From AMD X3 720BE to X4 635: Good idea?

[perdomot]

I've been running my X3 at 3.4Ghz for a while now but was considering getting an Athlon II X4 635 and OCing to 3.4 as well since I do a lot of video encoding. I think it would be a good idea but can someone offer some insight?

 

[richierich1212]

I'm assuming you can't unlock the 4th core?. I'd save up for a 1055T instead. No point in losing L3 cache just to get a 4th core with similar clocks.

 

[perdomot]

I've been weighing that exact choice. From what I've read, the L3 cache doesn't make much of a difference especially if encoding is the biggest job:http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-8.html
There's also the $100 vs $200 issue to consider. If I can sell my X3 720 BE for say $80, it would just cost me $20 to upgrade to the X4.

 

[Anarchist420]

I wouldn't do it. The PII architecture is better.

 

[Rifter]

I agree, go to a 6 core or wait, its just not worth it to go from a PH II to a Athlon.

 

[DrMrLordX]

If you're going to get a Propus, at least get the 640. Otherwise save your pennies and get a 1035T or 1055T, or wait for a 940T/960T and try to unlock some cores.

 

[brandonwh64]

Gaming performance shows that the porpus CPU is even weaker than a Phenom II dual core so best to stay Phenom II til you can get a 6 core

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2836/8

 

[f4phantom2500]

I wouldn't do it. The PII architecture is better.

its the same architecture sans the l3 cache...

besides he's not gaming. but, i do think that going for the x6 would be a better idea. i'm also assuming that you can't unlock the 4th core on your chip.

 

[Vette73]

Have you tried to unlock the 4th core?

 

[nyker96]

definitely a NO. maybe go from x3 to x6 you'll feel some difference.

 

[soccerballtux]

unlock 4th core

 

[Arkaign]

No way.

From your current setup only a 1055/1090 would be worth it. Athlon II X4 would even be a step backwards in some apps/games.

 

[crisium]

No way indeed. Get the thought out of your mind immediately.

 

[Vesku]

I'm running an Athlon II X3 unlocked to X4 and will chime in with the recommendation to hold out until you can upgrade to a 6+ core chip.

 

[perdomot]

Thanks for the feedback. I tried for the 4th core but no luck there. I'm surprised, the X4 635 won 23 of the tests in the Anandbench utility but even with that there is a negative disposition towards the cpu. I'm not a gamer but do encode video often so I thought it might be a good choice. Guess not.

 

[richierich1212]

If you weren't "upgrading" from a decent chip such as the 720 then it wouldn't sound as negative. But considering that the gains will be minimal it's not really worth the hassle.

Since you are encoding video that much an extra $80 would be worth it to upgrade to a Thuban.

 

[perdomot]

I see your point. Guess I will wait a while longer, thanks.

 

[evolucion8]

The Athlon II X4 635 is a formidable chip in multi threaded scenarios. Is based on the same identical Phenom II but it lacks of L3 cache which will impact gaming performance and multi threading scenarios. While for sure the Athlon II X4 will be faster in multi threaded scenarios compared to the X3, it will not worth the price since the performance difference isn't that great and the L3 cache provides the K10.5 architecture up to a 30% performance boost compared to the similar X4 635 which lacks of the cache L3. A Phenom II 955 might be a nice upgrade, but definitively a Phenom X6 will make your jaw drop.

 

[perdomot]

The Athlon II X4 635 is a formidable chip in multi threaded scenarios. Is based on the same identical Phenom II but it lacks of L3 cache which will impact gaming performance and multi threading scenarios. While for sure the Athlon II X4 will be faster in multi threaded scenarios compared to the X3, it will not worth the price since the performance difference isn't that great and the L3 cache provides the K10.5 architecture up to a 30% performance boost compared to the similar X4 635 which lacks of the cache L3. A Phenom II 955 might be a nice upgrade, but definitively a Phenom X6 will make your jaw drop.

Well, I'm not a gamer so the L3 loss wouldn't affect me there. Mostly do web surfing, enjoying video and music, and finally encoding video to my ipod so I'm not sure how impressed I would be with the X6 except in the video encoding area. I've recently upgraded to SSDs for my rig and that made my jaw drop. Haven't seen anyone upgrading from say a 955 to an X6 and really raving about the daily performance.