Unlocked Phenom II 555 BE vs X4 945

[orija7]

would it be better to get a Phenom II X2 - 555 BE and unlock it rather than buying a Phenom II X4 945 or is the X4 945 significantly better in performance and worth the extra cost?

 

[mortimerlopez]

I asked the same exact question but with the x 550 be unlocked and the replys were that they are pretty much identical in performance but you will have a true quad core with the 945 so youre probably better off with that one, both will be overclocked just in different ways and both reach about the same clock speed. I have both the 945 and the 550.

 

[orija7]

Thanks for your reply. Do you see a difference in performance between the two while gaming?

 

[mortimerlopez]

I havent done a lot of gaming with this machine because I havent gotten a good video card. I have ati radeon 3000 integrated graphics, sucks, but I played Call of Duty 4 Moder Warfare 2 perfectly by turning off anti aliasing and the settings were at high, I'm not sure about the newer games but I am getting a nice card soon. I'm currently running the 945 chip, but I have switched them out a few times and theyre about the same in performance.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

For gaming only, the Phenom IIX2 will suffice and with only two cores you;ll have easier time overclocking it and getting to a higher more stable overclock. For my next gaming build I'm also going with the Pii x2 555E.

 

[Raidur]

For gaming it depends on the game and your GPU setup. If you have only a decent GPU setup and/or are playing on games that are only dual core optimized then you won't be able to tell a difference.

 

[Derbixrace]

i would go for the quad because more games are being optimized for quad cores and you will be much more future proof that way. and you can overclock the quad too

 

[hundredislandsboy]

$50 extra if you want the quad core. If you have the extra cash, go for it. If you're on a budget put the $50 towards a better videocard. Remember, in a gaming rig, the videocard is more important. You can have a mediocre CPU with a high end videoccard and still get good framerates but with a hign end CPU and mediocre videocard, your gameplay and framerates won't be as nice.

 

[loneninja]

A Phenom II X2 unlocked will perform the same clock for clock as a Phenom II X4, they are the same processor. It's like asking if the Phenom II 955 and 965 will both perform the same clock for clock.

If you need a quad core, I would recommend you buy one, your gambling on whether the x2 will unlock or not. Even if the X2 unlocks, it could have been binned as an X2 because 1 or both of the locked cores are terrible clockers that require excessive amounts of voltage.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

i would go for the quad because more games are being optimized for quad cores and you will be much more future proof that way. and you can overclock the quad too

No such thing as future proof IMO. The latest sofware, the latest games these days are slower to catch up to the latest hardware. Why buy something like a quadcore now if you don't need it. It doesn't seem like the OP is into running a 60MB raw image through 5 Photoshop filters. Isn't it a better investment, a better value to pay for something you can use now? Again, he wrote in for advide on how to get more bang for the buck. He had a question about value now and you're talking about the future.

 

[Derbixrace]

No such thing as future proof IMO. The latest sofware, the latest games these days are slower to catch up to the latest hardware. Why buy something like a quadcore now if you don't need it. It doesn't seem like the OP is into running a 60MB raw image through 5 Photoshop filters. Isn't it a better investment, a better value to pay for something you can use now? Again, he wrote in for advide on how to get more bang for the buck. He had a question about value now and you're talking about the future.

well IMO phenom x4 945 is more bang for your buck @ 149.99 than a dual @ 103.99. but if your overclocking i would look on the 955 black edition. a quad is always better than a dual even if it has same clockspeed because those other cores takes care of the programs running in the background, and of course he is more future proof that way too because games are being optimized for more cores now and in the future, why the hell buy a dual core when you can buy a quad for only 46$ more. IMO go for the quad and you'll be happy in the future because you bought the quad when programs and games uses more cores.

 

[Derbixrace]

of course if you want to try your luck you can go with the phenom 555 and try to unlock it, thats up to you but i would not go with anything less than a quad nowdays and especially in the future.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

I hear what you're saying. The bottom line is the budget. If it has to be tight, no flexibility and a quad core gets in the way from buying a better videocard, then go dual cire.

But I agree with you that generally a quadcore is better than a dual core. And if the OP is only trying to game AMD by unlocking two extra cores and it doesn't work, there will be disappointment.

To the OP, if you really, really want to see a quadcore that is guaranteed to be a quadcore, then go with the X4 945.

 

[orija7]

Thanks a lot for the help guys, I think I'll go with the 555 BE since I already have a 9800gt and I do gaming at a low resolution (1024x768), I had a few more queries

1) Which of the three motherboards would be best for unlocking the Phenom II X2 555 BE?

-Biostar TA790GXB A2+

-Gigabyte 785 US2H

-Biostar TA 785GE 128m

2) Will this psu be enough for the unlocking and a little overclocking?

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&cm_re=corsair_ps u-_-17-139-008-_-Product

 

[Derbixrace]

well this guy was lucky http/www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/275614-10-unlocked-phenom2-555be-retail-4100mhz-cinebench-wprime

i hope you'll be as lucky as him, good luck

 

[orija7]

Bump.

Its kinda urgent because I have to get the parts in about 12 hours ^^;
Apologies for my impatience.

 

[Derbixrace]

look for a mother board with ACC=Advanced Clock Calibration, that allows you to unlock cores

 

[bramc]

The motherboard basically needs a SB710 or SB750 chipset. Look at 770 and up to 790 with amd chipset. No reason to buy any chipset that isnt amd...

 

[orija7]

-Biostar TA790GXB A2+

-Gigabyte 785 US2H

-Biostar TA 785GE 128m

Whcih one would you recommend among these three?

 

[Derbixrace]

Biostar TA790GXB A2+ seems like a solid choice + you can unlock cores with it. and it have an integrated graphics card which is good if your graphics card dies or something.