What kinda of AMD CPU should I get?

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sixstring88

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I am in the market for a new one because I am running an Athlon II x4 635 which isn't exactly awesome for gaming. I am looking in the 150 to 180 price range and was thinking about getting an FX-8120 but I keep hearing bad things about them. I saw this Phenom II x4 965 and heard good things about it so I dunno. I really wish I could get my hands on a good 6 core Phenom II but it looks like that is hard nowadays. I did hear that the Zosma based 960T can be unlocked to 6 sometimes but how often does it work?
 
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clutchc
If you're dead set on an AMD system, I would definitely go for a fast Phenom II X4 over the FX processors. Get the fastest PHIIX4 you can afford. The 965 is a great processor as are any of them from the 955 to the 980. The black editions O/C with a simple multiplier up-click almost never needing voltage adjustments. Even at stock, the 3+GHZ and huge L3 cache makes for a great gaming CPU. And they can handle the work load of almost all graphic cards. There's a reason the PhIIs have so much longevity...
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xtreme5

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6 cores cpu is totally waste for gaming, niether game uses more (2,4) cores, if you are AMD fan boy/girl i'd go with the amd phenom ll x4 980 which is icredibly fast cpu and could run all the new games in max setting.
Www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103935
 
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dosdecarnitas

dosdecarnitas

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i have 2 builds one AMD and another Intel... long story short my AMD build is FX8120 and This CPu to totally Be a badass cpu you have to :

1 get a Aftermarket CPU stock cooler is stupid, i had to underclock to 2.6ghz to not here a ROARING sound everytime i played anything higher than youtube i recommend the Hyper 212 coolermaster since its cheap and does almost same to more expensive ones

2 get the Turbo Core OFF and overlcok it to 4.2ghz on stock voltage and just forget higher clocks since you wont get better performance, let me explain.... stock clocks to 4.2.....HUUUUUUGE difference at least 30% faster everything just snaps an AMD as it should..... 4.2 to 4.6@1.425volts..... like 2% increase performance.... it just sounded dumb to MEga stress my cpu for so little
 
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KelvinTy

KelvinTy

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Even super high end games are bounded to using 4 cores. Therefore, it is "unnecessary" to have more than 4 cores in your PC.
The reason why the 8120 has a lot of "bad reviews" is because the changes they made is not exactly performance boosting, and in some tests, even decreasing performance is recorded.
As for CPU suggestion, I would suggest you to check your motherboard's chipset and include the info in this post.
Your current CPU utilize the AM3 socket, so I would assume your board is at least AM3 compatible.
If you know and is able to overclock, I would suggest the "AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition", otherwise, an "AMD Phenom II X4 955" would be adequate.

965:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
955:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113007

Most games are also more GPU intensive and demanding. You might want to look into that too but even if you purchase a ridiculously powerful Graphics card, your current CPU would be limiting it's potential...
 
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nktleung

nktleung

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First off, I think AMD isn't the best CPU if you want it for gaming. Intel i5 2500k is beast at overclocking wheres 2400s is extremly power efficent. Think about it. I use to use AMD FX6200 but then I changed to a intel i5 2500 because it wasn't as pleasant.
 
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derek13417

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I would have to go with the I5 2500K for gaming but as a previous comment said games aren't that CPU intensive, they are mainly GPU intensive. This being said DON'T cheap out on your CPU and buy an extremely high end GPU. You have to find a good CPU and a good GPU to go with it.

In conclusion,
-Don't cheap out of CPU or GPU
-For bragging rights go intel...
 
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wr6133

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If your going AMD gaming the 965BE is going to do you as well or better than the FX for less money pair it with an aftermarket cooler and you can OC it pretty far.

960T is as you stated an X6 Thuban with 2 cores disabled there is a fair chance of an unlock and even if it doesn't you can OC the 4 cores pretty far if your just gaming you don't really need those 2 extra cores though and the 965BE (deneb) is slightly faster per core so simply for gaming as an X4 the 965BE is the better buy.

Basically if your just gaming and want minimum fuss get the 965BE if you have other uses that may benefit from extra cores and you don't mind taking a gamble on if they unlock (dont forget this is a GAMBLE albeit one that recentley seems a decent one) get the 960T.
 
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theconsolegamer

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http://bitsum.com/about_cpu_core_parking.php
 
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sixstring88

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Thanks for the help guys, I am not that good with overclocking and I am planning on getting an AM3+ mobo and like I said I am strictly looking for great gaming performance. I will list my system specs to see what you guys think more specifically would be the best match for my system.

current parts:

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700w PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018
AMD Radeon HD 6790 (dual fan) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150534
Asus DVD rom drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
2 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm hard drives - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395
1 80GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm hard drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148236
5 120 mm case fans (with blue leds except one)
Asus PCE-N10 wireless card - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320071
Windows 7 Ultimate (dunno if that matters)
and I have an 360 controller, webcam, microphone, mouse and keyboard and a few usb cable for things plugged into it.


and the new parts are:

ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600 8-8-8-24 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer Closed-Loop All In One Liquid CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106188

I might get this graphics card too, if not now in the future:
EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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If you're dead set on an AMD system, I would definitely go for a fast Phenom II X4 over the FX processors. Get the fastest PHIIX4 you can afford. The 965 is a great processor as are any of them from the 955 to the 980. The black editions O/C with a simple multiplier up-click almost never needing voltage adjustments. Even at stock, the 3+GHZ and huge L3 cache makes for a great gaming CPU. And they can handle the work load of almost all graphic cards. There's a reason the PhIIs have so much longevity...
 
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sixstring88

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Ah yea that's what I am leaning towards and based on what I've heard so far it seems that would be my best choice. I would probably build an Intel system if I had the cash but this upgrade with a 965 alone is gonna be around 500 bucks at least. I guess I will be going with whatever the fastest Phenom II I can get is. One more question though is there a difference between a 95w and 125w processor besides power consumption?
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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The 95W CPUs usually don't clock as high, but that's not carved in stone. Nevertheless, I would stick with the 125W CPU if your board is rated for that. Or are you getting a new board too? If so, go with the AM3+ socket for a bit of future proofing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%2050001028%20600005574&IsNodeId=1&name=Phenom%20II%20X4
This is just about all that's left at retail anymore. Places like ebay still have a pretty good assortment of used and new. If you have or plan on buying a HS/F for the system, the OEM product is a good buy. But be aware they only come with a 3 month warranty. (But you'll know if you have a bad chip as soon as you power up)

What else are you buying that takes the price up to $500?
 
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sixstring88

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ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157280
AMD Phenom II X4 975 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103924
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600 8-8-8-24 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer Closed-Loop All In One Liquid CPU Cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106188

I might get this graphics card too, if not now in the future:
EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 (Fermi) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Good choices all round. (Although I have no experience w/water cooling.) One thing about the RAM. I believe the PHII's memory controller is topped out at 1333MHZ. So you will have to O/C the RAM to get 1600MHZ. And really, there's very little performance difference between 1333MHZ and 1600MHZ RAM. The GTX 560 should provide good frame rates up to 1920x1080. And I like the board too. You'll be able to use any Phenom II or FX processor you want. The 975 is right near the top of the PhIIs with a little more headroom for O/Cing than the 965.

One other thing. Sometimes RAM with tall heat syncs can interfere with the cooler due to the closeness of the RAM slots to the socket. Keep that in mind.
 
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sixstring88

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Ah yea I almost had that problem with my Zalman cpu cooler on my current comp. Should I just go for 1333 if it's cheaper or should I still go for 1600? I just noticed the 970 is $110 on Newegg with the 975 being $130 so I might go for it. It seems to be the same just .1 ghz lower.
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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You won't notice any gaming difference between either of those 2 procs. And if you O/C, it doesn't matter. Your choice of where you want to spend the $20.
I would probably go for the 1333MHZ memory simply because I don't O/C RAM and the mem ctrlr is maxed at that speed. Btw, I can't find it now, but there was a recent article that measured gaming frame rates between 1066, 1333, and 1600MHZ RAM. The difference was something like 1 or 2 FPS.
 
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clutchc

clutchc

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technically, yes. Faster timing 1333 will be quicker than slightly slower timing 1600 that runs at 1333. But I'm telling you, it is not an issue at either of those speeds.
 
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Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves

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A lot of it comes down to what games you will be playing. Some games are not CPU-intensive at all, while others (StarCraft II, Shogun 2, Civ V) can benefit from getting a beefier CPU. You'd be perfectly fine with a high-end Phenom or FX series chip, but if you want to future proof a bit more, I'd go i5--Sandy or Ivy.
 
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