Should I get a "traditional" AMD FX-62 CPU for socket AM2 or a AMD FX-74 for socket F?

Question

I am planning to get a very powerful gaming computer after I am done with some exams in June . My dilema is this : Should I get a traditional AMD-FX62 Cpu on socket AM2 or get a newer AMD FX-74 on a Quad CPU platform ? And , on more question , Do I have to buy 2 AMD FX-74Cpus or they come 2 in one box (because socket F mobos have 2 chips ) ?Thanks!

The GFX card I'm going to get is an 8800GTX and one stick of 2048 MB of DDR2 from Kingmax .

Answer 1

Computertech tends to underestimate the importance of the processor in the computer, especially in games that are A.I. intensive, as A.I. is exclusively done by the main processor, not the video card. So that said, for a very powerful gaming machine, you DO need a very powerful processor.

Now as for which of these, lets do process of elimination. The FX-74 does not come 2 processors in a box, you have to buy two seperately, which will bring you to close to $850, plus the special motherboard they need, and they don't even outperform the FX-62 in gaming. So I think we can eliminate them right off. So that leaves the FX-62 right, wrong. The FX-62 is right now at about $370, because it has FX in the name. But its speed is 2.8Ghz, while the just plain Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is $240, and its speed is 3.0Ghz, with all other features the same. The only thing the FX-62 has is the unlocked clock multiplier, which is only useful if you plan to overclock, but even then not nearly worth the extra $130. So right now, the 6000+ is your clear best choice.

But of course, the computer world changes fast, and AMD is prepared to release its new processors sometime this summer, so it might be adviseable to wait until they are out to see what they have to offer, as they should blow away this current generation of AMDs. Or at the very least, they should cause prices of the current processors to drop.

You need any more info about anything, my email is in my profile.

EDIT: Also, I just reread your question, make sure you get at least two sticks of RAM, so if you want 2GB get 2 1GB sticks. The reason is that with two sticks you will have dual channel mode, which essentially doubles your memory bandwidth.

EDIT: Uh, Half-Life 2 is over 2 years old, not exactly the greatest measuring stick in the world. Get the AMD 6000+ if money is no object, its only $240, I mean seriously how cheap are we getting here.

Answer 2

Even though a fast cpu would seem to make a game run faster, it's NOT the case. The cpu just needs to be fast enough to keep up with the video card. And btw, the Fx-74, Fx-72, and Fx-62 are around the same speed in most games.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=430&model2=464&chart=165
It will be the video card that will the the most important part of the system.
http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html
And having at least 2gb of memory.
And btw: there are very FEW games that will actually stress the cpu, most require the video card to perform well. Even with my old 2600+ AMD, there is no game I cannot play, including Half Life 2. All you have to do is research it. Goto the forums of the games you want to play to get the proof. Like the cpu chart above. Note the cpu doesn't help much.
Edit: Wow. Nice video card choice, top of the line. Get the AMD x2 6000+ cpu Fastest of the AMD cpus if money is no object.

Answer 3

An i7 920 is plenty quicker than an FX 8120. The AMD FX sequence is surely no quicker than the precise of the line Phenom II processors that AMD sells. there is not any AMD processor that would shop up with any Intel i7. the suitable AMD processors are in the ballpark with the extra advantageous i5 CPUs.

Answer 4

FX-62