I'm considering upgrading from my current Athlon X2 5000+ and wondering if folks have any insight into these two processsors. My use is primarily editing / software development / video playback / web browsing on Linux - no gaming to speak of. CPU benchmarks seems pretty comparable and while the builtin IGP of the Trinity processor would be a big improvement over the 780G on the motherboard I use now, it would require a new motherboard / memory / cooler which drives the cost of an upgrade up significantly. The Phenom seems more power-hungry and therefore potentially noisy (as a result of the older process technology, I'd imagine).

the a10 requires a new socket so your old mb won't work, you're stuck with the phenom if you want to upgrade the cpu only. a good cooler is pretty much necessary if you want it to be quiet.

If you are using your old AM2/Am2+ motherboard keep in mind you can use a AM3 cpu but it will draw more power than it would in an AM3/AM3+ motherboard due to they way the power planes and pin control for power states are setup.

With this in mind you should stick with 65W to 95W processors and avoid overclocking if you go for a 95W model on an old AM2 board.

Take a look at the list at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AM ... processors and avoid like the plague anything with a 125W or 140W figure.


If you are considering a modern AM3+ motherboard as well then feel free to look at bulldozer cpus but I'm assuming you are looking for a good upgrade CPU for an older MB.

I didn't know that - thanks. Is it objectionable purely as a heat/noise issue, or is there some stability or other risk to the system by using a 125W processor in an AM2+ board?



Either way is possible, I'm trying to figure out the pros and cons. It would cost another $150 or so more to get a new MB/memory but it does offer some headroom. Of course given the way they're struggling, there may not be an AMD to buy CPU upgrades from in a couple of years time... what's they're going through reminds me of how SGI struggled in its last years.

I had the same question some weeks ago and we decided to go to the Phenom X4 965. Our requirements were very similar to yours. This upgrade improved the system capability to the level we were expecting in a very cost effective way.

For precaution, we changed the cooler from a Zalman 9500/Nexus 92mm to a Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme C/Noiseblocker NB-eLoop B12-PS. The results in terms of heat/noise was very good . Almost silent, it is better than the previous configuration.

We tried a Noctua NF-P12 PWM, but it is not as quiet as the NB-eLoop. We also checked our Mobo and verified that it accepts this processor.

Marcos

Q.J.A

It is definitely a heat/noise/electricity cost issue. Depending on the MB it can also be a stability issue, compatibility issue (the BIOS won't let the system POST with a too high TDP part or might misidentify the part and run it at the wrong multiplier and FSB speeds), and in the worst case a fire hazard if somehow a poorly designed board overheats the capacitors and such.

I used a 95W X3 720 BE (an AM3 cpu) in a AM2/2+ board for quite some time. Just be sure to check the MB support website and/or marketing materials to see if the board was designed to handle processors over 95W, some low to mid range boards weren't and some mid to higher end boards were designed to handle 125W. The ones that were designed for 140W are even less common.

As to the $150 comment I went with the ASUS M5A97 which is more of a $80-$90 board when I upgraded the last time. I'm thinking I'll grab a FX-6300 when they drop in price some time down the road. Until then I'm rocking my Heka though you might want to find a Deneb if there isn't much price difference. Either way I'd be comparing prices on the 65w and 95w parts with 3 and 4 cores and avoid all the 125w and 140w parts.

For video work I can't see the point in looking at Trinity they're not bad by any means but really not ideal for that type of work.
I would suggest if you want to stick with AMD that the FX6/8 series be the place to go for multi threaded performance. The FX6100 is pretty cheap, undervolts well (despite raising the mp a bit) and does extremely well for the money for photo/video work.

Adding new DDR3 memory bumps it up some. But it looks like my AM2+ cooler will work on the FM2 form factor if I go that route.



I've been thinking about the 965 partly because it's not as easy to find an AM3 Phenom II rated under 125W - 965 is readily available from Newegg/Amazon, while the 945 is mostly out of stock (or costs $200+ from a vendor I've never heard of before). I guess the channel is clearing for AM3 sockets. Sounds fairly easy to drop the 965 power consumption down by undervolting, if that's a problem.

I'm seeing what you mean on pricing and availability. Consider this option then

95W E0 Phenom II X6 1045T about $115 (they have it on amazon, superbiiz, tigerdirect, etc)

It's a newer CPU but it's still socket AM3. Just be sure that you have BIOS support for it on your MB.

That does look like a good bet - thanks for the assistance!