AM3 processor upgrade

[sid77]

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my old Dual core processor. My mobo is an AM3 socket so I'm looking at a Phenom six core. I want to get best bang for buck and I've been looking at this one.

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T 2.8GHz 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3.. | Ebuyer.com

I'm a bit out of touch with processors so not sure if I can get something else a little cheaper, maybe a quad core? What are the benefits of quad/hex? I use my PC for gaming and I've got a 2GB AMD 6950 with 6GB RAM. So ultimately I'm looking for the best chip, for a decent price, which will give me a significant performance boost

Cheers

 

[LJx]

I think the quad cores would be better for gaming, they can be overclocked too AMD 960T Black Edition 3.0GHz Socket AM3 8MB L2 Cache.. | Ebuyer.com

 

[rodenal]

Can your board support am3+ with a bios update? If so the FX 4100 looks tempting, they apparently overclock nicely too (i.e well north of 4ghz) If not the 960T looks good or if you can find one cheaply the callisto core phenom 2 x2 BE's could be worth a shot

 

[shadowboxer]

+1 for the 960T BE. It's basically a hex-core but with two cores disabled. A lot of people have had luck when unlocking then and they'll overclock well too. Not much point in getting more than four cores for gaming, most games barely use more than two.

 

[Orgun]

Are you over-clocking? If so any black edition is a good choice as you can push them quite nicely! If not then its the highest GHz you can get.

 

[AJBek]

I have a Phenom II 965 which is a great chip, mine is running 3.9 Ghz with ease and will do more once my watercooling set up is finalised, but I agree with these guys, get the 960T. This uses the slightly superior thurban core which overclocks a bit better and uses less power. Some of them can also be unlocked to 5 or six core as well. I would steer clear of the fx chips just now (at least for gaming) as they seem to be behind the phenom quads in most gaming benches I have seen. This may change as game design and bulldozer refinements occur but for the moment I would hang fire (that is what I am doing anyway).

 

[the cod god]

Yeah stay the hell away from bulldozer, even the 8 core bulldozer chips. I would also recommend you get the 960t, it's a great little chip with the potential to overclock much higher than the 965's if the 1100t's are anything to go by. Also they use less power and clock for clock are slightly quicker than the normal quad core phenoms!