Which CPU to buy?

[Vlad]

Hi.
I will purcase CPU soon (AMD family). Im dolphin user, so i would buy cpu which will work best with it.
Can you recommend me some, or best AMD dual core (ive readen somewhere that tripple and quad core cpu's works like c,r,a,p with dolphin).
And one more question: whats more important for dolphin to work better, CPU speed or L2-L3 cache?
Thanks.

[a mad pigeon]

You might want to read this too: Dolphin PC buying guide

I would recommend the AMD Phenom II x2 550. Like the guide says, it's a fast dual core priced currently at $91 that has two extra unlockable cores.

Also, it doesn't matter whether it's a dual core or quad core, Dolphin only uses two cores and doesn't run like crap on a quad.

I can't say how much an L3 cache would help Dolphin, but I do just fine without one. The CPU frequency would matter most for Dolphin, go at least 2.8GHz on a dual core for decent speed.

[matejdro]

Im also looking for CPU.

But my motherboard is not supporting new ones so im also looking for new motherboard. Can anyone recommend me CPU and Motherboard for total 300€? Motherboard has to support DDR2 so i can insert my current RAM.

I dont care about brand but i guess i will have to go with AMD because they have faster processors for my price range.

I was thinking about Phenom X4 965 as processor but i still dont know for motherboard.

[CacoFFF]

(01-27-2010, 07:03 AM)matejdro Wrote: Im also looking for CPU.

But my motherboard is not supporting new ones so im also looking for new motherboard. Can anyone recommend me CPU and Motherboard for total 300€? Motherboard has to support DDR2 so i can insert my current RAM.

I dont care about brand but i guess i will have to go with AMD because they have faster processors for my price range.

I was thinking about Phenom X4 965 as processor but i still dont know for motherboard.

Well, that cpu doesn't sound bad at all if it's four cores what you want.
Does motherboard brand really matter here?
Do you already have a video card? (That way you can safely use a motherboard without integrated IGP to save money)

[Vlad]

(01-27-2010, 06:32 AM)a mad pigeon Wrote: You might want to read this too: Dolphin PC buying guide

I would recommend the AMD Phenom II x2 550. Like the guide says, it's a fast dual core priced currently at $91 that has two extra unlockable cores.

Also, it doesn't matter whether it's a dual core or quad core, Dolphin only uses two cores and doesn't run like crap on a quad.

I can't say how much an L3 cache would help Dolphin, but I do just fine without one. The CPU frequency would matter most for Dolphin, go at least 2.8GHz on a dual core for decent speed.

I thought about same cpu , but if u say it will work fine with quad-core, then why i wouldnt buy quad core phenom??? Budget is not a problem

[CacoFFF]

(01-27-2010, 08:42 AM)vlakipn Wrote:

(01-27-2010, 06:32 AM)a mad pigeon Wrote: You might want to read this too: Dolphin PC buying guide

I would recommend the AMD Phenom II x2 550. Like the guide says, it's a fast dual core priced currently at $91 that has two extra unlockable cores.

Also, it doesn't matter whether it's a dual core or quad core, Dolphin only uses two cores and doesn't run like crap on a quad.

I can't say how much an L3 cache would help Dolphin, but I do just fine without one. The CPU frequency would matter most for Dolphin, go at least 2.8GHz on a dual core for decent speed.

I thought about same cpu , but if u say it will work fine with quad-core, then why i wouldnt buy quad core phenom???

Well, good thing AMD sells tri-core Phenoms for those who can't make up their minds between a dual and a quad.

Ok going serious, Dolphin actually has more threads running than the major ones (emulated CPU and emulated GPU)
Getting a tri or quad core CPU will indeed increase performance from 10 to 30% depending on your OS and running processes.

---

Maybe the AMD Phenom II X3 720 BE Black Edition suits your needs?
You can easily adjust your CPU frequencies on this one.

[Vlad]

I probably go to order cpu today. So finaly what will be:

AMD Phenom II x2 550
AMD Phenom II X4 945

[matejdro]

Quote:Well, that cpu doesn't sound bad at all if it's four cores what you want.

I dont care how many cores are there, i just want it to be FAST

Quote:Do you already have a video card?

I have Geforce 8800GT. Its not newest card, but biggest bottleneck on my pc is currently processor which is AMD X2 5000.

[KMFDM_Kid2000]

Shop around if you want a good price. I always compare Newegg, Pricewatch, Tiger Direct, heck, I've gotten good deals at Wal Mart for certain things believe it or not. AMD is a great value overall, but Intel does out perform at higher class chips (Not ALWAYS the rule but generally applicable) but you can pay through the nose for an Intel.

I'm using a Phenom II X4 945 and seem to get good performance on mostly everything I throw at it. Last I checked this chip was retailing at around $199. Many Dolphin games are running full speed for me, so I can attest Quads don't suck. I've got a little Dual Core Athlon I do want to experiment with. Right now, it's my game guide PC (Main PC, play game, 2nd PC, read along with the FAQ) but I want to see what I can squeeze out of it.

[matejdro]

(01-28-2010, 01:40 AM)KMFDM_Kid2000 Wrote: I'm using a Phenom II X4 945 and seem to get good performance on mostly everything I throw at it. Last I checked this chip was retailing at around $199. Many Dolphin games are running full speed for me, so I can attest Quads don't suck. I've got a little Dual Core Athlon I do want to experiment with. Right now, it's my game guide PC (Main PC, play game, 2nd PC, read along with the FAQ) but I want to see what I can squeeze out of it.

If you have Win7 can you tell me what performance index is your processor getting?