Quick comparison of Processors.

[VXZ]

Hi guys, I am upgrading my gaming rig, if you can call it that (ASUS CG-1330).
I decided to swap out CPUs, as the Phenom II x6 2.6 GHz is not powerful enough to play games on max settings like I wish it would.
I decided to go with the Phenom II x4 3.4 GHz Black Edition, and plan to OC it with an Aftermarket fan, to about 3.75-3.85 GHz.

people have been telling me that I will not see a major upgrade.... Can you guys tell me a more accurate and in depth opinion?
I am new to building / upgrading PCs!
I had to go with an AM3 socket type, simply because I did not want to replace the MOBO. If I had an option I would have wanted to go with the I5 2500k.

Before you say, I did upgrade my GPU to aGTX 550 TI aswell. and I love it.


thanks in advance guys!

 

[VXZ]

Haha I would, however my CPU is a factory model, and I heard that OC this processor without a aftermarket fan would blow it!
And Im going to have to use the software methof of OC.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

The motherboard for that system is an OEM version of this board http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3/M4A78LTM/#overview but I would imagine that the BIOS on that OEM board you have is locked out to keep you from overclocking.

Now, you CAN flash the BIOS of your board with the BIOS of the retail board to allow overclocking, but that may cause issues with other things (from what I was reading, namely the network adapter).

Besides that, even though the retail version of that board supports 125W CPU's (like the 965BE), I'm not sure that the OEM version DOES.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

it may cause issues with his vendor version of microsoft OS (windows 7 i assume)

Yep, that too.

 

[wr6133]

If your at 1920X1080 the 550ti is not enough (or anywhere near enough) to play games at their maximum settings thats whats going to hold you back before the CPU.

 

[VXZ]

haha I did order the cooler master 212+ a few days ago with my new processor, good price too!
So you guys are saying that the GHz difference will be minimal? and I already knew that OC via BIOS was a lost cause
and how would OC through software be minimal?
thanks for the replys guys!

 

[VXZ]

If your at 1920X1080 the 550ti is not enough (or anywhere near enough) to play games at their maximum settings thats whats going to hold you back before the CPU.

Why are you guys saying that the GTX is holding me back?? It must have been an incredible upgrade from the Radeon 5500 or whatever they put in!
right?

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

and how would OC through software be minimal?

Not necessarily "minimal", just "marginal". Software OC'ing is always a crapshoot and you never really know what you'll be able to get out of it. It's also usually wrought with stability issues.

 

[DJDeCiBeL]

Why are you guys saying that the GTX is holding me back?? It must have been an incredible upgrade from the Radeon 5500 or whatever they put in!
right?

Nice upgrade from the 5550, yes, but still a lower end card for gaming.

 

[VXZ]

Oh, I see.
Guys, I dont play extreme games that require a ton of CPU/GPU power such as Crysis, BF3, etc.
I just play fun games like WoW, SC2, and CIV5!