AMD X2 6000+ vs Agena-based Phenom

Forum CPU & Components : CPUs AMD X2 6000+ vs Agena-based Phenom

A bit of background, I'm upgrading from a very old system and looking for something suited for general use. I play games, but generally don't go for the latest and greatest. I'm also both a cheapskate and an AMD/Nvidia fanboy, so I'm looking at various midrange AMD-based mobo/CPU combos at Tiger and Newegg. It'll be running 32-bit Win XP if it matters, as it gets the job done and I haven't been too impressed with Vista or XP64. I doubt I'll overclock, though if I go with a Black Edition chip I might bump it up 100MHz or so for a little extra kick. Basically I just want something that runs fast and smooth, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

It looks like right now the X2 6000+ and Agena Phenoms (9600-9950) are in my price range, with the higher end Phenoms being just a bit more than I want to spend but justifiable if they're worth it. I've read up on the infamous TLB errata and the various features of both but most of the information I've seen is aimed at upgrading an existing high-performance system rather than starting fresh so I'd like some insight on which is a better fit for my needs. Thoughts?

Reply to novusbogus

Unless you can get a PhenomII, get the 5x00 Black Edition (5600 or 5400, I cant remember which it is now) and turn it up to 3.0Ghz. Be certain you get a motherboard with SB750, as that will give you the option of upgrading to a PII later.

The classic Phenoms are quite lackluster, and I wouldnt advise getting one other than the Athlon X2 7750 (also a good option in comparison to the 5x00)

Reply to B-Unit

im pretty sure a phenom II tri-core would be within your budget. it outperforms every classic phenom and athlon.

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Reply to Nik_I

Ive had my x2 6000 2 years now and its been great for everything, running all my games at 1920 x 1200. Other than crysis no problems in that time. Im moving to a phenom 2 955 at the end of the month and will oc it to 4 ghz on air. If your on a budget and dont do much multitasking go with the 6000. its a hot but good cpu

------------------------------ I7 2600k @ 4.5 - 16GB DDR3 1600 - MSI Z68 MB - MSI 3GB GTX580- 128 GB M4 Crucial SSD - 1TB WD Backup/3TB External usb 3.0 backup - 300Gb Velociraptor Backup - XFI Sound - XFX 850W PS - 2560 x 1600 HP 30'IPS Panel - NZXT Phantom White Tower - Asus G73SW
Reply to soldier37

Im still holding on to my X2 6000+, runs crysis maxed out for me at very respectable frame rates. If you cant afford a phenom II, then go with the 6000+, windsor if you can.

------------------------------ i5 4.2Ghz : 16gig ram ddr3 @ 1600mhz : 470GTX
Reply to Lee-m

Phenom 9600BE / Gigabyte 780g: $145
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.182234

Reply to Wisecracker

Yeah, that's one of the ones I'm looking at, as well as a OEM 6000+/XFX Geforce 8200 board from Tiger for $150 after rebate.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] CatId=2417

The Phenom II X3s look to be a bit beyond my pricerange for now, though I don't mind waiting a couple weeks to see if the new Denebs drive the price down. Any of the three would totally smoke the A64 3000+ I'm currently using, but I want to make sure whatever I buy will age well enough that I won't need to upgrade again for a few years.

edit: On closer inspection it looks like that one's a mirco ATX, with the full ATX options running around $160 or so.

Message edited by novusbogus on 04-07-2009 at 08:36:18 PM

Reply to novusbogus

I haven't received it yet but I did just order a Phenom 9850 on Friday. Picked it up for $129 and intend to use it in a cheap rig that will primarily be used for 3ds max rendering. I intend to run it at stock and price/performance is better than Phenom II for this particular task.

However for gaming and general use I would still recommend a cheap Athlon X2 such at the 6000 over the Phenom.

Reply to loneninja

I wound up going with a 7750 BE because the local electronics shop had them at a fantastic price--$110 for boxed CPU and a decent motherboard. Works great so far, though something's wrong with my new graphics card so I'll have to deal with the exchange line (which reminds me, I love how AMD-based motherboards' onboard graphics packages aren't a total joke). Sounds like two cores will work just fine for me, and minimum specs aren't going up nearly as fast as they used to so it should serve me well for years to come.

Thanks for the input guys. I used to follow hardware a lot closer, back when performance was pretty linear but now there's so many options and so many factors it's getting near impossible to figure out what's "best" for my particular needs.

Reply to novusbogus

researching the athlon x2 7750be
close thread..

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Reply to malmental

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