AMD athlon ll 445 X3 vs Phenom II X3 740 BE

[chronicles]

Well im trying to decide which cpu which be the best choice but i could use some help.
I plan on gaming eventually
The Athlon ll 445 has a clock speed of 3.1 and the Phenom is 3.0 but is oem and more expensive. I already have a heatsink fan

Phenom ll x3 is $88 just the oem cpu but has l3 cache 30 day warranty
Athlon ll x3 is $77 full retail box with warranty

 

[rolli59]

The 740BE has an unlocked multiplier as well so very easy to overclock (raise multiplier). Since you already have a heat sink and fan you will get more performance (overclock and L3 Cache) for $11 more.

 

[chronicles]

Well i also could get a quad for just a little more than the phenom

 

[rolli59]

If you are planning on gaming CPU speed is good. If you are planning on multitasking or rendering more cores is good.

 

[Raidur]

What is your main use? Like rolli said, if you can take advantage of the L3, then the 740BE takes the win.

 

[chronicles]

This is my first build i like to run a couple programs and multiple webpages at once nothing to serious. I will eventually start gaming soon once i get a decent video card. I have never overclocked

 

[rolli59]

Sounds like your primary use is going to be multitasking. Then a Athlon II X4 would be my first choice. For gaming 740BE would be my first choice.

 

[buzznut]

I vote for the Phenom II BE. with a simple bump in the multiplier you could be running at 3.2 Ghz, probably even 3.4Ghz without any extra voltage or tweaking.
More cache, higher clock speed.

A quad core would be nice for multitasking on the other hand.

 

[chronicles]

I ended up getting a Athlon ll 640 3.0ghz x4 and called it a day
Quad for only $100 i love AMD

Thanks for all the help

 

[rolli59]

Enjoy!