Phenom 9150E - should I upgrade?

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Cryora

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My current setup is:
CPU - Phenom 9150E 1.8GHz Quad Core
RAM - 4GB
Video Card - Radeon HD 4870

I think the CPU is dragging my computer down. I am able to run Unreal Tournament 3 decently at high settings at 1280x1024, but when it comes to Crysis and ARMA II, it will lag a lot, especially ARMA II even at reduced graphical settings.

Does this sound like it's the CPU that's the problem? What should I upgrade it to? Should I go with the Phenom 9950, or the Phenom II 940?
 
Much are you willing to pay for a new CPU?
Do you wish to stick with AMD?
Whats your Mobo so we can know whats compatible?
 
My current setup is:
CPU - Phenom 9150E 1.8GHz Quad Core
RAM - 4GB
Video Card - Radeon HD 4870

I think the CPU is dragging my computer down. I am able to run Unreal Tournament 3 decently at high settings at 1280x1024, but when it comes to Crysis and ARMA II, it will lag a lot, especially ARMA II even at reduced graphical settings.

Does this sound like it's the CPU that's the problem? What should I upgrade it to? Should I go with the Phenom 9950, or the Phenom II 940?

We'll definitely need to know what motherboard you are using. I'm assuming it's from a prebuilt computer. TDP (Thermal Design Power) plays a huge roll in processors, and if this motherboard is from a prebuilt computer, it is very possible that the highest TDP is actually pretty low. My OEM board had a max TDP of 89W. That meant I couldn't get a processor that had over an 89W power rating. However, if you have the money and the ability to run the 940, it would be a great choice. If you need a lower design power, I'd look into Phenom II 810.

Much are you willing to pay for a new CPU?
Do you wish to stick with AMD?
Whats your Mobo so we can know whats compatible?

They'll most likely want to stick with AMD, as they did not mention buying a new motherboard too.
 
You need to make sure your mobo will handle Phenom II/Athlon II CPUs. 95BlackGA is right about the TDP, as most pre-builts use the lower TDP.
 
I have an ECS Black Series A790GXM-A motherboard with an AM2+ socket. It's not prebuilt so I'm assuming it has good TDP? Where can I find out the TDP of my motherboard?

I'm willing to pay perhaps less than $200 for the upgrade, and I don't want to purchase a new motherboard so I guess switching over to Intel is out of the question.

I'm wondering if upgrading from the 9150E to a Phenom II would give me a worthwhile performance boost, because I'm not sure what the difference in performance is between a 9150E and a Phenom II. Benchmarks that I have looked at doesn't seem show that huge of an increase. Still, it might mean the difference between a playable game and a unplayable game because of FPS.
 
Thanks. I bought that one, and now I'm seeing a lot less choke. It was the CPU after all. Still, this machine isn't going to be able to run ARMA 2 maxed out. Perhaps a next-gen machine will.
 
Optimal PC System Requirements

* Quad Core CPU or fast Dual Core CPU (Intel Core 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ or faster)
* 2 GB RAM
* Fast GPU (Nvidia Geforce 8800GT or ATI Radeon 4850 or faster) with Shader Model 3 and 512 or more MB VRAM
* Windows XP or Windows Vista
* DVD (Dual Layer compatible), 10 GB free HDD space
You should be able to run ARMA2 without any problems whatsoever. You may want to look and see what all is running in the background. CCleaner has a nice little utility in it to clean up your startup items:
|MG| CCleaner Slim 2.24.1010 Download
 
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