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A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 5:10 am
by _MarcoM_
Hi folks! :mrgreen:

I want to do a platform upgrade in my P150, i think i will buy new ram+cpu+motherboard. I have enough money only for these components.
I'm thinking about AMD Phenom II X4 955 - Black Edition (dunno if step c2 or c3, i can't choose during the shopping), a motherboard Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 and 4GB DDR3 dual channel from OCZ.

In your opinion, is it my 2-3 years old psu enough for this upgrade?
Do i need to increase airflow inside my case according to the 125W tdp of Phenom II?

Re: A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:02 am
by quest_for_silence
_MarcoM_ wrote:In your opinion, is it my 2-3 years old psu enough for this upgrade?

It's about twice that's enough (however, it's not an opinion, it's just math).
_MarcoM_ wrote:Do i need to increase airflow inside my case according to the 125W tdp of Phenom II?
It's difficult to say: certainly you'll have higher CPU temps, but very unlikely even higher system temps.
But as certainly you'll need a better heatsink than the stock one, if you take care of quietness: a CoolerMaster Hyper212+ will be just fine, I mean.

About the 955, lots of shops give you the part number of what they sell: if that code start with HDX- (locked multiplier), it's surely a C3 part number.
While if the relevant code starts with HDZ- (typical of Black Edition ones), then if it ends with -4KDGI or -GIBOX, it's a C2. On the contrary, if it ends with -K4DGM or -GMBOX, then it's a C3. However, a Phenom II X6 1055T usually costs 20-25 euros more than a Phenom II X4 955, and even if it hasn't an unlocked multiplier as 955 HDZ-ones, it should be better if you actually need more than two cores.

Last but not least, as it's the beginning of December, take note that in the first week of january there will be the Sandy Bridge launch: IMO you might do better to wait these four-five weeks more (even to get better prices on AMDs).

Re: A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Tue Nov 30, 2010 5:03 am
by _MarcoM_
Thank you very much for the explanation, you were a great help :)
I am happy not having to change power supply, too :mrgreen:

Re: A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:48 am
by hybry
I would agree with Luca,

425W will be plenty with that graphics card.

1055T might be a better choice as it has 2 extra cores. Can't hurt :) and neither can waiting for january launch of Sandy bridge. Or there might be some good deals on these parts around Christmas. :)

Hard to say on cooling. Stock should be sufficient given there is enough airflow in the case, but you might want to consider aftermarket cooler for better cooling and noise reduction.

Re: A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 7:38 am
by _MarcoM_
Actually i'm using a Noctua NH-U9B 92mm fan. It work with socket AM3, too.
It's not a 120/140mm fan equipped, but i think it will be enough, anyway nobody reach 100% wattage on the cpu. Bench apart :)

Re: A "little" AMD Phenom II upgrade, 425W for the job

Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:21 pm
by michaelius
I have used X6 1055T and GTX 470 for few days with 450W Chieftec GPS PSU (rebranded delta) and it was fine (altrough voltage drop was getting near to atx norm)