Which CPU should I choose?

[sharp0900]

I'm looking at three CPU right now. I am on a budget though.

1) AMD Phenom X4 9850
2) AMD Athlon II X4 635
3) AMD Phenom II X4 945

I'm thinking about getting the Athlon, but it doesn't have L3 Cache like the Phenom's do.

PS: I do pretty much everything on my computer, Photo/Video editing and a lot gaming.

[rotNdude]

I would choose the 945 out of those three. The L3 cache makes a difference.

[bes]

Originally Posted by sharp0900

I'm looking at three CPU right now. I am on a budget though.

1) AMD Phenom X4 9850
2) AMD Athlon II X4 635
3) AMD Phenom II X4 945

I'm thinking about getting the Athlon, but it doesn't have L3 Cache like the Phenom's do.

PS: I do pretty much everything on my computer, Photo/Video editing and a lot gaming.

Phenom II X4 945, any of the ones on this list actually.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...enom%20II%20X4

You should get the best quad-core you can find if you plan on doing photo and video editing also..

[Lachrymosity]

Originally Posted by sharp0900

I'm looking at three CPU right now. I am on a budget though.

1) AMD Phenom X4 9850
2) AMD Athlon II X4 635
3) AMD Phenom II X4 945

I'm thinking about getting the Athlon, but it doesn't have L3 Cache like the Phenom's do.

A lot of gaming hints at the Phenom 2 X4, avoid the original Phenom as that series has bad performance compared to the Athlon/Phenom 2.

What's your budget for the total build? In a 600$ build the A2 X4 makes the most sense as it won't bottleneck your GPU, but may save you enough money for a nicer one, whereas a 1000$ build would be better with the Phenom X4, or even a Phenom x6 if you're overclocking.

[borg_7_of_9]

NO 3 out of them would be best bet IMO!

[Amun]

Buy the 945 and overclock it.

[sharp0900]

Originally Posted by Lachrymosity

What's your budget for the total build...

My budget is $100-$150. (Every penny counts!)

The thing is that I'm replacing my CPU and Mobo. Also my system is pretty mid-range as of now, which is one of the reason why I don't think I should go for the Phenom II x4. Plus the Athlon is about $50 cheaper, which would also help me get a better mobo.

But... is it that much better to consider the Phenom II x4 945 over the Atlhon II X4 635? Yes? No?

[madpistol]

Originally Posted by sharp0900

But... is it that much better to consider the Phenom II x4 945 over the Atlhon II X4 635? Yes? No?

In short, yes.

The L3 cache found on the Phenom II processors really does make a huge difference in gaming and general performance. It's the difference between good performance and REALLY good performance.

The PII x4 is the best processor out of that bunch. No doubt about it.

[Lachrymosity]

It's less than 20% slower per clock at worst, often around 8%.

P2 is the best processor, but on that budget I'd definitely get the Athlon. A decent mobo is 80$ to begin with, and depending on what you have now you may need DDR3 ram.

[borg_7_of_9]

Originally Posted by sharp0900

My budget is $100-$150. (Every penny counts!)

The thing is that I'm replacing my CPU and Mobo. Also my system is pretty mid-range as of now, which is one of the reason why I don't think I should go for the Phenom II x4. Plus the Athlon is about $50 cheaper, which would also help me get a better mobo.

But... is it that much better to consider the Phenom II x4 945 over the Atlhon II X4 635? Yes? No?

Yeah there ain't much in it performance wise so you could save the $50 for a min performance loss!