Looking at Upgrading my CPU.

[DejaVu]

I'm pretty good with computers and laptops, in actual fact, it is my job to be 'in the know'. However, I've found making a decision for myself a bloody mine field, so tend to ask for advice first. Especially on the newest tech as I've been stung before.

About 2 years ago I built this machine and had not realised how good my motherboard is til today. Its a Gigbyte GA-M720-US3 and I've just been reading up that it's an AM2+/AM3 board, meaning it will support the new Phenom X6 processors! Impressed!

Now, here is where I get confused.
What denotes a better Processor? I was under the impression it was the Ghz it runs at and the X6 is the amount of cores? Correct?

Next dilema. When this board came out, it only listed the following 'supported' CPU's.

Support for Socket AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 processors: AMD Phenom™ FX processor/ AMD Phenom™ X4 processor/ AMD Phenom™ X3 processor/ AMD Athlon™ X2 processor/ AMD Athlon™ processor/ AMD Sempron™ X2 processor/ AMD Sempron™ processor

Now an update on the Spec on the site simply says -

Get Ready to Unleash the Power of AMD 6-Core CPU
GIGABYTE's AMD motherboards are ready to support the new generation of AMD Phenom™II X 6 processors, delivering the very best platform for multitasking, multimedia and high performance gaming.

All sounds really cool and impressive and all Phenoms, no matter of the ratings will work?
I currently have a AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 2.6Ghz which has been fine and has been slightly overclocked (running at 3.2Ghz).

My plan is to let this one go on eBay and replace it with a Phenom X6. Which would you go for? I know the newest will be the most expensive, but I want to get one around a happy medium.

Also, out of interest, what sort of difference would going from a X2 to a X6 make in respect to the Windows 7 experience? Obiously a lot quicker, but by how much.

Any suggestions/recommendations?
Anyone experienced doing this type of upgrade? (Surely some here must of!)

[evilsatan]

Can't really comment on AMD as I am a loyal Intel iCore user but the extra cores might not provide you with as much of a performance boost as you expect in general Windows usage. The cores should come into their own when performing CPU intensive tasks such as video conversions. To speed up general Windows 7 I would suggest 4GB of RAM (if you haven't got it already) and a decent SSD to boot from.

My best comparison is how I have built custom PCs this year, almost all using the i3-530/i3-540 entry level dual core CPU. When I built my PC I used the i5-750 mid-range quad core CPU OC'd to 3.2Ghz. My PC will boot and operate Windows 7 as fast as the i3 units but when it comes to some proper CPU usage mine will obviously fare better. I assume the reason is the i3 causes no (or very little) slowdown on boot times, I assume the SATA2 HDD is now the slowest component during boot. It's a poor benchmark but the Windows experience index is 7.4 out of 7.9 on the i5, it is very close to that on the i3.

What I am trying to say is it might be worth looking at your anticipated usage before you decide what kit to buy as the latest stuff costs ridiculous amounts and drops in price very fast. I was looking to build myself an i7-930 machine but thankfully came to my senses as it would offer me no benefit over my i5-750 and would have cost a fortune!

[DejaVu]

Great advice there evilsatan. Thanks.

I'm happy with my Dual Core and do not really do much with it to be honest. Just getting a bit worried about being left behind. But you put my mind at rest now. I think I'll wait a while til the prices drop!

[yus786]

get an SSD, well thats what im gona do, i want to upgrade my pc but its fine for me and never slows down on me so i might just get an £80 SSD and stick that in to speed things up

got a q6600 oc'd to 3.0ghz & 4gig ram, only cpu intensive tasks it does is unrar'ing or fixing files with pars lol

[evilsatan]

No problem mate, spend the money on some nice shiny gadgets instead

[cosmicma]

iv'e just upgraded to an intel I7 2600k 3.4gig ( ocd to 4.8 ) with a 120 gig SSDand it's pretty quick but knowing the speed of progress in the computer world there'l be bigger faster technology just around the corner and it's be cheaper too but i can wholly reccomend the sandy bridge proccessors right now i would say there as good as it gets for the money
how long before there superceded is another story

[ZEbbEDY]

If your mobo supports ucc then you canget a dual core such as phenom 550 and unlock the other 2 cores