Should i grab the 980 Phenom ii x4?

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thesofah

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Apr 6, 2012
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hey guys, i have an HP desktop my dad gave me, i have upgraded the PSU and GPU, with a GS700 power supply, and a Radeon 6770. Now, i know this mobo in this thing is no gaming mobo, i plan on building a nice gaming PC later on, after i by myself a car. So, for now, i am thinking about grabbing the 980 Phenom ii x4, because right now all i have is the 830 phenom ii x4 running at 2.8 Ghz. The 980 will come stock at 3.7 Ghz, already blowing mine out of the water. and ill get an aftermarket cooler to overclock it. BUT this all sounds great, but my question to you guys is...will upgrading from a 2.8 Ghz x4 to a 3.7 Ghz (maybe more once overclocked) even give me a noticable boost in gaming, as in frames per second? i mean i'd be happy with even a 10% boost. i myself believe it will, because when i watch the system monitor while gaming, my 6770 is at 50% and my CPU is going HAM trying to keep up. so im guessing its just bottlenecking. but did not want to waste the money before asking someone else's opionion on this.

Thanks for any replys! :D
 
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geekapproved

geekapproved

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Yes it'll be quite an improvement, however you need to be sure your mobo supports a X4 980, even if it does, you'll likely need to update the bios with the old cpu before removing it.

If you buy the cpu and it's not supported, well your stuck with it, no returns.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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I doubt it will help you that much. Most games are graphics limited, not cpu limited.

To help clarify your options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 50%.

Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
set to 50% and see how you do.


If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
 
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Onus

Onus

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Jan 27, 2006
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I do believe you'll see a significant jump, but I'm not sure it's advisable. First of all, you need to be sure that your HP motherboard supports 125W CPUs. Second, the BIOS is probably locked so you will be unable to overclock. Third, the more powerful CPU comes with a bigger cooler, which you need to be sure will fit; then make sure the case has sufficient airflow to exhaust the additional heat. While I think a 10% boost is actually on the low side of what you may expect, perhaps you might pause to consider whether or not it might be worthwhile just to put that money toward your car, or toward your next PC.
 
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thesofah

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Apr 6, 2012
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ya see thats why im asking. because i could just use the money towards a car or new PC, but since it will be a while before i build a new PC, if this WOULD increase performance i would definetly do it
 
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thesofah

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Apr 6, 2012
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the motherboard is so bad i doesnt really have a name lol, but when i find my desktop on HP support.com it says i can upgrade my CPU to anything AM3. so im assuming this mobo can handle 125w
 
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geekapproved

geekapproved

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Well if you assume, and it doesn't work, your stuck with it.
 
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badjad05

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Mar 15, 2012
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I would definitely get the 980. It is extremely cheap and powerful. It is a wise upgrade, but you should also get a CPU Fan/Heatsink to OC to a greater extent. The 980 is also only $135 on Newegg. If you would like you can get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 to go with it. Here is your MOBO Specs http://www.findlaptopdriver.com/foxconn-2a92-mainboard-specs-742010h517p/ It says that this Motherboard supports up to 125 Watts, so you're ready to go!!
 
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thesofah

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Apr 6, 2012
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i think im gonna grab the 980. so that this PC will make me happy until i build a new one. right now this slow ass 2.8Ghz just doesnt cut it. dunno what CPU cooler ill get. its still in a shitty HP case so not many would fit, but im just probably going to get the Hyper 212 and leave the door off. i might have to clean more dust out but thats just what its gonna take. i dont care, it wont be TOO long until i build a new one.
 
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cmi86

cmi86

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The 980 is a great CPU but I advise you look elsewhere, here is my logic.

There is really no difference in the actual CPU architecture of the "deneb" Phenom II's
So a 940 and 980 are the same CPU. The only difference is AMD put a larger clock on it from the factory.
All "black edition" CPU's have unlocked multipliers so you could just clock the 940 to the exact same speed as the 980 for less money.
I don't really support the idea of paying for clocks on black edition CPU's, seems kind of pointless when you can just slide the multi and save $$.

However my suggestion is the $99.99 960T which is not a "deneb" but rather a "thuban" CPU. What this means is the 960T X4 is in reality an X6 1075T with 2X cores locked from the factory. A contact of mine at AMD has told me the chance of a stable 6X unlock on the 960T is roughly 80% successful. I addition to the possible bonus of 2 cores the 960T has no problems reaching the same over clock levels as the 980 and comes equipped with a much better memory controller aswell. Get one fast, they are flying off the shelves.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382790


 
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