Which processor

[jsb666]

right ok my mum is getting a new pc for her work because her old one is like 5 years old and really slow she trys to run loads of stuff at once and the pc just laggs to hell which of these processors will be best for her new pc?

AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 90nm (Socket 939)
0r
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (Socket 939)

both around the same price and both 3800 is it worth going for the dual core?

[tybrenis]

I would go for the dual core, personally.

[ForceFedFlesh]

well theyre both very good processors, i would go with the dual-core if shes gonna multi task.

[jsb666]

thanks guys i think i will go for dual core then now just gotta get everything else for her lol.

[jsb666]

ok next question :D this will be my first time actually building the pc from the start i have upgraded my pc ect and know how to do it that im not worried about, but becuase i have not made one before i dont know what comes with the processor on the athlon 64 it says it comes with a fan but the X2 does not will i need to buy a fan also will i need to buy some artic silver or somthing along them lines or will it come with something to apply it?

[vidas7de7jesus7]

Yes, you will most definately need a heat sink (not a fan) a fan is... a fan. a heatsink picks up the heat off your processor and carries it away to a fan. You will also need to buy thermal paste (such as arctic silver, good brand btw) to smear on the processor. The thermal paste eliminates air pockets between the processor and heat sink to maximize the cooling. Ever see that video where the guys started up the computer and removed the heatsink? The processor exploded and blew a hole clean through the motherboard. That's what a heatsink is for. Zalman is a reputable heatsink maker. Maybe someone else can suggest a good one.

[bartvandenberg]

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2146651&CatId=0

this one kicks a$$. outperforms anything else for cooling. ifyou want better cooling, go with a custom water cooled system. if you are sticking to air, this is def the best out there.

[Darkhate]

I am new here but I saw your post and wanted to help

I built a new PC there are the specs:D


ASPIRE X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor
ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce SPP 100 ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V 550W Power Supply
1GB Ram out of my old PC
XFX GeForce 7900 GT EXTREME (520MHz) 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16

and it could have been any easier

I got my CPU from newegg for around $300

I am use the stock fan and heat sink ( the heat sink comes with a patch of thermal paste on it already)

I Going to buy a better one later you could do the same (use the stock fan and heat sink)

[FyR]

Just to add, dont use TOO much thermal paste, too much can be as bad as none at all some would say, i recommend you buy yourself a good independant PC mag (Computer shopper or customPC over here in the UK). They review every aspect and give there picks of the month, i use a gigabyte G-Power PRO (pro has adjustable fan speed) on my AMD 64 3400+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835128009)

Its overclocked from 2.2ghz to 2.4ghz (pretty good for AMD ;) ) and that keeps it cool, it never goes above 45 degrees celcius fully loaded and thats with the fan on the lowest speed which is vitually silent. A good cooler and it fits pretty much every socket (definatly 939)

Good luck, building a PC is daunting but surprisingly simple once you've done it and blew up a few ;)

[jsb666]

thanks for all the imput i ended up going with the dual core and got a thermal take golden orb heatsink/fan and its works great :)