Upgrade X2 5600+ to what other AM2 cpu? Maybe AM2

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Smashed Ixnay

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Replaced a bad video card in my sister's PC. I'm pretty sure it has an X2 5600+ @ 2.8ghz. She mainly uses it for internet and Youtube. My niece however plays The Sims 3, which it can handle with the 9800GT in it, but the computer is painfully slow. What would be the best upgrade for her system? I'm willing to shell out $60 tops. I'm pretty sure if I have to stay with AM2, then there is nothing that is going to be a huge upgrade. I did read her motherboard (Foxcon M61PMV) is upgrading to AM3 cpu's with a bios flash.


If that is the case, then would an AM2 X2 240 be a good upgrade, or should I get an AMD x3 450?

I'm going to buy a 512gb SSD, so I'm going to give her my old OCZ 120gb SSD to help speed it up in a few weeks also, but till then, I need a good cpu. She isn't going to upgrade it anytime soon, so I feel bad for my niece, so the money is coming out of my pocket so like I said, $60 max (new or used).
 
You could pick up an Athlon II x4 640 for around $60 on ebay. I don't see a whole lot of info on the board, are you sure it'll support AM3 with a BIOS flash?
 
I just read some reviews at Newegg and a few people said it can with a bios flash. I'm trying to verify that on their website.
 
Also don't look over a nice AM2+chip, like a Phenom 9850, if the board can properly support 125W chips.
 
Exeodus said:
Also don't look over a nice AM2+chip, like a Phenom 9850, if the board can properly support 125W chips.
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It cannot.The VRM's look pretty anemic on that board, and the specs on newegg also calls for 95w or lower. I have a MSI board with equally anemic looking VRM's paired with an Athlon II X4 645 (95w) with a very mild 10mhz bump in the bclk (no voltage increase, board won't allow it) and the VRM's hit 180F (82c) after less than an hour of gaming.
 
Hold out on a CPU upgrade until you get that SSD in and working. Reason I say this is that with a 95W TDP limitation on that MoBo, you're not going to be able to realize a very significant performance boost just by changing the CPU, as you stated.

If the MoBo is capable of housing an <=95W X3 or even an X4 (non "e"), then there will be an obviously noticeable performance gain...the trick, then, would be to find the best one at your budget allotment. Good news is that the X3 450 you mentioned can be had for brand new from Newegg for... $60 shipped. X4 645 is $100 fs, but you may be able to find one used for around the $60 mark.
 
I got my Samsung 830 256gb SSD, so I'm installing that in my computer today. If I have time I'm going over to her house later today and installing my OCZ 120gb SSD in her computer to see if that'll be enough to speed up her computer.


Thanks for the input guys.
 
See here for all CPUs that should work with your motherboard... http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Foxconn/M61PMV.html

I suspect the x3 450 might work also even though it's not on that list.

I think the SSD will make a pretty decent difference... an SSD in my old laptop made it feel like a new machine.
 
Bosom said:
See here for all CPUs that should work with your motherboard... http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Foxconn/M61PMV.html

I suspect the x3 450 might work also even though it's not on that list.

I think the SSD will make a pretty decent difference... an SSD in my old laptop made it feel like a new machine.
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If that list is 100% accurate then Newegg has the Athlon II x4 640 on sale atm for $69.99 with the supplied promo code on the page. Thats the best chip you are going to find that is readily available. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871

If you want to ignore the list they also have the Athlon II x3 450 mentioned above for $59.99 after promo code. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103886
 
The Athlon II x4 640 is by no means a bad CPU. I just recently upgraded from one but only because I came across a Phenom II x6 1090t for a relatively good price.
 
Generally speaking, AM2 cpu's are not the fastest, and you don't have the fastest chipset on that board in the Nvidia 6100. I've built a few lower-end rigs with AM2 cpu's, but I used boards with better chipsets ( 785, 790, etc ). They seemed snappy enough in Windows 7, when using 4 gigs of ram.

What are the other specs of this rig ? The chipset, OS, or HDD could be holding it back more than the cpu.

I do not know if you have a MicroCenter near you, but they have an OEM AMD Phenom II X4 B93 for $40. Yes, it's a 95 watt chip and it's comparable to an AMD 830.
 
Don't bother with a Althlon II they arnt a whole lot better then the first gen Althlon's the lack of l3 really hurts bad
 
Onemoar said:
Don't bother with a Althlon II they arnt a whole lot better then the first gen Althlon's the lack of l3 really hurts bad
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Can't say I totally agree with this trolling noob... :rolleyes:

I've built several systems with the Athlon II... a couple of X4's, a few X2's... regardless, they overclock like beasts and are quite snappy once you get to the 3.5ghz realm. I would also suggest an X4 like others have recommended.
 
who you calling noob scuby
http://f.cl.ly/items/3o162V2Z0H1k410M1h3v/Image 2012-10-21 at 6.42.30 PM.png < current system
I know what these chips are capable of =/
the older stepping like the one above are dog slow even when wound out as fast as they will go given that age of the ops motherboard it would be prudent to suggest forgoing the Althlon II and replacing both the board and the proc
will it runs the Sims 3 Absolutely
is it worth spending money on ..... meh if you can get one for sub 45 USD yes else get a Phenom II
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173567
 
Onemoar said:
Don't bother with a Althlon II they arnt a whole lot better then the first gen Althlon's the lack of l3 really hurts bad
Click to expand...

I'm calling YOU a noob son. Making this statement alone doesn't give you much validation. We know the Athlon II doesn't have l3 cache, but that may cost what, 3 to 5% performance of a Phenom II? Besides, being an ex Brisbane owner myself, I know the Athlon II will be a pretty fair upgrade from it, especially if the upgrade involves an X4; so...how bout you pick up your rocks and get something to back your statement up... then we might take your one day membership with more than a grain of salt.

Some bathroom reading material for you:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+64+X2+Dual+Core+5600+
 
Smoove910 said:
I'm calling YOU a noob son. Making this statement alone doesn't give you much validation. We know the Athlon II doesn't have l3 cache, but that may cost what, 3 to 5% performance of a Phenom II? Besides, being an ex Brisbane owner myself, I know the Athlon II will be a pretty fair upgrade from it, especially if the upgrade involves an X4; so...how bout you pick up your rocks and get something to back your statement up... then we might take your one day membership with more than a grain of salt.

Some bathroom reading material for you:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+64+X2+Dual+Core+5600+
Click to expand...

Well... He's right actually. The Athlon II's saving grace is that it can be had with 4 cores vs just 2 with the previous generation. Clock for clock though they aren't much different. I can tell you that my X4 645 is a poorer performaer than my old Q6600 despite being clocked a couple hundred MHz higher.
 
OK, let's get back on track here...
OP said he want to upgrade ONLY the processor and there's a pretty strict budget for that.

I say the best route to take is get the X4. That coupled with the SSD going in is going to be a pretty healthy upgrade from what's there now. In a couple/few years, the OP may revisit this and seek advice on a full blown overhaul. But until then, let's all keep the throttle dialed back a bit.
 
I posted this here before and it sparked an argument but I'd stick to a dual core or one of the special low wattage triple or four cores. Even if the board says 95w I'd stay away. I love done about 10 am3 chip flashes for friends, family and customers including on your exact board. Every one of them that I stuck a full power x3 or x4 in blew caps within a few months.

Just my 2 cents. The Lowe power I believe it is the 720e triple core phenom 2 would be great.
 
I'd forget the lower power chips the Athlon II processors undervolt quite well anyway esp the X2 more recent ones. They're not heavy power use processors anyway.
I'd get shot of that foxconn Mobo though..slap an ASrock or Gigabyte budget AM3+ board not expensive to do.
 
Pointless to buy a new board and slap an X2 in there when he can do that on his current board.
 
Sorry for all the spelling mistakes in my previous post from my phone. I do not believe that board allows for any voltage control.
 
RamonGTP said:
Pointless to buy a new board and slap an X2 in there when he can do that on his current board.
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It's not pointless because an AM3+ board supports newer processors (ie more options later on) I think you're in the wrong forum aren't you? (oh sorry maybe buy an Intel board and processor!)
Pretty simple logic really I'm not sure why you can't grasp that.
 
QuiteSufficient said:
I posted this here before and it sparked an argument but I'd stick to a dual core or one of the special low wattage triple or four cores. Even if the board says 95w I'd stay away. I love done about 10 am3 chip flashes for friends, family and customers including on your exact board. Every one of them that I stuck a full power x3 or x4 in blew caps within a few months.
Click to expand...

I think this is relevant to the OP here and I am quite curious myself. Would you mind sharing what exact boards upgraded to what exact processors resulted in the blown caps?
 
Mr Spocko said:
It's not pointless because an AM3+ board supports newer processors (ie more options later on) I think you're in the wrong forum aren't you? (oh sorry maybe buy an Intel board and processor!)
Pretty simple logic really I'm not sure why you can't grasp that.
Click to expand...

No, I'm in the correct forum. Again, why buy a new baord and pair it with a processor that he can use in his current board? There's absolutly zero reason for that. If he wants something better later, thats when he should upgrade the board. If he upgrades now he might as well get a better processor NOW as well versus an X2 that he can already run. Your suggestion makes no sense, just as your claim of me bing in the wrong forum makes no sense. No one suggested an Intel build either. Get a clue.
 
I have a clue AM3+ boards you can get a very decent gigabyte board for around £35..so why skimp when it opens the door to a better upgrade path later on.

FX CPU's undervolt well too. Sometimes it makes sense to rip out the board and CPU and start over..IMO that is.

Take your get a clue remarks elsewhere please, opinions are expressed deal with it.
 
Mr Spocko said:
I have a clue AM3+ boards you can get a very decent gigabyte board for around £35..so why skimp when it opens the door to a better upgrade path later on.

FX CPU's undervolt well too. Sometimes it makes sense to rip out the board and CPU and start over..IMO that is.

Take your get a clue remarks elsewhere please, opinions are expressed deal with it.
Click to expand...

As the OP stated, he's looking for a CPU upgrade for his niece's current computer that she plays Sims 3 on. The GPU handles the game fine, but the system itself is painfully slow.

Replacing the motherboard won't impact this. But replacing the CPU to a triple or quad core will.

If the OP had/wanted to allocate the funds to perform a full-blown upgrade right now, I'm sure it would come down to an AMD A-series or FX-series platform, or an intel based platform.

But, since he isn't, let's just focus on the CPU right now and what will work in the current MoBo.
 
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