# Pentium D 6300 vs Athlon II x2 240



## gimmigzgy

What would be better in gaming?
paired with a 4850?


----------



## linkin

both are fairly old, however the pentium d is simply a dual core pentium 4. so the athlon is better here.

what are the clockspeeds of both?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

The Athlon II Processor is not that old.  The Athlon II 240 is a more powerful processor than any Pentium D series processor.


----------



## StrangleHold

linkin93 said:


> both are fairly old


 
How is a Athlon II X2 240 old.


----------



## linkin

woops, i'm thinking of an athlon xp, now those are old! I've just had a nosebleed


----------



## gimmigzgy

so, an athlon II 240 @ 2.8ghz, would really beat a Dual Core e6300 @ 2.8ghz?

am I getting you guys?

so what's the matchup of the athlon II 240 in the intel platform?


----------



## mx344

Now thats a closer battle, but still think that the 240 would be faster.


----------



## gimmigzgy

would it be a big difference if I chose the 240 over the 250?


----------



## mx344

One is clocked at 2.8ghz the other at 3.0ghz, if your going to get either of the two get the lowest, cause its the same chip, just overlocked 200mhz, that can easily be acheived with the 240.


----------



## maroon1

Here is comparison between X2 250 and E6300
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=94&p2=96
(Note: in some benchmarks lower means better, so read each one carefully)

They Looks pretty even to me 

Anantech doesn't have 240 benchmarked. So, thats why I'm comparing E6300 to 250.



linkin93 said:


> both are fairly old, however the pentium d is simply a dual core pentium 4. so the athlon is better here.
> 
> what are the clockspeeds of both?



Pentium E6300 is based on Wolfdale architecture, it is not based on Pentium 4


----------



## gimmigzgy

maroon1 said:


> Here is comparison between X2 250 and E6300
> http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=94&p2=96
> (Note: in some benchmarks lower means better, so read each one carefully)




I already looked up that site.
yeah kinda even.
But what would you prefer in gaming?

would a dual core e6300 be a good gaming procie when paired to a 4850?
or would the athlon be better?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

I would go with the Athlon II 240 over the Intel Pentium E6300 Processor because it is $20 less and you can get a motherboard that uses DDR3 RAM with the Athlon.   Motherboards that would support the Intel Pentium E6300 only use slower DDR2 random access memory.


----------



## gimmigzgy

how much would a dd3 ram cost?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

Double Data Rate 2 (abbreviated DDR2) is not much cheaper than DDR3 memory.  

If you want 2 gigabytes of DDR3 RAM take a look at this memory for $51:

PQI POWER Series 2 gigabytes (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - $51
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=DDR3_240-pin_2gb-_-20-141-370-_-Product

If you want 4 gigabytes of Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) RAM take a look:

 CORSAIR XMS3 4 gigabytes (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory - $94 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=DDR3_240-pin_4gb-_-20-145-260-_-Product


----------



## gimmigzgy

would a switch to ddr3 from a ddr2 be better?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

What exactly are you upgrading from presently?  What is your current processor, RAM and video card?


----------



## gimmigzgy

Core2duo e7500 2.93ghz 3mb L2 Cache Procie
Inno3D 9500gt 1gb 128bit pci-e GPU
ECS-G31M7 Mobo
2gb Apacer 667 ddr2 RAM
160gb Western Digital HDD
17" Samsung LC


----------



## 2048Megabytes

Going from a Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93 gigahertz) to an Athlon II 240 processor is not an upgrade.  You won't notice any a difference at all in processing power.  

An upgrade from a Core 2 Duo E7500 would be going to an Intel i7 Quad-Core or a Phenom II 955 Quad-Core Processor.  

What programs are you running that your hardware can't handle?  The Core 2 Duo E7500 is a pretty decent processor.


----------



## gimmigzgy

but I think the AMD procie is better in gaming?
am I right?


----------



## StrangleHold

If you have a E7500 and want to upgrade to AMD for the least amount of money and make it worth while. You need to go for a Phenom II 550 or 720BE. Both are unlocked and overclock pretty good, plus the chance to unlock them to a quad. Going from a E7500 to a Athlon II X2 240 your not going to be able to tell any difference.


----------



## gimmigzgy

what's the cheapest mobo than can unlock a phenom?


----------



## StrangleHold

DDR3 board.
Gigabyte GA MA770T UD3P

DDR2 board. Really even the cheaper Biostar or like the Asrock A790GXH/128M board, its a 790GX with onboard and does crossfire. Runs like 85 bucks here.

Or a 785 chipset like the GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H or ASUS M4A785-M

It just needs atleast a Southbridge SB710 or above.


----------



## gimmigzgy

I'll try to check if the boards you mentioned are available in our country.

What's the percentage that I can unlock a Phenom?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

I would go with the Phenom II 720 Tri-Core Processor over the Phenom II 550 Dual-Core.  You may or may not be able to unlock a Phenom II Tri-Core or Dual-Core and make it into a Quad-Core Processor.  I would not buy one and get your hopes up too high.


----------



## gimmigzgy

but is the Phenom II 550 better than the C2D e7500?
when it comes to gaming?


----------



## 2048Megabytes

The Phenom II 550 is better than the Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor for gaming.  What I think would increase your processing power more for games over a new central processing unit would be a new video card.

Can anyone recommend a good video card for him?


----------



## Jet

gimmigzgy, we've gone through this before.

It's simple. Just get the ATi 4850 like you said and buy a better power supply. It'll be a great upgrade! Stop thinking so hard about it. 

/End Thread


----------



## maroon1

2048Megabytes said:


> The Phenom II 550 is better than the Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor for gaming. What I think would increase your processing power more for games over a new central processing unit would be a new video card.


 

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/default.aspx?p=87&p2=97
They look even to me


If he already have E7500 then there is no point to upgrade to another dual core. He should get an Phenom X4 or core 2 quad (I'm pretty sure that his motherboard supports Q9400)

Also, like Jet said upgrading the video card would make much bigger difference than the CPU


----------



## gimmigzgy

what about the Q6600? would it be worth the upgrade from my e7500?


----------



## Jet

gimmigzgy said:


> what about the Q6600? would it be worth the upgrade from my e7500?



Do you just want to burn money right now? Get the 4850 + PSU first, and then think if you want to spend more money. The 4850 is worlds better than your current graphics card..


----------



## gimmigzgy

would the athlon II 240 @ 2.8ghz be good with a 4850?


----------



## 87dtna

Hate to break it to you AMD guys, but an E6300 whips an athlon II 240 like a red headed stepchild.  I've owned an E6300, and an Athlon II 245, and of course my Phenom II 550.  The E6300, clocked to 3.8ghz performs about the same as my 550!  Athlon II 245 at 3.8ghz is not even close to either really.

Clock for clock, the core 2 duo's are faster.  Pentium dual core's are about the same as Phenom II 545 and 550's if they are clocked the same.  And the new wolfdale celerons are decent, probably still even better than the Athlon II's although I'm sure thats a much closer race.

I was not impressed by the athlon II, at all.  Thats why it's gone already.


----------



## gimmigzgy

I wanna buy a 550 and make it a quadcore, but I'm not confident enough cuz there is a chance that I can't unlock it...
Is it gonna be a waste of money if I dont?
Cuz I'm gonna sell my e7500 and my mobo to buy a 550 and am3 mobo


----------



## mx344

87dtna said:


> Hate to break it to you AMD guys, but an E6300 whips an athlon II 240 like a red headed stepchild.


Whats you definition of whiped, there very similar cpu's??I know the intel can clock higher than the 240, but come on its not that much of a difference.

Dude, Forget the new set up, and listen to jet, upgrading you cpu is not the thing to do if you are gaming, its all about your graphics card, so if you gaming at 1650/1050, then forget the whole new set up thing, cause it will be a difference of what? 10-15fps? for a 200$ or you could get a 100$ graphics card and improve gaming by 40fps easy... its a simple answer.

You already have a good cpu anyway, you wont see a difference...


----------



## 87dtna

mx344 said:


> Whats you definition of whiped, there very similar cpu's??I know the intel can clock higher than the 240, but come on its not that much of a difference.




Hmm, have you owned both?  Well I have, STFU

Like I said, the E6300 was about the same performance as my Phenom II 550 (as a dual core)...hows that for whipping the Athlon II?


----------



## mx344

87dtna said:


> Hmm, have you owned both?  Well I have, STFU
> 
> Like I said, the E6300 was about the same performance as my Phenom II 550 (as a dual core)...hows that for whipping the Athlon II?




hmm someones a lil gouchy haha

but you still didnt answer my question sir, dont get all agressive now...


----------



## 87dtna

Dude I answered you question TWICE...it was answered before you even asked.


----------



## 87dtna

Although I agree with you, he's fine with his current CPU setup.  He needs a better GPU.


----------



## mx344

^yup, idk the OP seems to think that they "must" have a totally new system for some reason, all they need is a gfx card lol couldnt get any more simple...


----------



## 87dtna

Not sure what PSU he has, so that would be the first step, but if it supports it just get a 4850 or a gts250.  Then next step is he needs 4gb of ram with faster speeds.


----------



## gimmigzgy

what timing of ram should I buy?
and would you guys prefer a dual channel kit of 4gb?

my PSu is only 21Amps on the 12v rail.

is the GTS250 as same as the 4850?


----------



## 87dtna

gimmigzgy said:


> what timing of ram should I buy?
> and would you guys prefer a dual channel kit of 4gb?



Well your board only supports DDR2-800, but thats OK if you get 800 ram with a CL of 4.

OCZ reapers are currenty the cheapest dual channel kit of 2x2gb ddr2-800 with a CL of 4-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267



gimmigzgy said:


> my PSu is only 21Amps on the 12v rail.
> 
> is the GTS250 as same as the 4850?



Yeah for all intents and purposes the gts250 is around the same performance of a 4850, perhaps a slight edge to the gts250 but barely worth mentioning.
Either way, I wouldn't use your PSU with either card.  This OCZ is about the minimum I would use-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016

But actually for $5 more this PSU is a good bit better-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022


----------



## gimmigzgy

how many amps of 12v rail should I get for my new PSU?


----------



## 87dtna

Well I'd say atleast 35 amps, but amps don't mean everything.  Be sure to get an efficient one too, 80+ certified.


----------



## gimmigzgy

what brand do you recommend?

can a semi-branded PSU of 550w support a 4850 or a gts250?


----------



## Fatback

These PSU will power a 4850 with no problem.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&Tpk=Corsair 400w

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=Xclio_Stablepower-_-17-189-013-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817189005&Tpk=xclio Goodpower (best budget PSU around)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&cm_re=OCZ_PSU-_-17-341-016-_-Product

See if you can find any of those where you live.


----------



## gimmigzgy

Imaster 400w w/ Fan 
Imaster 450w w/ Fan 
Imaster 500w w/ Fan 
Imaster Pro 500w (550w 600w
Imaster SLI 500w (550w 600w
CoolerMaster EX 390w
CoolerMaster EX 460w
CoolerMaster 550w Real Power SLI
ACbel Ipower 510w  
ACbel Ipower 610w  
Thermaltake 400w twin fan
Silverstone ST50F 500w modular cable
Silverstone ST60F 600w modular cable
Enermax 300wtwin fan EG301P-VE
Enermax 350wtwin fan EG365P-VE
Enermax 460wtwin fan EG465P-VE
Enermax 500w ELT500AWT
Enermax 625wtwin fan EPR625AWT
Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620w

here's the list of available PSU's in my country


----------



## Fatback

gimmigzgy said:


> Imaster 400w w/ Fan
> Imaster 450w w/ Fan
> Imaster 500w w/ Fan
> Imaster Pro 500w (550w 600w
> Imaster SLI 500w (550w 600w
> CoolerMaster EX 390w
> CoolerMaster EX 460w
> CoolerMaster 550w Real Power SLI
> ACbel Ipower 510w
> ACbel Ipower 610w
> Thermaltake 400w twin fan
> Silverstone ST50F 500w modular cable
> Silverstone ST60F 600w modular cable
> Enermax 300wtwin fan EG301P-VE
> Enermax 350wtwin fan EG365P-VE
> Enermax 460wtwin fan EG465P-VE
> Enermax 500w ELT500AWT
> Enermax 625wtwin fan EPR625AWT
> Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620w
> 
> here's the list of available PSU's in my country



Out of those these are the one I trust.

Corsair CMPSU-620HX 620w
Silverstone ST50F 500w modular cable
Silverstone ST60F 600w modular cable
Enermax 460wtwin fan EG465P-VE
Enermax 500w ELT500AWT
Enermax 625wtwin fan EPR625AWT
CoolerMaster EX 460w
CoolerMaster 550w Real Power SLI

Maybe
Thermaltake 400w twin fan


----------



## 87dtna

Go with the corsair.


----------



## gimmigzgy

can the thermaltake  support the 4850?


----------



## StrangleHold

To be honest, you need to just go buy a Dell or HP. You dont accept anybodys answer, you just reword the next question, so all your threads become a vicious circle, over and over and on and on.

Everybody here has told you over and over what you need to do.

Like the power supply question. Fatback told you which ones were the best, 87dtna told you out of this list which was the best. Then you come back and ask questions about the one that was said (Maybe) might work.

You were told many many post back that a Power Supply and Video card was your best bet.

A GTS 250/4850 and a quality 500/550W power supply. Antec/Corsair/OCZ/Silverstone, any of these will work just fine, doesnt matter! 

Last Post!


----------



## gimmigzgy

Ahahaha!

I'm just making sure that my money doesn't go to waste again.
=)

We'll, thanks for everyone that helped me'

I made my final decision,

Procie -AMD Phenom II x3 720
Vid Card - 4850/250gts
PSU - Silverstone 500w
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H AMD740G


----------

