Make me happy about what CPU I will be getting, please!?

Question

I will be getting a AMD cpu. I am getting a really nice abit mobo in a few days along with a 250 gb hard drive. Should I get the 5200 or 5400. After reading articles in PC Gamer mag. I was scared out of my pants that AMD was the wrong way to go because they had less transistors than Intel by about 2 million. That's a lot. And the fact that they will probably be out dated along with my video card. I am just really frustrated, because AMD won't break the bank but probably won't shoot me far enough in the future to handle the games I want to play. Please note, I AM NOT AN EXTREME GAMER. I play flight sim. sim city 4, halo 1 and eventually 2. But no fear or other games like that. I plan on buy the xfx 8600 gt. It seems like a decent card for what I am doing right? ahahahahahhh. Make me feel good about my AMD decision.

Answer 1

AMD's dual cores are pretty much a waste in any enthusiasts eye's unless you're talking about the $60 3600+ Brisbane, that, with a $40 CPU cooler will overclock from it's factory 1.9ghz to a 5600+ level 2.8ghz.


Why aren't you buying a Core 2 e6320?

It's a superior processor in every measure.

Answer 2

Either processor looks good. You may as well go with the 5400+. There isn't much price difference. Don't pay any attention to Intel speeds or specs. AMDS 5200 is equal to Intel's 3.5 or 3.6. If you over clock it at all, which it doesn't sound like you will, it will be faster than almost any other Intel. AMD processors are more efficient and run cooler that Intel's also. I haven't delt with an abit board myself but I hear allot of good things. I would look into getting a sli mobo though. Even if you don't buy 2 cards now you will at least have the option later. Also I would recommend getting the FSP 600 or 700 watt power supply for you video card(s) mostly. I built my computer myself so I know how it is with the questions. If you want an idea what I have here is is:
CPU: AMD Opteron 175 clocked at 2.55 100% load temp 45 dgrees celcious
Ram: 2GB OCZ gold PC 4000
MOBO: DFI lanparty sli expert
Powersupply FSP 600 watt sli
250 GB hard drive
x2 EVGA 7900 gtx
sound blaster xfi sound card

If you have anymore questions about this just send me an email. Long question long answer lol.

Answer 3

The 5200 and the 5400 amd is a very good setup. What you need to worry about more is the video card that you will be putting in to run these games smoothly. I have a celeron processor, 2.4 ghz, onboard memory, 512mb of ram and I run the newest command and conquer. Not the best but it gets me by, so I know for a fact that your computer will put you where you wanna be. Besides...What computer do you know of right now that is over 5 years old and still handling the latest and greatest games? Itll be ok!! P.S. make sure you get a video card that has at least 256mb on it.

Answer 4

this comparison below is a bit old but still relevant to your question amd athlon x2's hold their own and often win when put head to head against the equivalent intel chip

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-2.html?tag=btn

and here is another reputable website comparing amd vs intel, once again amd wins, but honestly what really wins is the price, amd's are much cheaper since not everyone knows about them and therefore arent in such demand as intel

http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/06/03/dual_core_stress_test/

I personally am looking into 3D modeling with Maya and some video editing so after reading the review below i went with the amd opteron (not really too relevant to your question but check out the breakdown of the chips and how they perform under different programs) hope this helps.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/opteron-ws.html

btw, go with the 5600, if you're gonna spend the extra money to upgrade to the 5400 make it a true upgrade and go to the 5600 otherwise you might not even really see a difference in performance. and if you are buying a video card too go with the gefore 8800 it is sli ready, so if your motherboard is sli ready you can hook two of them together and have an awesome system, and it is diect x 10 compatible, only card out there that i know of that is already direct x 10 ready. good luck

Answer 5

You will do just fine with that AMD64 5200+ or 5400+. Besides you could overclock that some more on an Abit mobo. Gaming performance is a lot more dependent on the graphics card and your choice of the 8600GT is also good. It performs slightly better that the 7600GT. For the adventurous, the 8600GT also has plenty of overclocking headroom:
http://sg.vr-zone.com/index.php?i=4925

Answer 6

AMD is fine my bro. get a SATA Harddisk for 5400 for faster read speed .. dont worry about the AMD processors because i use it for gaming and it works far better than the Intel brand--(u usaully pay higher for intel just for its brand and not its quality.. Enjoy!

Answer 7

AMD is actually a far superior processor than Intel. I'm assuming you have an X2, and I can personally vouch that it's a good chip. Don't worry, AMD is a very good brand.

Answer 8

amd is fine. I have a couple of core2duos (e6600 and e6700), and a couple of x2's (x2 4600 and a x2 5600) and the AMD's hold their own. you're going to be pleased.