Need input choosing AMD AM2+ processor

[dacviet]

hello i am looking to upgrade my Phenom x3 8400, im looking mainly for a cpu that will allow me to run 25 man raids in warcraft with decent fps, right now with my geforce 9800 gt (max settings @ 1440x900 res) im getting 10-20 fps while raiding and its just horrible, i can get 70+ fps if im running around by myself though. i think if i could get up to around 40fps during a raid i would be happy with that. im looking at this cpu on newegg for $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103280 i need some input on this before i purchase it and any info would be greatly appreciated

 

[skora]

If you're going to upgrade, don't go from a Phenom I to another Phenom I. They were a disaster product from AMD from start to finish. Look at the Athlon IIs x3 or x4s in that price range if you need more CPU power.

To address your issue of RAIDs though, the problem is more in your HDD than the CPU. Everyone avatar has 7-11 different unique textures to load even if its just for a small little trinket on the avatar. 11 by 25 is 275 textures to pull off the HDD and load into the graphics. The HDD can't pre load all that data into its cache and has to pull it right from the platter to the GPU. So the drop in FPS is due to waiting for the HDD to spin around to the next piece of data it needs.

Options:
SSD. If all you do is WoW, a small boot drive with WoW on it will do very well and be around $100. You don't need the super powered second gen SSDs. Even the originals have much better access times than platter drives.

Faster HDD. While a 10k drive would be an improvement, you're in entry level SDD price range to get one. Or get a HDD with 500gb platters and short stroke it. I know that sounds dirty but it isn't. You are telling the drive to only use 1/3 of the platter at the outside edge so the heads have very little distance to travel and the data density out there on the edge of the platter is higher than the inner part.

While a new CPU should be in your long term plans, the HDD might provide better results for WoW.

 

[dacviet]

im sorry im having a real hard time understanding all of this, when you say HDD you mean hard drive right? if so my HDD is 600gb. the new processor i was looking at is a phenom x4 9850, my old processor is the phenom x3 8400. there arent many am2+ cpus on newegg i can choose from either

 

[skora]

Sorry, sometimes I type like I think. And with all the voices in my head, it gets confusing

HDD = Hard Disk Drive
SSD = Solid State Drive

What model of HDD do you have?

All of the first generation Phenoms are garbage. A Phenom II or Athlon II would be much better for you. AM3 CPUs can work on AM2+ mobos. Just have to check with the mobo manufacture to see what CPUs are supported. Might require a bios flash, but thats just like updating a driver, no big deal.

What mobo do you have?

 

[dacviet]

i believe my HDD is a seagate, and the mobo, Motherboard Name: M2N68-LA, HP/Compaq motherboard name: Narra3-GL8E

which processor would you recommend? im looking to spend around $100

 

[hell_storm2004]

How about the 550BE. Its is probably the best gaming proccy at that budget and a very reputed overclocker!

 

[dacviet]

if that badboy will fit on my mobo i will purchase it tomorrow!

 

[dacviet]

does anyone know if that AM3 550BE will work with my AM2+ socket?

 

[megamanx00]

It depends on your motherboard. While any current AM3 CPU is quite capable of running on an AM2+ board, and even some AM2 boards, it does require that the motherboard have a BIOS update to do so. That said, just what motherboard do you have?

 

[dacviet]

Motherboard Name: M2N68-LA, HP/Compaq motherboard name: Narra3-GL8E

could you please tell me if it's compatible?

 

[skora]

Whats the Compaq model number for the whole system? While the chipset and socket are capable of taking an upgrade, the bios is the sticking point. HP/Compaq write the bios (not Asus) and they generally only spend the money to write for the CPUs that they plan to sell for the system. Then instead of upgrading, you have to go buy a new system from them. Sometimes, they will do bios updates and include other CPUs, but only they will know that. Sending them an email is your best bet asking for supported CPUs and required bios for them.

Still can do the hard drive or solid state drive update. If you can get the actual model number of your HDD, just having a seagate doesn't tell us anything.

 

[dacviet]

its HP Pavilion A6430F and the HDD is a Hitachi 725032GLA i have 2 of them in there i believe they are 300gb each

 

[skora]

Here's a few mixed signals from HP. This is their product page for your system.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/documentSubCategory?tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3686674
It shows the 8400x3 on the product specification page. But the 8400 doesn't show as an option for the mobo specifications. Then they have an updates/upgrades page with the following:

First time I've ever seen a system builder provide a document like this!!!!
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07139&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3686674

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00007682&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3686674

So the only way to know what CPU your system will support is contact HP.

Can't find any info on the HDD. Based on the age, I'd say its a slower HDD. Either way, one component isn't going to increase 25man runs on WoW.

 

[dacviet]

i just ordered that 550BE, im going to give it a shot and hope improves a little

 

[popatim]

It will help quite a bit since Wow responds more to clock speed rather than the number of cores. For your raids you might need to turn the detail level down a notch or two. Are the two harddrives in a raid array?

 

[dacviet]

im not sure what a raid array means lol

 

[skora]

That's a real gamble buying before confirming the bios will allow it. Good luck.

 

[Pro Llama]

Raid array is the way the motherboard writes to and reads from the hard drives. A raid 0 writes portions of the data on each disk so it is faster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID

As far as the 550BE is concerned it is an awesome chip, but you may end up needing to buy a new motherboard to use it. If you have to buy a new board you can get a cheap AM3 board that will do what you want.

Good luck.

 

[dacviet]

can you show me a cheap mobo that will work with the 550BE chip? also could i use all my old parts from my current mobo on the new one or do i have to buy more stuff?

 

[Pro Llama]

Without know what you have connected I can’t pick out a board. Considering your ram is ddr2 you can still use it will that chip but you can’t buy an AM3 board and continue to use the ddr2. You can get a different AM2+ board that will support your ram. Here are some cheap boards that may be able to unlock the 3rd and 4th cores on your chip:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157153
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128407

If you tell me what you need in a board I can guide you a little better.

 

[dacviet]

well i ordered the 550BE so really i just need a board that will support it and i can swap parts from my old board to the new one to play games on without much or any lag. so if i buy a new board i'll have to upgrade to ddr3 ram? will those boards even fit in my HP?

 

[skora]

A hurdle that presents itself when swapping mobos is the OS from an OEM builder. They can build in a check to make sure you're using the OS they provided on one of their products. That's done through a bios check. Replacing the mobo, you loose the bios, so you may end up having to buy a new copy of Windows also. I'm not trying to seem like a pessimist, or that the OS won't work on a new mobo, its just something to be prepared for.

 

[dacviet]

i have a copy of windows xp laying around, im still trying to figure out if my current mobo will take the 550BE and if it doesnt what mobo to buy that will fit in my HP

 

[Pro Llama]

well i ordered the 550BE so really i just need a board that will support it and i can swap parts from my old board to the new one to play games on without much or any lag. so if i buy a new board i'll have to upgrade to ddr3 ram? will those boards even fit in my HP?

What I mean by what you need from it is what you are connecting to it. How many “parts” from your old board use the pci slots?

You only need ddr3 if you want an AM3 board. If you go with an AM2+ board like the ones I listed you can use your old ddr2 ram.

The mother board that you said your comp has is a Micro-ATX at 9.6x9.6. All the boards that I listed are Micro-ATX and slightly smaller than 9.6x9.6 so they should fit fine.

Now here is my suggestion. When you get the 550BE if it works in your board, then that’s great. If it does not; I would do one of two things return it or do an AM3 setup. The reason I say do an AM3 set up is because right now your board only supports 2gb of ram and down the line I know you are going to want to have 4gb of ram. As ddr2 ram goes away and ddr3 takes over ddr2 ram will begin to cost more and will only be able to work as fast as your old ddr2 ram. Buying ddr3 ram now will cost you about $90-$100 extra for 4gb which isn’t bad. Going with an AM3 board will make it so you can upgrade later without being in the situation you are in now.

There is one thing that I did notice about the board you have; the chipset supports raid. That means that if you change boards you need to know if raid is set up and if you would like to set it up again.

 

[dacviet]

ok good deal i think i understand what you are saying now except for the raid setup i've tried looking for it and i dont think my computer has it right now, should i try getting a raid controller also? and thanks for all the help and advice im really learning alot too!