Which cpu to use

[rustee11]

about to put together a desktop computer for my grand daughter. Using a socket AM2+ motherboard. 600 watt psu. 4 gb of ddr2 ram. geforce 9800 gt akimbo gpu. question: which cpu would be faster. AMD 1.8 quad core or AMD 3.0 dual core. She will be using the desktop for homework, moderate gaming, web surfing.

 

[o1die]

Use the dual core. The regor series 240,245,250, etc may work on your board. If it's an oem board, am3 may not work. Most boards such as asus have a "cpu support" list on their webpage. But, for example, if the board is an oem made by asus for hp or compaq, then you'll have to use hp's website for cpu support.

 

[thephenom696]

Definetly the quad core ! You see, AM2+ is backwards compatible with AM3. But if your motherboard is from a non custom pc, it could be branded to companies (like HP or fujitsu, dell, etc) and they may not provide a bios upgrade for Am3 cpus.
Since shes a girl, she is probably gonna play games like sims 3, which NEEDS a good cinfiguration to play properly.

 

[o1die]

That 1.8 quad may work but it's slower, possibly than the cpu you're using now. Most games don't need more than two cores. People ask all the time about upgrading oem systems. It's doable, but sometimes it's better to sell them off and start over rather than spending any more money on them, especially with ddr3 so cheap.

 

[rustee11]

I got a MSI socket AM2+ motherboard. I really appreciate all these great replies. It seems I should go with the dual core processor? As it is 3.0 ghz? If this is the bottom line, that would be good cuz I would go ahead and buy two of them and have a spare, as socket AM2 processors are getting scare. The grand daughter does play SIMS and all the Tomb Raiders. She also likes left for dead2 and dead island. The 9800 GT Akimbo is sufficient for these games. I was just wondering if a 3.0 dual core would be better than a 1.8 quad? Thanx again for the advice. Tom's Hardware never disappoints.

 

[rustee11]

Best answer selected by rustee11.

 

[rustee11]

That 1.8 quad may work but it's slower, possibly than the cpu you're using now. Most games don't need more than two cores. People ask all the time about upgrading oem systems. It's doable, but sometimes it's better to sell them off and start over rather than spending any more money on them, especially with ddr3 so cheap.

Oldie, the dual core with 3.0 ghz will do the trick. My grand daughter doesn't know anything about bottle necking and she plays SIMS, tomb raider, LFD2 and Dead Island. You think she will be fine with the dual core? Please advise, over.

 

[o1die]

If you've found a "cpu support" section for your current board, be sure the am3 is listed. Otherwise, this dual core am2 might be a better bet: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Athlon-64-X2-5000-2600-MHz-Socket-AM2-Dual-Core-CPU-1-MB-L2-ADO5000IAA5DO-/330639310759?pt=CPUs&hash=item4cfba37fa7. If this regor won't post, then be prepared to change motherboards and possibly get a new windows coa if your board is oem by dell, etc. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157204. This asrock board can use either ddr2 or ddr3, but not both at the same time. Ddr3 only works with am3 cpus, such as the regor 250. The board is the third one down for $44.99 (my link didn't work well).

 

[rustee11]

Oldie my motherboard is a socket AM2+ by MSI so I am not understanding the reference to Am3? I did however check out the link you sent referencing Ebay. Please advise to your input about the AM3? I'm a bit confused.

 

[o1die]

Some am2 boards will run am3 cpus; some require a bios update. If you're not sure, the link I provided for the am2 5000 is an affordable dual core that should work on your board.