Processors (AMD)

[gigabyte9]

Is an amd 64 4000+ better than a amd 64 x2 3800+. (this is my first build)

[rspassey]

Depends on what the computer will be used for. What will you use the pc for??

[gigabyte9]

i willl use it for a gaming comp. for cs: source. Sometimes word processing. and music

[Cricket]

A gaming rig doesn't need a Dual Core processor. Get the Athlon 64 4000+.

Cricket

[gigabyte9]

i still dont know thouhgh because dual core technology is new and i wanna be up to date

[TwoRails]

If you plan on doing a lot of CPU intensive stuff, like home movie editing / making, then that would be good cause to get the X2, you'd be happy. If you're doing just "normal" office stuff, surging, emailing, gaming, etc, then the single core (4000+) is good to go.

[gigabyte9]

dual core is also better for multitasking right?

[rspassey]

Yes, dual core for multitasking, and as of now, games arent designed to fully take advantage of dual core technology making a powerful single core your best choice for a gaming CPU.

[kram 2.0]

Think of the processors as a highway. Dual Core would be a six lane highway with a 50 MPH speedlimit, whereas the 4000+ would be a three lane highway with a 70 MPH speedlimit. Games cannot currently use the extra three lanes as many games are specifically written for single core systems - they are single threaded.

kram

[rspassey]

If you were to get a dual core and expect the same gaming power you would need to put out enough money so that the caches are the same as the single core, correct me if I am wrong.

[kram 2.0]

Originally Posted by ryan124712 If you were to get a dual core and expect the same gaming power you would need to put out enough money so that the caches are the same as the single core, correct me if I am wrong.

I believe the Athlon 64 X2 4800+ is essentially two FX-53 on a single die - the FX-53 is essentially the Athlon 64 4000+ with unlocked multipliers.

kram

[TwoRails]

Originally Posted by gigabyte9 dual core is also better for multitasking right?

Just to add to the above, the answer in general is yes. There are two ways to look at it. Some programs can actually utilize 2 CPUs. These would obviously would benefit. Some programs don't, like most games, but just for the program that's running. The power of the X2 comes into play when you are running more than one of these non-dual CPU programs. You can run many more programs with a dual core with out a performance hit as when one CPU get's max'd then the other one takes over. What that means is if you were to run a game in a window, and that CPU is working near 100% to play the game, then if you opened other programs, they would get shuttled over to the other CPU and not bring the system to it's knees. That's why an X2 is perfect for someone who wants to edit / crunch a movie and still use their computer for other things at the same time.

[gigabyte9]

will games ever be able to take advantage of dual core

[rspassey]

Yes. Games in the future will probably be coded with two options, single or dual core, that way ppl with duals can buy and take full advantage of their dual core with the game, and ones with single core can do the same. I havent yet heard of any games built only for dual core yet, this is just my thinking on the whole matter.

[als814]

I usually end up with friends sending me instant messages in the middle of games, and it can get very irritating waiting 5-6 seconds for the screen and everything to readjust going in and out. I was constricted to single core due to the fact that my parents weren't going to pay the extra for dual core, but if the costs are similar, I would try to go with dual core because I doubt the performance would be much different for singe apps anyway.

[gigabyte9]

i think i am gonna get a x2 3800

[TwoRails]

I know one's on my wish list.... just waiting for the budget to catch up!

[Obaryu]

I have an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ and use Photoshop CS2 and Cinema 4D and several other programs at the same time and have no problems so far.
But I dont play too many games on my PC. Its for image editing, design work, movie editing and animation.