CPU Advice

[EviLNygma]

My current spec machine is still pretty up to date in comparison to gaming requirements... I have no problems... but my processor, graphics cards etc are all coming up to 1 year old..

I generally used to upgrade the main components over time.. but I havent done this time as my machine didnt seem to have the problems I used to be plagued with.

I am currently using:

Microstar K8N SLI Platinum mainboard
AMD FX55 processor
2gb DDR4000 (Geil Dual Channel RAM 2x 1gb)
Twin XFX nVidia 7800 GTX Extreme 256mb (Running SLI mode)
Western Digital Raptor 10000rpm SATA drives (not running raid0)

I am very happy with both the HDD and the graphics.. the only thing I really would consider upgrading at the moment is the memory or the processor.

I have seen pro's and con's of Dual Core processors... Intel is NOT an option as I have had bad experiences with them... celerons always seemed to work perfectly but P3 and P4 I always had problems.

How would a Dual Core chip compare against the FX-55. I have searched high and low for baseline comparisons but all I can find are overclocked examples.

There is another thread on the processor forum asking about his FX-53 processor... he was advised to stick a fridge on it and clock the hell out of it..

I'm not a big fan of overclocking.. especially of a processor that cost in excess of £500... I have a spacious case and adequate cooling. It runs at about 59/60 degrees usually. I have seen other people running at 69/70 degrees so I think I'm fairly lucky.

What benefit would I see (gaming wise) putting liquid cooling into the case for the processor.. and how high would someone attempt to clock this without damage.

The games I run are pretty graphic intensive and I usually have them pushed up high.

Starwars Galaxies
Dark Age of Camelot (Darkness Rising graphic upgrade)
Battlefield 2
World of Warcraft

any advice on either dual core or overclocking??

 

[Kamakazie!]

I would say that if you are going to upgrade, you MUST go dual core. More and more games will start to take advantage of it. As of now, you won't see much real gaming benefit going from say a 2.4ghz single core to a 2.4ghz dual core. In the future you will however.
Everything will run smoother on a dual-core, especially if you like to run a fair few programs at any one time.

If you were to get a new CPU and were not overclocking, then the lower end AMD's are very competetive with the Intel processors. Therefore you will not be missing out too much by ruling out Intel.
I would definately go for an AM2. You could get a 939 now whilst you still can but if you have the money to go to AM2 it should be well worth it, especially with upgrading in mind.

As for the FX55, i haven't a clue how they overclock.

 

[Jabbs]

Sorry to say you mad if you don't go conroe, got my 6300 sitting at 2.8 gig atm thats far exceeds a fx 62 in performance and for £130 its a bargain.

If you judging intel on previous processors thats one big mistake with there current offering.

 

[Kamakazie!]

Sorry to say you mad if you don't go conroe, got my 6300 sitting at 2.8 gig atm thats far exceeds a fx 62 in performance and for £130 its a bargain.

If you judging intel on previous processors thats one big mistake with there current offering.

yeah but if he doesn't want to overclock then there is little difference.