Which AM3 CPU should I go for?

[literate]

Hello there, I need a new CPU for my AM3 board and I was curious out of which of these should I get? I am also thinking of getting another graphics card (But not spending more than £80 if I can help it) to go with it. I'll ask about that in the appropriate section though

The two CPUs I am looking at are:

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz 9MB Cache
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/204939

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz Socket AM3 8MB L3 Cache
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/186428

There is only a slight difference in price so I was thinking should I go for the slower 6 core or the faster quad core? The main purpose of my PC is gaming, although I have a multi screen setup I use for work. My mobo is MSI 770-C45 AMD 770 AM3 but that should not have any problems with the CPUs right? (Just wanted to check)

I'm just a little unsure on whether or not I should go for the X6 one as compatibility may be an issue.

If you other suggestions, please make them. Every bit of help is appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Emperus]

The X4 965 will be better compared to the X6 1055T considering purely gaming and keeping everything stock.. If you are confident enough and have the appropriate gear to overclock the 1055T upto or beyond the 965 stock frequencies, then surely go for it.. In any case, make sure you are running the appropriate BIOS version for your motherboard to support the CPU..

 

[literate]

I was thinking that but wasn't sure. I think I'll keep it as stock, and OC if needed. I think I'll sway towards the XII 965. Unless anyone else has any say

 

[Guest]

As long as your work-related apps dont use more than 6 cores, you should probably go with the 965. Another option is the 955, which is basically the same thing but underclocked. If overclocking isn't your think, buy the 965. Lastly, if you do buy the 1055T, first check MSI's website if they have a BIOS revision that accepts six-cores (most motherboards now do).

 

[Richie104]

I have been debating this for weeks, I currently have a 550, but im going to upgrade to a 965 or a 1055T but from everything I have read I believe the 965 to be better for gaming. Even if you were to overclock both chips the 965 seems to be better and it overclocks better as it is a black edition.

 

[literate]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who has been considering which one to get. I think the 965 will be the superior option, and will be a bit more future proof for gaming.

 

[moody89]

Hello there, I need a new CPU for my AM3 board and I was curious out of which of these should I get? I am also thinking of getting another graphics card (But not spending more than £80 if I can help it) to go with it. I'll ask about that in the appropriate section though

First of all, are you certain that you need to upgrade your CPU. What processor are you currently using? I only ask because you say you're using an AM3 board hence I'm assuming you have a fairly modern CPU already. A little overclocking may be able to give your current CPU a boost to meet your needs. This would be a lot more cost-effective than buying a new chip.

However, if you're certain that you need an upgrade then it's another vote for the X4. Current games would benefit more from the faster clock speed than the extra core. As someone has already mentioned the X4 you pointed to is a black edition with an unlocked multiplier which makes overclocking a lot easier too.

Hope this helps!

 

[literate]

My current chip is a X2 240, but it will be going into another machine shortly as we need another computer sorting out. I decided that instead of buying similar chip for the new PC, that I'd just buy a better one for this and use the old one in the new machine.

Thank you for the information, I wasn't sure whether another core would help better or simply the faster clock speeds. I'll probably keep it at standard at first, then O.C if performance issues arise.

 

[moody89]

Have a look at a few of the gaming benchmarks at the bottom:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=147

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[literate]

Thank you! That has helped settle it nicely, I've bookedmarked that