eBay Prebuilds as they advertise such things as a quad core @ 3gz as a 12gz processor. They also skimp on very important parts such as the PSU.

I know its not giving you grief, but if you see a combo deal with a nice PSU in, and yours is generic 300w crap then dont dismiss it too quickly.

I know about e-bay pre-builds. I would only get one from a reputable seller on there..not some fly by night outfit. I am not really risking that much if I get a core duo and then swap all of my components from my current PC out.