My current processor, a single core AM2 3800+, is going to be a bit of a bottleneck for when I get a new graphics card. I was wondering if I should get a new one now or wait.

I had my eye on an Athlon64 X2 6000+ skt AM2, which is 3Ghz I think, 2x 1mb L2 cache and all that. It isn't that expensive currently, I can get it for £150 ($300 USD), which is, over here at least, quite a lot cheaper than the dual cores were last year, however I'm still in two minds about it. For instance, when AMD releases its quad core CPUs do you think the price of the dual cores go down significantly?

Slim Vision

You have to realize that one of the main reasons dual-core became necessary was because CPU manufacturer's hit a wall in terms of how fast CPUs could run reliably & stably without having to resort to extreme cooling measures. That's why you don't see 4.0GHz, 4.2GHz, 4.4GHz, etc CPUs on the market. Instead, they had to devote their attention elsewhere, so they focused on larger L2 cache, higher FSB speeds, multi-core designs. Then they had to convince us that we actually need multi-core CPUs to get us to keep buying and/or upgrading.

So unless you really need the advantages/benefits that a multi-core CPU has to offer, you'll see no appreciable performance difference than with a comparable single-core CPU.

For instance...similarly clocked A64 vs X2, iTunes file conversion shows little difference:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.h...

However, multi-tasking shows a significant difference:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.h...

The bottomline is - it depends on what you use your system for. If you do a lot of multitasking or run apps that are optimized for dual core, an X2 *might* be worth the investment.

Well, I need a new CPU eventually. But I suppose until some of the better games are released I have no need for a new one just yet. I plan on getting at least one top notch nVidia card eventually you see. I'm just waiting for ATi to dump its R600 offering on the table to see what happens. But when I do get one of these new top notch cards, my processor is likely going to be the bottleneck in my gaming. Especially with the up and coming releases that'll be pushing better physics engines.

I'm really just interested in powering my games to the hilt. But I suppose waiting is the smart thing to do. Right?

Slim Vision

You should also consider the changes that are looming. AM2+ boards & AM2+ CPUs using HyperTransport 3.0 aren't far off (July?). Then there's AM3 & DDR3 RAM, not to mention PCI-E 2.0. Technology never sits idle...you just have to know when to make your move.

There's no way I'm upgrading my mobo until at the very least August 2008 so I'm not going to be worrying about AM2+ until then.

Slim Vision

AM2+ is just an interim solution until AM3 is released anyway. What I was getting at is to watch & see what happens (if anything) to AM2 prices when the AM2+ is released.

Oh okay, sounds like a plan.

Slim Vision

Yeah you much better off just waiting for AM3 like I am. I'm just going to upgrade to all the new technology at once instead of bits and pieces. Cause I know if i build an AM2+ system i'm going to be kicking myself 6 to 8 months later when AM3 comes out and i'm stuck with outgoing or phased out technology for 3 more years.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ OC 2.7ghz
4GB Dual Channel DDR 3200
Nvidia 7900GT
SATA II 2x 300gig 7200rpm 16mb cache RAID-0+1
Gigabyte Nforce 4 SLI