[Solved] Good upgrade for the Athlon X2 6400?

Hey all, just wondering what a good upgrade would be from my Athlon X2 6400 would be. My MB is a Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3HP, which supports AM2+ and AM3 processors. I was thinking about upgrading to the quad core Phenom II's, but don't know if that would be a wise upgrade for gaming. My current processor runs good, but is getting old and I know there are better processors out there. I have a good video card and think the processor seems to be what is bogging down my PC a bit(GTX 260). Main reason I ask is most games don't seem to utilize a quad-core right now and may not for another few years yet(by then I will have something new lol). Thanks for any input!

*Edit* posted right when I did .

So between the Phenom II 550 and the X3 720, which would be best performance = value for gaming?

Since you already have the mobo, I would suggest you get a 720BE......Later on you can OC and get an extra 500/600Mhz if you need.....

Athlon 64 X2 6400+ vs Phenom II X3 720
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/def [...] p=27&p2=83

Athlon 64 X2 6400+ vs Phenom II X2 550
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/def [...] p=27&p2=97

As Xaira said, I would get the 720 and up the multiplier to at least 3.2ghz.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185093

You could get it up to 3.2 on stock cooling and stock voltages. An aftermarket cooler will get you up to at least 3.5-3.8ghz

Unless I'm mistaken the 6400 came with the "beefy" stock heat sink that has copper on it. My Phenom II X4 940 was able to hit 3.4Ghz using that cooler while only reaching around 55C under load. I wouldn't worry about purchasing an aftermarket heat sink unless your doing extreme overclocking or feel its needed after you already have your new processor.