Upgrade to the 620 or get.....(Help)

[damyrl]

Components that can't be changed
1) GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
2) NZXT Tempest Case
3) Coolermaster 500 W power supply
4) Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm 500GB
5) Radeon HD 4890
6) Windows 7 Home Premium

Ok, so I have an AMD 6000+ proc and was wondering if I should upgrade to the 620 for $99.
The reason I am not sure is because of this comment on the gigabyte site

"* If you install AMD AM3/ AM2+ CPU on AM2 motherboard, the system bus speed will downgrade from HT3.0 (5200MT/s) to HT1.0 (2000 MT/s) spec; however, the frequency of AM3/ AM2+ CPU will not be impacted. Please refer "CPU Support List" for more information."

I have 2gb of ddr2 310 mhz memory that will be replaced with 4gb of 800mhz memory from pre built machine my wife is getting (hehe).

If I can only spend 100 bucks more, (non negotiable, thats how im getting the 4gb) is it worth getting that 620 despite the huge degradation limitation on my motherboard. Benchmark wise, the 620 kills the 6000+ but not if the board downgrades to 2000MT/sec.

Thoughts? (This machine is a gaming machine.)

 

[tecmo34]

I would lean more toward the Athlon II X3 440 since it has a higher clock speed. Most games don't require more than 2 cores and the X3 gives you an additional core, plus higher clock speeds (which will help in gaming ) This should also help off set any decrease in the HT speeds.

 

[damyrl]

That's actually a pretty good suggestion since according to Toms, that would leapfrog me 3 tiers from the 6000+. Considering when I do the next upgrade it will be a motherboard AND proc update, this could tide me over for a while.

And it saves me about 20 bucks too so I can get something good to drink

 

[AlienIsGOD]

+1 on the x3 it would be well served and if the OP is into O/C he should get a nice overclock. edit...i just noticed theres several different revisions, do you know which one you have?

 

[damyrl]

Revision on the Motherboard is 4.1.

Can you point me to a safe overclock?

 

[gkay09]

^ Well did you miss the X4 630 ?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704

IMO 2.8GHz to 3GHz is not much...and also you are willing to overclock, you can get the 630 to 3-3.1GHz on stock cooler at stock voltages...

 

[damyrl]

x4 630 falls under the same issue as the 620 with the lower HT speeds because of MB limitations though.

 

[gkay09]

^ Hmm...then even it will be the same issue with that X3 right ?
And as you would save some money and want to try overclock, why not a cheap decent aftermarket cooler ?
CM TX3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064

you can change the CPU to X3 435, which is not much slower than the 440 but is about $12 cheaper...

 

[damyrl]

Whats a safe overclock bet on the 435?

(looking for stability with a little extra punch vs a dramatic increase)

Plus this case is great on airflow and ill have all the wires/cords wrapped behind the mb panel so it should stay very cool.

 

[gkay09]

^ I would say 3.4GHz - 3.5GHz if the mobo allows
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article859-page7.html

I have a X2 240 running at 3.1GHz and a Sempron 140 at 3.0Ghz on stock fans and at stock voltages...
So with that CPU cooler, am sure 3.4GHz should be achievable...

And about $2-$3 more will get you better coolers...Just see to that they fit your case...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010110574%204093&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16835233001%2CN82E16835233014%2CN82E16835119091%2CN82E16835192017