AMD Phenom II X4 920 vs AMD X3 710 vs AMD X3 720 ???

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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Dear AMd Guys,
I currently own a ASUS M3A78-EM motherboard.
2*2 GB OCZ 1066 DDR2 1066 (5-6-6-1 8 Memory) Model: OCZ2G10664GK
AMD 7750 Black Edition- (Planning on a change- Just bought it 8))

Qn:
1. Is my board compatible and is it good to have the processor upgraded to:
AMD Phenom II X4 920 / AMD Phenom II X3 710 / AMD Phenom II X3 720.?

2. Which processor should i upgrade to considering the below prices?

I am able to get for the following prices(Approx) from overseas.
AMD Phenom II X4 920 for - Rs 7000 /- Normal
AMD Phenom II X3 710 for - Rs 5000 - Normal
/ AMD Phenom II X3 720 for - Rs 6000- Black Edition

3. I want to spend the least amount possible to minimize the loss if the proc is DOA but willing to take more risk for great performance.

4. Is X3 720 worth spending the extra Rs.1000 compared to X3 710. Will there be any difference?

5 . Is it even worth thinking about upgrading from my AMD 7750 BE to the above processors.

My usages:
1. VMWARE workstation - for regular testing.
2. Time pass gamer. Not much as such.
 
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MetalheadGautham

MetalheadGautham

AFK
You should answer the following questions first.

1. Do you overclock or do you atleast want a CPU which overclocks ?
2. Do you need DDR3 support in the CPU for future upgrades or can you manage without it ?
3. How serious is the kind of work you are doing ?

But for most practical purposes, your current setup is more than enough. Before you make any upgrade, ask yourself this question: Do I really need to upgrade ? If it ain't wrong, why fix it ? So are you satisfied with the level of performance offered by your current setup for the VMWARE workstation and Time Pass Gaming you do ? If yes, avoid an upgrade and save $$$ 8)
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
hi thanks a lot.
1. Do you overclock or do you atleast want a CPU which overclocks ?
Yes i do. I overclock because i have the option to overclock. For me overclocking is like racing the bike at 70 kmph instead of permissible speed of 60.

2. Do you need DDR3 support in the CPU for future upgrades or can you manage without it ?
I understand that my motherboard does not have that support option. My next pc is going to be I7 which is going to be atleast a year from now. Have to hold on to my seat till then.
3. How serious is the kind of work you are doing ?
I use about 5 VMWARE machines and it kind of slows down the overall performance when i use it in my 7750 BE. I keep testing new applications like Exchange/ SCCM / Windows 2008 and other solutions at home.

Here is the complete story.
I have a m57SLI-S4 mobo, AMD 4400+ processor and 2*1 gb transcend ram which was my old configuration which my colleague is taking it. I infact just upgraded the processor to 7750 BE and appear to have issues with the overclocking. My friend wanted to take my old mobo and ram and take my 7750 BE processor along with it for which he was willing to pay the buying price of 3.3K for the proc. The old proc 4400+ is already on sale on Ebay.
So.. i can decide to keep my 7750 and give him the 4400+ or sell 4400+ on Ebay and give him the 7750 BE.
I then now bought myself a 2*2 GB 1066 MHZ ram as i said above, M3a78-EM as well from US together for 102$ ( rs 4800) :)
Then i can buy a newer processor. I have the deals with the prices as shown above and if i go for a x3 710 i need not have to spend a lot more. it would be around 1.5K more. Atleast i can keep my pc for a longer time before i change again.
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Also.. to best utilize my 1066 ram and my m3a78-em i want a proc which can sync up well and can run for a while.
Having a 7750Be+ 4GB 1066 kind of does not sound great. (correct me if i am wrong on my assumption). I feel that if i have a better processor i can go to better heights.
X3 710 and X3 720 are almost similar are they. But for the little diff in speed and the unlocked multiplier ? If X3 720 is really better how better is X4 920 compared to X3 720 ?
 
MetalheadGautham

MetalheadGautham

AFK
You need a quad core desktop for sure. I suggest Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition since you want to overclock and have these needs.

And as for the 7750BE, 3.3k is too good for it if that's the money you are getting after selling it second hand. Its being phased out in the market in favour of Athlon II X2 250.

Since you are intent upon keeping the current motherboard, you need to check if the board has the common 780G limit of 95W CPUs or if it supports 125W CPUs (for 940BE). Read ASUS website for more information.
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Well.. now with the way market is trending i doubt not ambani's relatives.. even ambani himself wont be willing to spend on these I7 Processors.

Thanks a lot again. But X4 940 gets too expensive and could burn a big hole in my pocket. I have to stick with either of these 3 processors. I read reviews that X3 710 and X3 720 are almost the same in performance unless you are having a custom cooler and overclocking too much.
My mobo supports upto 140W CPU. It has a big sticker on the top with the same detail. The proc X4 920 is available for around 130$(with some coupon i hold) and X3 710 around 100$ and X3 720 BE around 120$.
I can atmost afford X4 920 as its only 30$ more than what i planned for X3 710. But is X4 920 better than X3 710
 
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MetalheadGautham

MetalheadGautham

AFK
popularbhaskar said:
Thanks a lot again. But X4 940 gets too expensive and could burn a big hole in my pocket. I have to stick with either of these 3 processors. I read reviews that X3 710 and X3 720 are almost the same in performance unless you are having a custom cooler and overclocking too much.
My mobo supports upto 140W CPU. It has a big sticker on the top with the same detail. The proc X4 920 is available for around 130$(with some coupon i hold) and X3 710 around 100$ and X3 720 BE around 120$.
I can atmost afford X4 920 as its only 30$ more than what i planned for X3 710. But is X4 920 better than X3 710
Click to expand...
For virtualisation, More Cores ==> More Power. So you should definitely consider a quad core CPU.

Where are you buying the CPUs from ? Newegg.com ???

Look at the following newegg prices:

P2X3 710 === $100
P2X3 720BE = $120
P2X4 920 === $150
P2X4 940BE = $190

Now, if you indeed want to save as much money as possible, the 710 seems to be the ideal CPU to buy. I suggest you find a friend (or any guy infact) with this CPU and ask him to run your 5 virtual PCs and see if performance is satisfactory.

If it indeed is, buy it. Else buy The 920 (sorry for getting confused. In india the difference between prices of 920 and 940 is quite low at around Rs. 900. Abroad its Rs. 2000 difference. Never knew it).

comp@ddict said:
99% of hardcore PC gamers aren't Ambani's relatives.
Click to expand...
Hardcore in gamers refers to people who are willing to spend anything for gaming.
PRO refers to people with or without great hardware who play great.

Anyway, current gaming CPU champ has to be Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition :cool:
 
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ssk_the_gr8

ssk_the_gr8

Make Way the LORD is Here
for virtualization i'd suggest you go with phenom II 920 ... even though it is a little costly
it will be a huge performance leap from the athlon 7750.
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Thanks a lot again.. sorry for the delay.

I am getting the product from newegg. I am able to get the phenom II X4 940 for 131$ because of a coupon i received from them.
so the prices becomes

P2X3 710 === $100
P2X3 720BE = $120
P2X4 920 === $132
P2X4 940BE = $190

Now with the above prices is it worth going for x4 920? Have you seen anyone with that processor. X4 940 BE is not only out of reach but really not worth the risk taken as warranty is not international i believe.

Kindly suggest...
i did some research and my motherboard does support 45nm phenom II processors only. I really cant seem to find if my motherboard M3A78-EM will support the latest X4 Phenom II processor. Else i will have a little piece of silicon junk or a bigger piece of circuit board (mobo) :)
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Thanks ssk. now that i have decided to go away from 7750 be i understand that the 130$ one will be far better than the one i hold. I am just trying to figure out which of those 3 procs finalized i need to select. Thanks again.
 
dOm1naTOr

dOm1naTOr

Wise Old Owl
@ metalhead
i think u are mistaking enthusiastic gamers with hardcore.
Hardcore always doesnt mean the topmost hardware, while enthusiastic definitely means>>> sky is the limit.


@popularbhaskar
X3 720 is a real good processro and a good pcer, but the price diff b/w a 720 and a 920 being just 12$, 920 has defenitely more vfm.
920 isnt a bad OCer either, but u just cant oc by raising the multiplier.
as per reviews 720 reaches some 3.8Ghz easily while 920 reacheds only 3.6~3.7.

but a 920@ 3.6 is much better than a 720@ 3.8, especially in a multithreaded scenario. And there is a huge difference, and that extra 12$ is worth the money 2x times.

Also make sure you have a good PSU to hold the horses together.
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Thanks a lot Dominator. I will go with the phenom II x4 920. It costs around 10k and i can get for around 6k which is a steal deal. Atleast this makes my $ future proof for a while. My mobo is a 780 chipset. ie... its a m3a78-em hdmi. Its listed on the CPU support list for the motherboard. I just want to doubly ensure that i do my homework before buying.. i am looking around if there are any issues which i did not see any.
 
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popularbhaskar

Journeyman
Have you got a chance to work on a X4 920. Btw... i happen to get the X4 920 for 122$ as i was able process a discount of 10$ again internally with newegg. Also i got a Patriot Xporter XT Boost 4GB worth 14.99$ free with it as well.
This works out to be 122$-14$ = 108$ which amounts to ( rs 5000) in the end.
A blind calculation though :) tomorrow i am planning to order the same. Let me see/...

There are a tonne of study videos and pending space with movies, songs, visuals and a software mountain. A dedicated net connection keeps piling the stuff into my sys from rapidshare. The data first enters my ide 160 gb and then i filter them over the weekend and they move to corresponding disks.
 
comp@ddict

comp@ddict

EXIT: DATA Junkyard
@ metalhead
i think u are mistaking enthusiastic gamers with hardcore.
Hardcore always doesnt mean the topmost hardware, while enthusiastic definitely means>>> sky is the limit.
Click to expand...
thnx for speaking my words :))
 
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