I'm going to upgrade my oldschool AMD 3500+. I'll sell my old rig, so I'm not tied to my old AM2 mobo. AMD's Athlon 64 X2 6400+ are going to be gone in the next few weeks, and I'm thinking of ordering one before they're gone. I know they suck for overclocking, but I'm not worried about that. I just want to run it at stock. Should I pick one up? Or should I get something else? The $170 price tag of it fits my budget just nicely. Is there anything else within my budget that would be better? Should I grab an e8400 instead? (I would wait a few weeks for the price to go down to retail of ~$185)

Well, you would see a very noticable difference. What do you use your computer for?

I will be using my computer for gaming on 1680x1050 res (new monitor). Apart from that I will be compiling maps (just compiled one and it took 14 hours... wtf? Definitely need to cut that down a bit.), converting full DVDs in Linux, Video, audio, and graphic editing, et cetera.

Well it depends on your budget. I think you'd be upgrading to a better CPU, but you might need to upgrade your GPU if you want a better gaming experience. Now for the compiling, I'm not sure if the application that your using is geared for more than 1 core, so going to 2 cores will help but to what extent I don't know. If you want to spend the least, I'd stick with your rig and just upgrade the CPU/GPU to improve gaming/compiling. If you want to start from scrach, that would be a different story. It's up to you.

I upgraded from a sc 3400+ socket 754 to a X2 6000+ and saw a Huge difference right away, but it will run hot make sure you get a good aftermarket cooler! I hit 79C on both cores the other night encoding a dvd to my iphone!

I just upgraded from a 4800 x2 939 slot to a 6400 x2 and am very happy with the way my games have responded.
Might be the upgraded ram though. Less studering in games like pro street and unreal tournament 3.
I only upgraded because my stupid motherboard blew and I couldn't get one i liked in a 939.

Heh, well I'm already obligated to sell my rig right now unfortunately... and I bought a whole bunch of corsair PSUs, RAM, and crap because I'm getting lots of $$ in rebates from them. Also, my old mobo was from right when AMDs first AM2 CPUs came out, meaning that it does not support dual core processors. So upgrading as is is outta the question.

For map compiling, I will be using Hammer editor (vvis,vrad, etc.). I will be using others, but I don't recall what they are at the moment, though Hammer will be the most used.... for video converting I use JetAudio, and for ripping I use Linux AcidRip. Neither of the video crap is important.

Well I'll be getting $300-ish when I sell my old rig (RAM, Mobo, Monitor, CPU, Case, PSU, some of the DVD drives...) and then maybe $100 for my graphics card which I will sell later.

I know the AMD 6400 is pretty old tech, but I will be putting it in an AM2+ mobo, and probably use it for 2-3 years. AM3 processors will work in there too, so I'm ready for when Bulldozer comes out.

I am aware that the 7900GS is going to be a major weak point of my system, and will upgrade it to a 8800 GTS 512MB a month or so after I get my new rig and stuff. Right now I'm just looking for the best processor I can get.

I'm tempted to get the 5000+ Black Edition and overclock it. (to a x2 6400+ at least-seems to be the norm). Smaller die size (65nm) instead of the 90nm for the 6400+.

if you want to go cheap id recommend the 5000+ BE for $84

overclock it to 3.2ghz like computertech82 said, and you'll basically have a 6400+ for half the price

Another vote for the 5000+BE and a good aftermarket cooler.

but that would still cost $84, plus $60 (Zalman cooler plus shipping) = $140. Sure it's $30 cheaper, but it wouldn't be as fast. Overclocking does not add cache, and when I'm doing serious workloads that take 10+ hours to complete, the heat given off by it would be ridiculous.

I agree on the 5000+ BE and OC it to 6400+ speeds reallly simple. I own the 6000 clocked at 3.3 stable no probs with nitrogon HSF. as for ur HSF get Artic Cooler for less than half the cost of the zalman http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185125

and u should be one happy dude!! U wont reget it
I dont think heat will be much of an issue once u use a proper after market HSF. my 6000+ @ 3.3 has never hit 60 underload after lil more than 12 hours but i have 133 CFM fan blowin on it. I didnt use AS5 i used MX-2

Wait, with a good cooler, couldn't I at least get the AMD 6400+ to at least 3.4 or 3.5? Obviously the 5000+ overclocks better, but wouldn't I still get mileage with the AMD 6400+

I think you have to get a good chip to OC that high. It's probably possible, but there is no guarantee. You would need to be lucky and have a good mobo/chip to reach 3.5GHz. That said, if you feel like getting the 6400+, get it! It does have the bigger cache, correct? It should be a little faster c for c than a brisbane.

Sorry, but I don't know much about OC'ing . I have no idea if 4.0 Ghz is possible, or 3.4 ghz is possible. The highest I've ever overclocked is like my 2.2 GHz AMD 3500+ to 2.21 ghz . Do you think if I had a good CPU fan, like the Zalman 9500A, and a good cooling on my graphics (8800GTS has good cooler), 2 120MM case fans and a 140 MM case fan... you think I could hit 3.5?

I'd be going for the 5000+ BE and $25 cooler for $60 cheaper than the 6400+. All you have to do is turn up the muliplier to get to 3-3.1 ghz and no voltage adjustement. Your temperatures are going to be cooler, since your at stock voltage and are also running a 65nm chip over the 90nm chip that the 6400+ is built on. You could even go with a cheapy cooler and still do 3-3.1 ghz on the 5000+ BE. I'd just make sure you get a AM2+ mobo that will accept the Phenom and you should be fine. You could take the extra $60 difference and use that towards other parts. That is what I'd do if I were in your shoes.

$25 shipped!!
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] U%2bCooler

the 6400+ will outperform an oc'd 5000+ BE, but only sightly
id recommend an aftermarket cooler for either of them, as the 6400+ runs hot even at stock speeds, i know i have one.
as for max oc'ing potential, iv had my 6400+ BE up to 3.6ghz stable, but with the vcore it needs to stay that high i dont recommend it. i also heard of a few people oc'ing their 5000+ BE upwards to 3.4ghz, but most settle for 3.2ghz

Hmmm.... I'll think about it.... good advice. Thanks.

What motherboard are you getting? I recommend a 780G. It's the best budget chipset out there. It would take any X2 you want, and you might want to consider a cheaper B3 for compiling. The big thing is it will be ready for Deneb come December.

You might want to be tied to an Nvidia motherboard, because of your card choice, but if you can wait a couple of months, the 4870 will be out. It's expected to reach 3870x2 performance with just one GPU. There will also be a 4870x2 as well.