I am thinking about upgrading my processor, but I'm not sure if I should get the AMD Phenom II x4 965 or the AMD FX 8120. Which one is a better gaming processor? I've heard that programs aren't able to use all 8 cores on the FX 8120 making it slower, but when they are able to, would it be insanely fast? I will also be upgrading from an Intel Pentium 4 dual core processor, so either way i should see some difference in speed. I'm just mainly wondering which CPU will be able to keep up with recent games the longest.
AMD Phenom II x4 965:
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727[/url]
AMD FX 8120:
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103961[/url]
Phenom for gaming, I think.
[editline]2nd August 2012[/editline]
Make sure the socket of the processor matches your motherboard - I doubt your motherboard supports am3 if you have a pentium, but I may be wrong..
I didn't think outside of the OP's options :v:
Yeah I forgot to say I'm also upgrading my motherboard and some other things.
I have an AMD FX 8120 and have been using it for months now. So far, no problems.
If you're upgrading your motherboard anyways, why not just go for an i3-2120 and a cheaper Z77 for future upgrades? AMD probably won't be doing anything worthwhile anytime soon that isn't APU related, give yourself an upgrade path. The i3 performs just as well if not better in 90% of games too.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37044800]I am thinking about upgrading my processor, but I'm not sure if I should get the AMD Phenom II x4 965 or the AMD FX 8120. Which one is a better gaming processor? I've heard that programs aren't able to use all 8 cores on the FX 8120 making it slower, but when they are able to, would it be insanely fast?[/QUOTE]
The AMD FX 8xxx series processors aren't really eight core processors, they're more like a quad core processor with something similar to Intel's Hyper Threading. There are 4 cores on the chip with some parts of the cores having duplicated functionality to make each core behave like two virtual cores. Each virtual core has about half of the power of a full core when fully loaded.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37044800]I will also be upgrading from an Intel Pentium 4 dual core processor, so either way i should see some difference in speed. I'm just mainly wondering which CPU will be able to keep up with recent games the longest.[/QUOTE]
There were no dual core Pentium 4s. They had Hyper Threading, which split the core into two virtual cores that shared the resources of the real core. If you go into the BIOS and disable HT, you should see a decent performance boost in games that are only single threaded (assuming that's the only thing you have running.)
The AMD Bulldozer line of CPUs is riddled with performance issues, and is generally slower than the Phenom IIs it was designed to replace in terms of gaming. I honestly would go with something like an Intel i3-2120:
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077[/url]
Even though it's only a dual core processor, it can run circles around the Phenom II in gaming. It also consumes far less power (65-73W vs 125W) and produces much less heat.
[QUOTE=bohb;37046227]The AMD Bulldozer line of CPUs is riddled with performance issues, and is generally slower than the Phenom IIs it was designed to replace in terms of gaming.[/QUOTE]
I've been looking at some benchmark websites and it seems like the FX 8120 is pretty far above the Phenom II and the i3 2120. What kind of performance issues does it have?
I also saw that the FX 6200 had some really high benchmark scores, so I might be looking at that one as well. I know I said I wanted to know which CPU was the fastest gaming CPU, but I won't be using it only for gaming. I also do some mapping, coding, and sometimes animation. I guess I'm really looking for a CPU that will perform well with games, but can also handle compiling and rendering well.
[url]http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/289?vs=434[/url]
i3 2100 vs 8150
Yes, the 8150 is a little better, but it's twice the price.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37054157]I've been looking at some benchmark websites and it seems like the FX 8120 is pretty far above the Phenom II and the i3 2120. What kind of performance issues does it have?[/QUOTE]
I don't know what you've been reading, but on a core for core basis, the i3-2120 is more efficient. The Phenom II can barely keep up with the last generation of Intel i series CPUs, and the benchmark linked above clearly shows that even with 6 less cores, the i3-2120 can go neck and neck with the AMD FX-8150 on many tests.
The Phenom II should automatically be thrown out as an upgrade because both it and the AM3 socket are dead upgrade paths. AMD has no plans on continuing with the Phenom II architecture or AM3 socket.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37054157]I also saw that the FX 6200 had some really high benchmark scores, so I might be looking at that one as well. I know I said I wanted to know which CPU was the fastest gaming CPU, but I won't be using it only for gaming. I also do some mapping, coding, and sometimes animation. I guess I'm really looking for a CPU that will perform well with games, but can also handle compiling and rendering well.[/QUOTE]
The AMD Bulldozer line of CPUs is designed for threaded multiprocessing, which many games still don't do. Since the i3-2120 is far more efficient per core than the Bulldozer, it will best the Bulldozer in games. The Bulldozer will win out on threaded applications simply because it has more cores available.
The best option would be to go with the i3-2120. For the past several years now, AMD has been all over the map with their processor line. With the Intel chip, you know that you have a large selection of good upgrade options in the future. With AMD, you don't have any at the moment, and who knows how the Piledriver will turn out.
Better upgrade would be the i5 3570k if you got the $$.
It is the CPU sweetspot atm, and is good for everything.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys, I think I'm actually just gonna go with an Intel. I might be able to spend more on a processor because if I went with an AMD I would've needed a new PSU along with the other things such as DDR3 RAM for the new motherboard.
EDIT: One last question. I went on newegg to get an idea on how much it would cost for an Intel processor. I picked out the Intel Core i5 3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3 ghz processor, but I'm not sure if my 430 watt PSU can handle it. Would I need a new one? I currently have a Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 512 MB video card, not sure what else I would need to list.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37054157]I've been looking at some benchmark websites and it seems like the FX 8120 is pretty far above the Phenom II and the i3 2120. What kind of performance issues does it have?
I also saw that the FX 6200 had some really high benchmark scores, so I might be looking at that one as well. I know I said I wanted to know which CPU was the fastest gaming CPU, but I won't be using it only for gaming. I also do some mapping, coding, and sometimes animation. I guess I'm really looking for a CPU that will perform well with games, but can also handle compiling and rendering well.[/QUOTE]
sure, the 8120 ranks higher than the i3 but you will be stuck there if you ever want to upgrade.. Also most software you will use will use 1 or 2 cores (including games). If you must pick between AMD go with the newer model 8120 but intel is your best option :)
EDIT: One last question. I went on newegg to get an idea on how much it would cost for an Intel processor. I picked out the Intel Core i5 3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3 ghz processor, but I'm not sure if my 430 watt PSU can handle it. Would I need a new one? I currently have a Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 512 MB video card, not sure what else I would need to list.
It can. Just make sure your motherboard is compatible.
[QUOTE=lawlavex;37070728]EDIT:I picked out the Intel Core i5 3550 Ivy Bridge 3.3 ghz processor, but I'm not sure if my 430 watt PSU can handle it.[/QUOTE]
Easily
Cool! Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate them!
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