Best AM3 or AM3+ CPU

[nheather]

I know my PC could do with a total refresh but for the time being I’m not ready for the who replace the CPU, motherboard and RAM just because my CPU is old. So wondering what is the best CPU I can drop into the existing machine.

The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-990FX board which claims to support AM3+.

Current it has a Phenom II 955 X4 - what I’m wondering is whether it is worth picking up a second hand newer (yes I appreciate it will still be old). What is the best I can get and would it be a worthwhile upgrade.

Once again, yes I know that long term it needs a full refresh, but I’m thinking short-term if I could buy a second hand CPU for around £50 or so.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

Thanks very much.

That was the sort of thing I was looking for. Sure I will do a full refresh in the future, but that will cost several £100s which is hard to swallow given the PC allows me to do all the stuff I want at the moment, just lacks a little oomph occasionally.

I look out for an 8320 going cheap.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

I actually play games and generally happy with them. For example been playing Call of Duty WWII recently and it plays fine for me. I only play on 1080P and I’m sure it is not on the highest settings but works well enough for me. Same with Rise of the Tomb Raider.

I think much of this is down to the PC already having a GTX 1060 graphics card and SSDs.

There is the occasional time when it does feel a bit sluggish, so I was just wondering if there was a cheap CPU that I could drop in just to give it a little more oomph.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

Looking at the suggested FX-8320, what sort of improvement is that over the 955?

I assume that as you are talking about overclocking it then I need to get a Black edition - is that correct?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

All of the FX line are overclockable, tune up NB as high as you can (cause that is his weakest link), depending on cooler 4.8-5 GHz easily achievable on 83xx cpus.

Thanks very much - out of interest, why is there a black edition then - is it just hand-picked so more likely to clock higher?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

Thanks very much, all this advice is very useful. Just need to find one for sale at a reasonable price now.

Are people suggesting the 8320 because back in the day it was the best bang for the buck. For example, why pay the extra for an 8350 when an 8320 will clock just as well. The reason I ask is that in the second hand market they prices may not be that different.

What about the 93xx and the 95xx

Should I be on the look out for - I have a wanted ad on OCUK.

8320, 8350, 8370, 9370, 9590 - whatever pops up at best price - or are there specific ones to look after.

BTW - the black edition confused me - they are described that way on the AMD site but I think it is because all FX were black editions. It is confusing though because look on ebay and you will see some being sold as Black Edition at a price premium.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[nheather]

I have a FX-8320 now. Thanks for all the advice. Probably have to get past the New Year stuff to get a clear head and free time to install.

Cheers,

Nigel