a good amd processor that will

[c44151]

I need a good amd processor that will handle games for at least a year if not more but I dont want to get fancy and get the amd fx-51 nor get some cheapo processor.currently I am thinking of the 2700+ but also I guess I need something in the 2ghs level for half-life 2. for the most part this will be running games. since we are on the subject looking around at prices the 2700+ is 2.17ghz and the 2800+ is 2.08ghz why is that maby?

[Xeroid]

since we are on the subject looking around at prices the 2700+ is 2.17ghz and the 2800+ is 2.08ghz why is that maby?

AMD processors are rated according to their performance. The thing I notice when comparing the 2700 to the 2800 is that the 2800 has twice the L2 cache (512kb vs 256kb). I suppose this enables it to outperform the 2700 even though it's running at a slower speed?

LINK

[f1oored]

With AMD you shouldn't really look at the processor speed. The 2500+ or 2700+ are the P4 equivalent. If I were you and I were concerned about money I would purchase the 2500+ because it has the larger fsb and the larger cache and lots of people are able to OC it to to 3200+ ($85 on Tiger Direct). Though the 2800+ does have the 512 cache instead of the 256.

[jmichna]

IMO, once you get to the XP2000+ level of performance, or higher, all those CPUs will handle whatever games throw at them for a long time. There are probably no "games" today that really tax the higher-end AMD (and Intel CPUs), at a level you --as a user -- could discern to the naked eye. Benchmarks might show differences, but you won't see them.

For "games" the bigger influence will be the strength of your video card... the really neat games and simulators push the video cards much more so than they push the CPUs (again, once you are at or above a certain level of performance).

The XP2700+ would certainly be a good choice, and depending on your motherboard, so would the Barton 2500+ (or any higher Barton).

[Starfury_2260]

the reason the 2700+ has a higher frequency is because it is a different chip type (not sure which). the 2800+ is a barton.