Should I get this CPU?

culexor

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Well my dad doesn't know what to get me for Christmas. So he's taking me to the new Micro Center in my town. I am going before I go outta town on the 22nd so I'd like to figure out want

I'm thinking about getting a new CPU. It's the AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition. I chose this CPU because I read on another forum that this CPU can be unlocked extremely easily with the motherboard I have. By unlocked I mean utilizing the other two dormant cores on the CPU making it a fully functioning quad core. Unless there is a better deal out there, I'm gonna get this one.

As for the cooler (I plan to overclock a bit, and I'm gonna need help doing it but that will come later), I have chosen the Xigmatek Dark Knight. I would get a TRUE but this is cheaper and will work just fine for what I need it to do. The only thing is that I want to get this to mount vertically so that the fan is blowing air towards the back of the case as opposed to towards the top. I've seen it done but I'm not sure how exactly. I've seen a bracket that converts AM2/AM2+/AM3 to LGA775 but I can't seem to find it, and apparently it requires some modding. If there are any easier alternatives I'd greatly appreciate you pointing them out to me. Thanks ahead of time.
 
Why not just buy a PII normal quad? Those processors are all initially quads and if something goes wrong in the manufacturing process, and 1,2, or 3 of the cores are still able to be utilized, they sell it as such. They may do this with all, or it just happens occasionally. But I've seen a PII single core and there was definitely a reason why. If you get unlucky and you get one that can't have the other two "unlocked" or "fixed" (in some cases) then you didn't really upgrade much. Check the rate of success.

I don't see a price tag so I can't say what it's worth versus a quad, but just weigh in your chances and other options.
 
in my own opinion.

nothing beats a quad.

either their just as fast as their dual core counter part, or twice as fast in multi threaded apps and games. Along with basically limitless multitasking

so its a win win to me.
 
I'd look hard at the devices you have in your system as well as the motherboard. Is any of that going to bottle neck the performance you'd expect from that new cpu chip? If the answer is yes to any of them then you're wasting your time and your dad's money.
Performance is not solely based on the cpu chip you have. It's a part of an over all system. Everything has to work together or you get nothing.
 
this is true.

if you wanted a good platform for a Phenom quad, i am using a phenom II 940 BE on a Asus M4a78 Pro mobo with DDR 2 1066 4GB ocz RAM, and with my 4850 i max any game even crysis on high settings. and all apps are wicked fast and responsive.

I even got my chip OC'd to 3.8Ghz.

just to give you an idea.
 
Yeah I was planning on upgrading my video card to something like a 4850 or a 5770 in the near future. The price for the dual core is just a hair under $94 which makes me think it's worth the risk.
 
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