Realistic upgrade from 965BE?

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JLangevin

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 13, 2007
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So after reading both the standard review and gaming review of the Bulldozer platform, I am having a hard time finding a real AMD upgrade solution from my PII X4 965BE.

What would you go with, or am I better off just keeping it for a while? I just bought an AM3+ Asus Crosshair V Formula, so Im not looking to move to Intel, but was hoping for better from Bulldozer.

Suggestions?
 
Its kind of sad that my CPU with a 2008 date stamp on the heat spreader is still not bested by anything worth the upgrade 4 years later... sigh.

You confirmed what I was thinking, just keep using the overclocked 965BE and call it a day. At least Im AM3+ ready when the time comes.
 
play around with the 960t BE... might be able to unlock and overclock well beyond what the 965 can do...
 
Ill need to research that first. The initial core speed is a bit lower than the stock 965 BE.
 
I just came from a 965BE and I'm very happy with my choice, OC's like a champ, game runs smoother. Your mobo will kick ass with a 8120BE.(imo 8150BE not worth it, if the 8120 OC just the same)
 
Really? Hmm... after reading the reviews of the bulldozer processors, I just have a hard time pulling the trigger on them... even the previous series 6 core processors were beating them in every catagory.
 
Yea i know, but i couldn't pass up on the MC deal so i took it. idk about the PH2 x6 chips so i can't tell you if they are better or same. Oh and when i was plyn BF3 with 965BE(oc) cpu would max out. This chip stays in the 80%'s+(in game settings max out without AA's)
 
after you overclock the snot out of a bulldozer, especially with the 8 cores, they are an upgrade.

if you run stock, then no.
 
if you were running cfx/sli then i'd say take a look at the 8120, but if you aren't then stick with the 965. only other options after that is the 1090T if you play BF3 or if you want to have a little fun grab the 960T like suggested further up and mess around with that.
 
The only chip that's actually going to be an "upgrade" is going to be something like a 1100T other wise you will need to grab a Sandy bridge chip. :(

As an AMD fan boy let me tell you it's a hard transition.
 
Probably best off waiting for the "Vishera" 8350 that is possibility coming third quarter of this year. You have a nice motherboard now, so just play with that till then. Maybe even get another 580 for SLI to hold over your upgrade itch. There is one going for $327 in the hot deals section right now.
 
Waiting for the 8350 too! In the meantime you can overclock that 965 pretty good. Mine has surpassed the 4 GHz mark on air (check my sig); stable and tested using Prime 95.
 
I'm still rocking my 965, waiting to see what Intel and AMD's next gen stuff will look like. Then I might finally upgrade.
 
OC the crap out of your 965 BE and let the cards fall. Bulldozer isn't worth the investment.

Admittedly I am looking forward to see what Piledriver can do to revive AMD desktop segment though.
 
M249SAW said:
OC the crap out of your 965 BE and let the cards fall. Bulldozer isn't worth the investment.

Admittedly I am looking forward to see what Piledriver can do to revive AMD desktop segment though.
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This...



On another note, what else do you do with the pc? Video conversion really kicks ass on an X6, Why not find an 1100T or 1090T those OC really good I hear. My 1055T was only up to 3.9, anything over it would BSOD no matter what.
 
There is no real reason to upgrade your processor.

965BE is still a very capable processor. Your more than likely still Gpu limited mostly anyways.

For a pure gaming pc you should be fine. However the Fx processors do start to make sense if you mess with Vm's, and you do a lot of encoding/ encryption.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=434

8120/8150 are pretty solid upgrades, in anything that is muticore aware.

Personally i would wait For Piledriver to see what it brings. Unless you absolutely need to upgrade now, which really you shouldn't. At least wait until Ivy Bridge.
 
Getting a new CPU...doubt you'll see more than a 10 FPS gain. If you want higher FPS, get a new video card or run SLI if that mobo supports it.
 
Deathwish238 said:
Getting a new CPU...doubt you'll see more than a 10 FPS gain. If you want higher FPS, get a new video card or run SLI if that mobo supports it.
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I would vouch for that. Going SLI has doubled my FPS in some games and I always game with V-sync on to avoid screen tearing. I find that my cards now run a lot quieter and cooler than before.
 
Deathwish238 said:
Getting a new CPU...doubt you'll see more than a 10 FPS gain. If you want higher FPS, get a new video card or run SLI if that mobo supports it.
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Youre right, however I never said that the reason for an upgrade was to improve FPS in gaming. I simply stated that I was looking for a realistic upgrade for a well rounded system. I do a lot of heavy video encoding with After Effects and Photoshop CS5.5 which eat a lot of processor and memory.

I am quite happy with my GTX580 and dont plan on going SLI anytime soon. Remember, not all upgrades are game based...
 
psy81 said:
I would vouch for that. Going SLI has doubled my FPS in some games and I always game with V-sync on to avoid screen tearing. I find that my cards now run a lot quieter and cooler than before.
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Quiet and cool isnt a concern for me, since I am watercooled. When you run VSync, your FPS is capped to the refresh rate of your monitor which is typically 60hz or 60fps...

Im also not interested in going SLI since I run a single 24" 1080p monitor, cost to performance gain is greatly lopsided and makes 0 financial sense to me.
 
JLangevin said:
Youre right, however I never said that the reason for an upgrade was to improve FPS in gaming. I simply stated that I was looking for a realistic upgrade for a well rounded system. I do a lot of heavy video encoding with After Effects and Photoshop CS5.5 which eat a lot of processor and memory.

I am quite happy with my GTX580 and dont plan on going SLI anytime soon. Remember, not all upgrades are game based...
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It sounds like you could benefit from a processor upgrade in that case. A core i7 would be your best bet. If you're not up for getting a new mobo, your only real options are a FX-8150 or a Phenom II X6 1100T.

The Phenom II X6 1100T would be a safe upgrade. In some ways, the FX-8150 will be a downgrade while with enough overclocking it will be an upgrade in other ways.
 
That's one viewpoint, I would be more interested to see the FX-8150 @ 5 GHz vs the 1100XT @ 4.0 GHz. The Phenom II will scale more consistently than the Bulldozer from what I read.
 
That's one viewpoint, I would be more interested to see the FX-8150 @ 5 GHz vs the 1100XT @ 4.0 GHz. The Phenom II will scale more consistently than the Bulldozer from what I read.
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been there done that. I had a 1055T @ 4 ghz before my 8120. which can overclock to 5.1ghz. I run at 4.6 normally for silent computing,

The FX beats it nearly every time.
 
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