Choosing between CPU!!!!!

[sapped]

hey guys i got a question regarding which CPU should i buy
the price are listed in Australian dollars, don't think they are that far from US dollars
the CPUs are used for INTENSE gaming, the two good choices are:

AMD Phenom II X4 955
$154 on MSY

AMD Athlon II X4 640
$109 on MSY

my motherboard is GA-M56S-S3 which can handle either with a BIOS upgrade

my question is which one is a better deal??? since there price aren't that far off, does 955 offer much better performance than 640???

also i DON'T plan to overclock the CPUs so which one the a better deal???

please leave suggestions and advice tyvm

also if you can find the above CPUs with cheaper price listed for sydney based store or free postage please leave links, would be much appreciated, thx!!!

 

[MechaNintendoMaster]

I'd say the phenom. You didn't give a link for me to really compare but I'd say the added cost of the phenom is justified.

 

[sapped]

well heres the list http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf
it only shows the 640, 955, 965 on the quad core, and 965 won't work on my motherboard.

 

[MechaNintendoMaster]

The phenom seems to have L3 cache. It is better but are you willing to pay for the added speed?

 

[sapped]

of course, if its significant

 

[zimmalox]

AMD Phenom II X4 955 hands down lol but if ur on a budget work with the Athlon

 

[Embra]

Compare:

athlon II 645 vs. Phenom II 955

 

[iam2thecrowe]

the phenom 955 is much better and worth the extra. Im wondering what GFX card you have and what CPU you currently have, that may help in making the decision

 

[sapped]

my current rig is pretty crappy, its 8600gt+athlon 6000 dual core
im gonna get a new GPU along with the new CPU
im still deciding about my GPU, the choices are

1280M GTX470 ECS/Zotac /Inno3D /Gigabyte /Asus-----------296/296/297/338/345
1GB 6870 HIS / Powercolor--------------------------------------273 / 273
1GB 5850 Powercolor / HIS / Gigabyte / Asus-------------------244 / 262 / 279 / 279

1GB GTX 465 Inno3D / Gigabyte / Asus--------------------------233 / 243 / 243
1GB GTX460 Gigabyte / EVGA / Asus----------------------------222 / 222 / 222
1GB 6850 HIS / Powercolor--------------------------------------219 / 219

but for the CPU, I take it that 955 is the better choice???

 

[Herr_Koos]

For gaming, the Phenom should be 15-20% faster at most. It is the better choice if you can afford it, but the Athlon is still great value for money.

On the GPU front, I'd say the 6850 or GTX460 would be an ideal match for your new CPU.