AM3: 965BE or 1045T

[Unsigned]

This machine is used as my main computer. Mostly used for software development, gaming, and the basic web stuff.

Im wondering if the six core would be much better for gaming even with the lower clock. I am thinking that it wont be better for the games I play (TF2 and soon D3) since people say they don't use more than 2 threads (I thought).

Microcenter has them just ten bucks apart, so the price might as well be the same.

The thing is, my board is DDR2 and AM3 only. Would either of these procs make me happy for a couple of years? Or do people with them feel like they are dated?

I'm coming from a Phenom II x2 550 BE, for reference.

 

[theflyingrat]

Definitely not. Especially for gaming, you're likely to benefit far more by the higher clock speed than the extra two cores. There was no difference between my X4 830 and X6 1055T while gaming, or really doing much of anything else.

Personally, I'd pick the 965BE. Only truly heavily multi-threaded applications will make use of the fifth and sixth cores of an X6.

ETA : Going through Microcenter's site right now... on a totally unrelated side-note to this thread, it's still amazing to me that the FX-4100 is $100, and I paid $50 for my X4 830 (which I gave to my dad). The X4 was superior in every metric I threw at it, real-world and synthetic, with an 800MHz deficit. Only reason I kept my FX is because the motherboard I'm using it on is flaky, and I didn't want that to go to my folks! Kinda depressing...

 

[Dlaw]

Yea, the only game I play that even comes close to using all 6 cores on my machine is BF3, and even then, it's only for a split second or so. Your better off going with the faster CPU for gaming.

 

[Cisco Kid]

Why not find a 960T?