# AMD Athlon II X4 or Phenom II X2



## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hi,

I want to by processor based on AM3 socket under 5K.

Initially I decided to by AMD Athlon II X4 635 as its fits under my buget perfectly but when I went to hardware shop I came to know that both AMD Athlon II X4 2.9Ghz & Phenom II X2 3.2GHz available at same price.

AMD Athlon II X4 635 -- 4.45k
AMD Phenom II X2 555 -- 4.5k


Now I am really confused between two processors. Which one is better? Shall I go for AMD Phenom II X2 which is successor to Athlon family or stick with four cores of Athlon II X4?

Please help.

Thanks
Pratik


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

Get the quad-core.


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

^^ Thanks but Phenom is much more superior chip than the Athlon, isn't it?


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> ^^ Thanks but Isn’t Phenom much more superior chip than the Athlon ?



What's the use of supposed superiority if the Phenom hasn't got extra hands (i.e cores) to do work??

If you really want Phenom II, better get *Phenom II X4 955 BE @6.4k* AFAIK. Else stick to Athlon II X4 635 or 640. They'll perform better than Phenom II 555.


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## desiibond (Apr 9, 2011)

depends on your usage.

gaming: phenom x2
AV deocing and heavy MT: ahtlon X4


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

desiibond said:


> depends on your usage.
> 
> gaming: phenom x2
> AV deocing and heavy MT: ahtlon X4



I mainly use my PC for AutoCAD Revit & to watch HD movies occasionally.


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

desiibond said:


> depends on your usage.
> 
> gaming: phenom x2
> AV deocing and heavy MT: ahtlon X4



Phenom II X2 will bottleneck any powerful GPU out there. Hardly will allow much eye-candy and horsepower of GPU will be ruined. Also some games today are coded to run on atleast 3 or more cores isn't that so?? Example: Black Ops. Even the patch that was supposed to optimize dual core usage didn't do much good.

Phenom II X4 will be better then.



pratik03 said:


> I mainly use my PC for AutoCAD Revit & to watch HD movies occasionally.



Get quad I still say.


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## bhushan2k (Apr 9, 2011)

@pratik
Add 2k more and get Phenom II x4 955 BE 3.2GHz @6.5k...worth it...much better for gaming + multitasking than athlon x4

btw can u plz mention ur entire system configuration??


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> @piyush



No Piyush here, mate.


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## bhushan2k (Apr 9, 2011)

i meant pratik.. was reading multiple threads..lol khali fukat *piyush* famous ho gaya..


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> @pratik
> Add 2k more and get Phenom II x4 955 BE 3.2GHz @6.5k...worth it...much better for gaming + multitasking than athlon x4
> 
> btw can u plz mention ur entire system configuration??



I am planning to upgrade my old system

MB:- GA-880GM-UD2H (yet to purchase)
RAM:- Corsair XMS3 twin 2 x 2GB (purchased)
GPU:- will buy in June
PSU:- Cooler Master 550W Extrem (purchased)


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## saswat23 (Apr 9, 2011)

Get any quad. Dont get a dual core. P-X4 will be a better choice for 1.5k more.


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> I am planning to upgrade my old system
> 
> MB:- GA-880GM-UD2H (yet to purchase)
> RAM:- Corsair XMS3 twin 2 x 2GB (purchased)
> ...



I don't like the PSU. Better would have been Corsair CX400. But you've already purchased it.


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## thetechfreak (Apr 9, 2011)

pratik03 said:
			
		

> MB:- GA-880GM-UD2H (yet to
> purchase)


 Sorry but I dont think this motherboard is available anywhere.



Btw, voted for the quad. Multi core processing is way of the future!


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## furious_gamer (Apr 9, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> I am planning to upgrade my old system
> 
> MB:- GA-880GM-UD2H (yet to purchase)
> RAM:- Corsair XMS3 twin 2 x 2GB (purchased)
> ...



Change the PSU to VX450W @ 3.7k

I guess that mobo is extinct these days. IIRC (or correct me if i am wrong)

For proccy, get X4 instead of PX2. Anyday quad is better than aging DC


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

@thetechfreak & furious_gamer


I selected this mobo from April PC buying thread, will check availability on Monday.

Meanwhile could you suggest alternative to GA-880GM-UD2H near 4k price tag?


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## thetechfreak (Apr 9, 2011)

Asus M4A78LT-M LE   @ Rs.2600


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## furious_gamer (Apr 9, 2011)

ROFL suggesting 780G as alternative for 880. Man, where are u living, i have to see u.


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## sunny4691 (Apr 9, 2011)

Hey guys can the current batch of phenom II x2 555BE be unlocked to quad, if not then upto which dated batch were they unlockable


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## Piyush (Apr 9, 2011)

lol
just try to find ASUS 880gtd v-evo or m-evo

if u r going for athlon processor, then u can go for MSI 880 g based mobo



sunny4691 said:


> Hey guys can the current batch of phenom II x2 555BE be unlocked to quad, if not then upto which dated batch were they unlockable



they were the first couple of batches
not so sure about now
but why to take risk
go for a quad core cpu instead


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## sunny4691 (Apr 9, 2011)

Piyush said:


> they were the first couple of batches
> not so sure about now
> but why to take risk
> go for a quad core cpu instead


Thanks for the information and currently am not going for a proccy but after 1 or 2 months I will be hunting for a used 555be.


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## saswat23 (Apr 9, 2011)

Then u will go for ur new rig without a Proccy.


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## sparx (Apr 9, 2011)

When you are not going for a proccy currently go for the whole rig later itself, you will get cheaper options and better options IMO


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

sparx said:


> When you are not going for a proccy currently go for the whole rig later itself, you will get cheaper options and better options IMO





saswat23 said:


> Then u will go for ur new rig without a Proccy.



Guys this not *sunny4691*'s thread. 

Better concentrate on the needs of *pratik03*. Its his thread.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*@pratik03* I think you can now see for yourself that getting a quad-core will be worth your money. At the moment of posting this, X4 is leading by 11 votes. So either get Athlon II X4 640 at your current budget or increase it slightly and get Phenom II X4 955 BE. Either way, you'll have great performance.


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## sunny4691 (Apr 9, 2011)

@saswat23
@sparx
Lol.This is not my thread, I was just asking for some information, so that OP might also get benefited from the information as I thought if all the 555be are unlockable to quad then OP can get one and try to unlock it, so as to get a quad proccy in his budget.
And sorry for the confusion caused


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## Gaurav Bhattacharjee (Apr 9, 2011)

sunny4691 said:


> @saswat23
> @sparx
> Lol.This is not my thread, I was just asking for some information, so that OP might also get benefited from the information as I thought if all the 555be are unlockable to quad then OP can get one and try to unlock it, so as to get a quad proccy in his budget.
> And sorry for the confusion caused



Bah. Forget it. 

Anyway, unlocking will only cause more instability and raise temps. I suggest you to go for quad also. 
I mean, just for a few extra bucks if you can get a safer option then why go the hard way??


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## thetechfreak (Apr 9, 2011)

Just get Amd Anthlon II X4 635 @4.5 k will be fully worth it.

Not worth hassle of unlocking.

lets stop the discussion and not confuse OP more.


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## sunny4691 (Apr 9, 2011)

thetechfreak said:


> Just get Amd Anthlon II X4 635 @4.5 k will be fully worth it.
> 
> Not worth hassle of unlocking.
> 
> lets stop the discussion and not confuse OP more.


Ya I will also suggest the OP to get quad core as the quad cores will be very futureproof as more and more applications are going to be benefited with the quad cores


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## manujohn (Apr 9, 2011)

furious_gamer said:


> ROFL suggesting 780G as alternative for 880. Man, where are u living, i have to see u.





Hey, the motherboard suggested by thetechfreak (ASUS M4A78LT MLE) is not 780G , it's 760G.


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanks for suggestions guys, I will definitely go for Athlon II X4


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## bhushan2k (Apr 9, 2011)

why r all of u sticking on athlon instead of phenom if OP can spend 2k more..? we are aware of benchmarks.. gr8 for gaming + multitasking + black edition (more overclocking can be done) + 6MB cache memory + more future proof than athlon..


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## Piyush (Apr 9, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> why r all of u sticking on athlon instead of phenom if OP can spend 2k more..? we are aware of benchmarks.. gr8 for gaming + *multitasking *+ black edition (more overclocking can be done) + 6MB cache memory + more future proof than athlon..



really?
2 cores
and we keep unlocking thing aside
coz its not a sure shot
plus temperature issues on the other side


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## bhushan2k (Apr 9, 2011)

read previous posts dude..was taking about quad core.. phenom ii *x4* 955 BE..


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## Piyush (Apr 9, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> read previous posts dude..was taking about quad core.. phenom ii *x4* 955 BE..



OP already decided to go for x4 635
300mhz fast and 6mb cache....thats how much it differs from 635
regarding unlocked multiplier...i dont think OP mentioned that he'll go for OCing
he can use those 2K for other parts


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## pratik03 (Apr 9, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> why r all of u sticking on athlon instead of phenom if OP can spend 2k more..? we are aware of benchmarks.. gr8 for gaming + multitasking + black edition (more overclocking can be done) + 6MB cache memory + more future proof than athlon..



budget is strictly under 5k, can't go beyond that


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## bhushan2k (Apr 9, 2011)

@piyush,
as OP's wish..and frequency doesn't matter while comparing phenom with athlon..what matters is cache..it would have been more future proof..



pratik03 said:


> budget is strictly under 5k, can't go beyond that



Phenom II x4 840 3.2GHz @5.2k


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## pratik03 (Apr 10, 2011)

bhushan05d251 said:


> @piyush,
> as OP's wish..and frequency doesn't matter while comparing phenom with athlon..what matters is cache..it would have been more future proof..
> 
> 
> ...



Where did you get that quote? my dealer quoted 6.3K for it.


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## coderunknown (Apr 10, 2011)

^^ P2 840 @ 5k only.

it says opteron & socket F. ignore these. typo on SMC's part.


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## thetechfreak (Apr 10, 2011)

I dont think op is gonna find the 840 at the street at such a sweet price.


So I suggest you to hunt for both, if you manage to find the p2 840 even a 100 or 200 more than 5k, its very well worth the investment!


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## topgear (Apr 10, 2011)

Get Athlon II X4 635 - it's a good quad core cpu 

Phenom II x4 840 3.2GHz  - good but rare to find.

If you can spend more get P2 X4 P55 BE by spending more.


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## bhushan2k (Apr 10, 2011)

@pratik,
don't know the real cost..saw in *hardware price sheet/price update* in this *buying section* only..so said..even m not believing on it as other phenom quad are above 6k..but if u can find it then it would be a real sweet deal..i still suggest u to see if u can manage 1.5k more..get 955 BE..worth it..benchmarks have proven..if not, then go for athlon quad core..it's good too in that budget..


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## kamal_saran (Apr 10, 2011)

that phenom x4 840 doesn't have l3 cache. So can we unlock cache of 840


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## jkultimate (Apr 10, 2011)

Processor's with more cores will always make sense. 
Also your usage is mainly for auto cad and playing hd movies... and not that much into gaming.

In my knowledge, Athlon ii X4 635 will satisfy you.
Go for it.

_____________________________________________________
Amd athlon 64x2 @ 2.1 Ghz
Msi-k9mmv
2gb ddr2 zion
Gpu - yet to come


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## pratik03 (Apr 10, 2011)

Sam said:


> ^^ P2 840 @ 5k only.
> 
> it says opteron & socket F. ignore these. typo on SMC's part.



even smc guys have no idea what exactly it is.


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## pratik03 (Apr 13, 2011)

Hey guys, finally I’ve got reasonable quote for Phenom II X4 840 (5.1K) 

Box says it’s a deneb edition 
AMD Phenom II X4 840 
Edition Deneb 
3.2 GHz 
4x512 KB L2 Cache

Is it really worth to invest extra 600 bucks for this proceesor over 635 ?


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## bhushan2k (Apr 13, 2011)

hmmm..it's nothing but athlon..even i didn't know about that proccy..phenom without cache..don't take it..i think it's complete ZOL ZAAL wala proccy..lol..can't u wait and save money to get 955 BE?? If u have no option at all then get athlon 635 as others suggested..it's good..decision is urs..


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## coderunknown (Apr 13, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> Hey guys, finally I’ve got reasonable quote for Phenom II X4 840 (5.1K)
> 
> Box says it’s a deneb edition
> AMD Phenom II X4 840
> ...



100Mhz increase & 0.6k more? no. search for the same @ 4.8k or get 635 @ 4.5k & overclock it past 840's speed.


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## pratik03 (Apr 13, 2011)

Sam said:


> 100Mhz increase & 0.6k more? no. search for the same @ 4.8k or get 635 @ 4.5k & overclock it past 840's speed.



also note its a phenom II X4 over Athlon , I am not considering it for Mhz increase.


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## Piyush (Apr 13, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> also note its a phenom II X4 over Athlon , I am not considering it for Mhz increase.



ok...why do you think 840 is better than 635, even though 840 lacks L3cache and has mere 300mhz bump...


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## pratik03 (Apr 13, 2011)

^^ Have no idea about it, thus asking for advice


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## Piyush (Apr 13, 2011)

pratik03 said:


> ^^ Have no idea about it, thus asking for advice



go for 635
you can spend the rest 1k on something else

AMD Athlon II X4 635 (rev. C3) vs AMD Phenom II X4 840


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## coderunknown (Apr 13, 2011)

@baba, thanks for pointing. i was thinking that 840's clock speed was 100Mhz more than 635. BTW, isn't the Rs.600 extra over AII 635 worth it? considering you are getting a really fast Athlon II X4.


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## Piyush (Apr 13, 2011)

Sam said:


> @baba, thanks for pointing. i was thinking that 840's clock speed was 100Mhz more than 635. BTW, isn't the Rs.600 extra over AII 635 worth it? considering you are getting a really fast Athlon II X4.


well if he is getting 635 @ 4.5 k and 840 @ 5.1 k , then its ok to go for 840

but in delhi, the prices of 635 has gone as low as 4.1k..and even 4k  in some places
so thats why i was against it


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