Looking to upgrade CPU, need advice

G

Ghoststalker

Limp Gawd
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Jun 4, 2001
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I currently have an AMD Athlon X2 4200+, 2GB DDR2-667 memory, a 9600 GT, and a Foxconn NForce 590 SLI motherboard.

I'm considering upgrading my processor soon. Right now I can either pick up an Athlon 6000+ (or perhaps one of the Black Edition processors) or spend a little bit more money and grab a new motherboard and an Intel Core 2 Duo 7200. I don't really want to spend more than $200, so I guess my question is what kind of performance difference exists between the 6000+ and a 7200? Is it worth the extra ~$150 and hassle of installing a motherboard?

I probably won't have enough cash to upgrade the memory with it, so it'll be puttering along on what I have.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131295

is the motherboard I would probably grab to go with it, unless anyone knows of a cheaper one that is pretty decent. I don't really plan on overclocking, though I hear these OC really well so it might be something I do in the future.

Any thoughts?
 
Thanks for that code.

Looking at the HardOCP article, it didn't seem like there is all the much difference between the Athlons and Core 2 Duos in actual gaming performance....I'll prolly just grab the 6000+ and save the extra money for some new ram or something.
 
Based on various benchmarks, the E7200 was better than the X2 6000+ (at stock speeds). However, if you're trying to spend a little money as possible, getting one of the Black Edition processors and a good CPU cooler, like the Xigmatek HDT-S963 (or the HDT-S1283), would be the way to go. Staying on the AMD path would allow you to also purchase a 2GB DDR2 800 kit for around $40-$45, but you could still obtain a meager overclock by using your DDR2 667 kit.

If you want a cheap yet effective Intel solution, you'll need to drop the motherboard down to a P43-based board like the Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L. You could purchase an E2-series dual core and overclock it (which could compete with a stock 6000+), or you could wait for the arrival of the new E5200 processor that is expected to cost around $100. (I don't know the exact date of the arrival of the E5200.)
 
For gaming at 1680x1050 or higher, you're more GPU bound than CPU. What makes you think you need a new CPU? In other words, what is the goal of this upgrade? (eg better gaming performance, better encoding performance, etc)
 
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