I can use some help choosing a new processor...

[Gearedup99]

Hi, I am new to the forums and i'm getting a new computer desktop; i.e. I have a question. My budget is extremely low right now (I hope to only have to pay around $300 for a new desktop). And i have been searching through some Amd processor stuff and i am wondering which processor is overall better for gaming ( new and old [single-threading] games)

Phenom II X2 560 3.3 ghz duel-core 1mb L2 and 6 mb L3 B.E.
Vs.
Athlon II X4 645 3.1 ghz quad-core 2mb L2

These are both priced near eachother (i think about $4 dollars difference).
My thinking runs to the Athlon quad core simply because of quad core demand in new games. But, they lack the huge L3 cache and they are not Black Edition like the Phenom, so they can't overtclock quite as great.

Which is the best gamer's choice?
(PLEASE STATE FACTS, I prefer to have logical answers, not "Du-uh man it's the quad core")

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT55TFBGRBOX

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor HDT55TFBGRBOX

6MB L3 cache, I have a AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz Socket AM3 8MB Cache

2MB cache diffrence though

 

[Trotter]

Not what he meant, pcboy.

Between those two I would say the Athlon x4 as the Phenom II x2 560 is not unlockable in that it is a true dual core.

Now, with that said, let us help you get the best bang for your buck. You said you have $300 for a new desktop. That's a start.

What do you have that is reusable/salvageable from what you already have? Optical drive(s)/burners? Hard drive(s)? Ram (DDR2, not DDR)? Case (if so, tell us what case it is... the make and model)? Power supply (if so, please give the brand and wattage... you will find this on the side of the power supply itself)?

Once we have that info we will see about finding you the best deals so you can cram as much as possible into those $300.

 

[Gearedup99]

Trotter,
I don't understand what you meant by this:
"Between those two I would say the Athlon x4 as the Phenom II x2 560 is not unlockable in that it is a true dual core."

the Phenom that i saw on : Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX
is unlockable (by unlockable i mean overclockable with the unlocked multiplier)

i am doing a lot of Craig's list searches and i am going to look for a hard drive there... and a cheap display (i see some for $25 that have no defects)
my friend is fiving me a cd drive.. and the rest i'm looking for on newegg....

btw my old comp is a labtop and my older comp is being used by my dad so i cant part out it (i cant part it out anyway its 8 years old, lol)

i will post more about what i'm thinking of... but i have to go to a college class right now, so i dont have time at the moment.

and the processors up there are actually the models 555 (for the Phenom) and 640 (those two other models are more expensive than these [on newegg])

 

[Trotter]

Most 555's are unlockable. My daughter's fiance built her a computer using one that unlocked just fine, but a friend of his tried to dot he same and couldn't unlock either extra core. it's the luck of the draw, but the odds are better than 50% that you will get at least one good extra core.

I used an Athlon II x3 445 in my wife's computer and it unlocked into a Phenom II x4 B45.

I don't have time to put together a build right now, but I will check on it after work tonight.

 

[Trotter]

1. AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX
2. BIOSTAR TA785G3HD AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Combo Price: $130.98 /$7.56 shipping on the mobo

Newegg.com - WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXH1333C9WS4GK
$71.99 w/free shipping

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWR460 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case RS-460-PSAR-J3, Elite 460W Power Supply
$69.99 w/free shipping

Total = $281. With only $300 you don't have enough for a graphics card, but that board has the 4200 onboard which will work for low-end gaming (will run Starcraft II, anyway).

 

[Gearedup99]

What i meant at first was which processor was better at gaming... besides unlocking... because i heard that unlocking works if you bought a processor out of the first batch produced... and it isn't defective (also it wont turn into a perfect Phenom II x4 B45. When you unlock it it turns off the thermal diodes and the computer recognizes it as some strange cpu with 4 cores [from an article were they turned a Athlon II x2 into and x4]).
But, since you are going out of your way to be helpful (thank you btw) I will show you all my pending decisions... (my friend helped me allot too with these choices so that's where some of my reasoning come from.)

So.. going down the list... i will start with mb. The one i'm looking at is this:

Newegg.com - ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
I'm thinking of this card because heating because of cramping... and i want to buy a decent graphics card to play good games with great graphic settings, so i skip integrated graphics (mainly because of the price going up with an integrated card and the fact that they seem to be mostly junk)

Processor:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX
Same one you mentioned above.. I figure its good mainly because of the huge L3 cache and overclocking stuff.

Power Supply:
Newegg.com - Sunbeam PSU-H680-REV-US-BL 680W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Good price and lots of spare power in case i want to upgrade.

Ram:
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996947
A little expensive but it has low cas? latency and like the best ram i can get for this mboard (i think).

Computer Tower/Casing
Newegg.com - RAIDMAX Hurricane ATX-248WB Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Basically my friends recommendation... good heat distribution and good price (also doesn't look that bad to me).

Graphics:
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR VA5675NHG1 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
My buddy also recommended this card, i think its pretty sweet...

Hard Drive:
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I'm the most unsure about purchasing hard drives... i want good performance and decent size. ("get most bang for your buck" idea with the terabyte)

By now you might be saying "Hey wait! you said $300 and all of this costs $468.93 (without mail-in-rebates and shipping)."
The thing is.. i don't really have much money (around $200 is what I can actually spend right now) I was planning to build this over time and buy parts as i get more money...
I prefer to get the computer sooner rather than later though, so your recommendations are tempting...

 

[TheHumanComputer]

Not what he meant, pcboy.

Ah mybad

 

[Trotter]

Let me give you some pointers.

The mobo will work, and cases are personal preference.

"Power Supply:
Newegg.com - Sunbeam PSU-H680-REV-US-BL 680W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Good price and lots of spare power in case i want to upgrade."

That PSU is garbage, and that's the nicest thing I can say about it.
Newegg.com - Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
It's not as cheap, but it won't blow and take out half your parts, either.

"Ram:
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996947
A little expensive but it has low cas? latency and like the best ram i can get for this mboard (i think)."

The board runs 1600 natively, and you can set the timings in the BIOS.
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
A few bucks more, but it is better RAM by far.

"Graphics:
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR VA5675NHG1 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
My buddy also recommended this card, i think its pretty sweet..."

One year warranty = no go.
Newegg.com - VisionTek 900329 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Newegg.com - XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Both of these have lifetime warranties and they are about the same as far as graphics go save the 5670 can do DX11.

"Hard Drive:
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
I'm the most unsure about purchasing hard drives... i want good performance and decent size. ("get most bang for your buck" idea with the terabyte)"

Right brand, wrong drive.
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$10 off with promo code through today.
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
The WD Black series are screaming fast, whereas the Greens are slower and shut down to save power.

 

[Gearedup99]

Thank you!

Is Ripjaw Ram really that much better? Even with 2+ Cas latency?