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Good CPU match to HD 5770?

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Currently, I am running a Gateway that came with 3GB RAM, 2x500GB HDDs, Phenom 9500@2.2GHz, some kind of crappy MoBo, a 300W PSU and a Radeon HD 2400XT. A little while ago, I went ahead and bought a Radeon HD 5770 along with a 400W Corsair PSU. Now I know the PSU is cutting it close, but it's held up thus far. I have 2 options when it comes to a CPU upgrade in my setup. I can keep the case, which has (What I've been told) is a normal mATX form factor, and opt for just a new MoBo, cooling, and, depending on the CPUs wattage, a new, stronger PSU. The Phenom 9500 is a 95W CPU, and there are plenty out there that are also 95W. Also, I'd like to keep it a cheap upgrade (Money's not really a problem, but I don't see spending too much money on this at this point due to other circumstances). I can actually play some pretty demanding games at highest settings with 30-40+ framerates, like CODMW2, NFS Shift, GRID, DIRT 2, etc. I am willing to live with the slowish RAM that came with the computer for a while, as it's DDR2, and it could be worse...Also want to keep everything else, just to keep it cost-effective.

EDIT: 2nd option would be to get another case, and probably a larger ATX MoBo, but only if cooling becomes an issue, since my current setup has small airflow problems as it is...

Now, after all that foreshadowing, what does everyone suggest when it comes to a good CPU to pair nicely with my GPU? Almost anything on Newegg that costs $50+ on the AMD side, and about $100+ on the Intel side would be a noticeable upgrade, I don't mind either way, AMD or Intel. MoBo suggestions are welcome, along with any other advice!

Thanks in advance,

Alex

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CPUs Master

Well, since you intend to use the DDR2 ram you have now, I recommend this. It's actually the board I have right now and at a good price right now too:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I personally have an Athlon IIx4 620 and overclocked it to 3.2GHz but really, most games don't use more than 3 cores, and this CPU provides 3GHz by default:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

There's also te 3.1GHz version but it's not worth the extra cost:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Other good low-cost options include the phenom II x2 but this is more expensive than the 3-core. The advantage is in the L3 cache but it's not worth it over the extra core.
There's the Phenom IIx3 which provides the cache and is clocked at 2.8GHz but the problem is that it's rare, usually over $100 and does not come with a fan and heatsink.
If you think you could use the 4th core for those special cases of games that can use them, the Athlon IIx4 630 is clocked at 2.8GHz and was at $99 last I checked.

Some advice: The motherboard I linked will support your current CPU. I recommend you build your new system with your current Phenom and see if it is enough. It's still a good CPU and won't hold you back in a lot of games.

Edit: scratch that, I just realized it was an 9X00 model not a 9X50 model so it has the TLB bug. The fix implemented in the motherboard bioses reduced performance by 10% but did fix the issue.

well, as those are all well and good, I don't mind spending a little more than $100 so I don't feel the need to overclock, as OCing is just too time- and resource-consuming for my taste.
What about this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Vs this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

or AMD, this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Vs this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

?
Other suggestions?
CPUs Master

Well, you don't need to overclock for any of the CPUs I mentioned to be at more than you need for your 5770; perhaps I didn't make that clear. Although, I never suggested overclocking, I only said I overclocked my own CPU.

Anyway, if you want to spend more money, Any of those will be more than fine. Purchase the least expensive.

Between the two i5 models, take the quad core. I would never recommend a dual core for gaming today.

Between the other two, both are excellent. Go with the 1055t. That's my opinion but there are arguments for both. No games use 6 cores today but you will not notice a difference between 2.8GHz and 3.4GHz with your setup. I especially do not recommend the specific model of 965 you linked because it is the older C2 stepping which uses more power. If you want the 965, get the one with C3 stepping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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enzo matrix said:
Well, you don't need to overclock for any of the CPUs I mentioned to be at more than you need for your 5770; perhaps I didn't make that clear. Although, I never suggested overclocking, I only said I overclocked my own CPU.

Anyway, if you want to spend more money, Any of those will be more than fine. Purchase the least expensive.

Between the two i5 models, take the quad core. I would never recommend a dual core for gaming today.

Between the other two, both are excellent. Go with the 1055t. That's my opinion but there are arguments for both. No games use 6 cores today but you will not notice a difference between 2.8GHz and 3.4GHz with your setup. I especially do not recommend the specific model of 965 you linked because it is the older C2 stepping which uses more power. If you want the 965, get the one with C3 stepping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


ok, I see where you're coming from now, thanks for the advice! And about keeping the current CPU, it'd be a good idea if I had to wait for the CPU to get here, or something like that, since it is AM2, but the experiences I've had with this processor (nicknamed the worst quad-core ever) show me that its performance is not very good. For example, it takes way roonlong to open things like Photoshop and even to just boot up, and I know switching to windows 7 may slightly fix some of those issues, I don't believe the problem here is Vista, because I keep an extremely "clean house" when it comes to my computer, so I shouldn't be experiencing that much of a lag waiting on the desktop or waiting for programs to start up...so that's my justification, I just really want to improve my overall computing experience with this upgrade.

Also, another reason for going Intel is that Intel is much easier to Hackintosh than AMD, but that's a topic for a different thread...

So thank you for your advice, I now see that the mentioned CPUs are great choices and I will keep those in mind! Is there any word on AMD revamping their lineup, since Intel did, or no? Because I don't want to go out and buy something that'll be obsolete in a few months...

Thank you again!

Alex
CPUs Master

Both AMD and intel intend to revamp their lineup in 2011. AMD will be coming out with their Bulldozer or "Zambezi" for desktops. Supposedly a from the ground up design. Performance is unknown. They will also be releasing "Fusion" for notebooks, but that will be Phenom II based. Apparently a quad core phenom II without cache and instead an integrated 5000 series GPU.

Intel will be coming out with Sandy Bridge on a new socket, socket 1155. Here's more details and early benchmarks:
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/news/cpu/intel-sandy-bri...

But really, it will always be like this. Intel came out with the core i line only 3 years ago. I think the phenom II came out in 2008. It is always better to wait because something better is around the corner but... you can't wait forever.

Yeah, I would be surprised if you could even do hackintosh with AMD. I have no experience but I know Mac is very proprietary. If you wish to go mac, I would go intel (though why you would want to I'll never know lol).

Even though there will be 2011 revamps, I don't expect there to be any significant changes for the next few months. AMD released Thuban, Phenom II based but with the new E0 stepping as opposed to the older C3. But from what we've gathered, they have no intention of releasing quad cores with the E0 stepping anytime soon, if even at all besides to OEMs.

wait...according to Wikipedia, and my followings, the Intel Core i line came out (for sale to the public) in 09
and yeah, haha but I think the Phenom in my current setup'll do me ok, and I can game with my 360 and just buy some sort of Mac laptop instead...(and I don't want to hear/read any anti-mac stuff, I know what I'm doing and what I want...haha) But if I do end up upgrading this (Depending on how much I end up spending on the Mac) I will most likely go with a Phenom II.

Thanks, and if anyone else wants to chime in, feel free =)
CPUs Master

My bad. It was 2008.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_i7
Nov. 17th
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Core_i7/Intel-Core%20i7-9...(BX80601920%20-%20BXC80601920).html
That was limited to the core i7 920 and I think an extreme edition. 2009 is when they released further models.

Anyway, sounds good but I'd like to just make sure you know you are overpaying for the mac. I just find it odd since the first thing you talked about was cost-effectiveness. But if you like the OS that much, then go for it.
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