# AMD Athlon II X3 425



## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

Does anyone have this processor and can they recommend it?

also will it *definately* work this motherboard?


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 7, 2009)

No
Yes
Yes, will not give name, but will work


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

TheLaughingMan said:


> Yes
> Yes, will not give name, but will work



so you recommend it? but you don't own one?
why is that?

and what do you mean by "won't give name"?


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## fullinfusion (Nov 7, 2009)

That cpu will for sure work with that mobo.... any AM2+ socket will work with a am3 cpu


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 7, 2009)

I own a Sempron 140 and a Atholon X2 550.  I don't own this particular processor, but between those two and TPU's review I have a really good idea of how it would perform.  For its price, it is a great overall buy.

It should handle all tasks like a champ, but I do think it is a bad price point.  You can get a decent Dual core for $15 to $20 less, or throw another $15 to $20 and get the X4 620 or X2 550.  Taken out $20 would save money and use less power in effecient build (like my Sempron 140 unlocked) and adding $20 would give you a nice boost in gaming performance (like my X2 550).

If you are trying to split the difference and get good gaming and save some power, a quick voltage tweak will do you very very well (cause if it is like the Sempron 140, it is using more power than it needs).


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

fullinfusion said:


> That cpu will for sure work with that mobo.... any AM2+ socket will work with a am3 cpu


okay dude thanks 



TheLaughingMan said:


> I own a Sempron 140 and a Atholon X2 550.  I don't own this particular processor, but between those two and TPU's review I have a really good idea of how it would perform.  For its price, it is a great overall buy.
> 
> It should handle all tasks like a champ, but I do think it is a bad price point.  You can get a decent Dual core for $15 to $20 less, or throw another $15 to $20 and get the X4 620 or X2 550.  Taken out $20 would save money and use less power in effecient build (like my Sempron 140 unlocked) and adding $20 would give you a nice boost in gaming performance (like my X2 550).
> 
> If you are trying to split the difference and get good gaming and save some power, a quick voltage tweak will do you very very well (cause if it is like the Sempron 140, it is using more power than it needs).



yeah i was about to get the X2 245.. but one more core for an extra £10 sounded good to me.
tbh it probably IS overkill.. but seeing as i'll get a noticable performance boost for so little more is why i want to buy it
i'm more likely to multitask than to actually run a program that utilizes the L3 cache boost from the PII 550 X2


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## fullinfusion (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> okay dude thanks
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Np Bro, and good luck with your build


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

fullinfusion said:


> Np Bro, and good luck with your build



thanks dude 
one more thing.. what's the best graphics card i can buy that doesn't bottleneck with this card?


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## LittleLizard (Nov 7, 2009)

It will give name as is on the cpu support list of thhe mobo here http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=N68PV-GS&s=AM2

the only con is that, as that mobo is based on a very old chipset, the cpu will run with its ht link halved, thus reducing performance (not by much as this DOES NOT affect the clock speed)

that mobo is a cheap n good as it has power energy saving things and support any 95W amd cpu out there. I MEAN ANY.

EDIT: i recommend that cpu because, well, just look at the review here at tpu. A lot of performance for low money. is a no brainer.

EDIT 2: oh, you CANT unlock the other cpu core in that mobo

EDIT 3: im going to play some dota


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

I will have a system built using this processor hopefully completed by Monday evening.  I can give you an update on my thoughts on it then if you'd like.


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> thanks dude
> one more thing.. what's the best graphics card i can buy that doesn't bottleneck with this card?



Bottlenecking is not as big an issue as forums like this make it out to be.  You have to realize the people who bring this up usually have the top of the line Graphics cards and/or benchmarkers.  People who live for their Benchmark score need every frame per second they can get.

Considering the Sempron 140, I would say this processor should start bottlenecking with the HD 4890 or Nvidia GTX 275 range.  It wouldn't be enough to notice anyway.

Since it is officiall supported, a BIOS update will correct the issue I brought up earlier about not giving it a name.  And what I meant by that is your BIOS and in OS device manager will refer to the processor as a "3 core Uniprocessor" something or other.  It would blunt say, "AMD Athlon X3 425".  It is a none issue with decent cooler.


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## fullinfusion (Nov 7, 2009)

kenkickr said:


> I will have a system built using this processor hopefully completed by Monday evening.  I can give you an update on my thoughts on it then if you'd like.


KK, your at it again lol...


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

fullinfusion said:


> KK, your at it again lol...



What can I say besides I guess I'm a AMD whore


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 7, 2009)

the athlon X3 425/435 came very close or almost beated the phenom x3 in many benchmarks i am going get the 425 aswell in my new build hopefully


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> It will give name as is on the cpu support list of thhe mobo here http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=N68PV-GS&s=AM2
> the only con is that, as that mobo is based on a very old chipset, the cpu will run with its ht link halved, thus reducing performance (not by much as this DOES NOT affect the clock speed)
> 
> that mobo is a cheap n good as it has power energy saving things and support any 95W amd cpu out there. I MEAN ANY.
> ...


i'm not looking to unlock the other core 
when you say it reduces performance.. i'm guessing it's nothing noticable.. like games stuttering etc. etc.



kenkickr said:


> I will have a system built using this processor hopefully completed by Monday evening.  I can give you an update on my thoughts on it then if you'd like.



that would be nice thanks 



TheLaughingMan said:


> Bottlenecking is not as big an issue as forums like this make it out to be.  You have to realize the people who bring this up usually have the top of the line Graphics cards and/or benchmarkers.  People who live for their Benchmark score need every frame per second they can get.
> 
> Considering the Sempron 140, I would say this processor should start bottlenecking with the HD 4890 or Nvidia GTX 275 range.  It wouldn't be enough to notice anyway.
> 
> Since it is officiall supported, a BIOS update will correct the issue I brought up earlier about not giving it a name.  And what I meant by that is your BIOS and in OS device manager will refer to the processor as a "3 core Uniprocessor" something or other.  It would blunt say, "AMD Athlon X3 425".  It is a none issue with decent cooler.



oh okay
i don't really mind if it has a name or not 
i'm not worried about bottlenecks now 



kurosagi01 said:


> the athlon X3 425/435 came very close or almost *beat* the phenom x3 in many benchmarks i am going get the 425 aswell in my new build hopefully



nice one man
it's pretty damn cheap too!


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 7, 2009)

mega cheap for an triple core and you should try getting the MSI AM3 770G motherboard for £50


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

I'm using the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P motherboard with 4Gbs of G.Skill DDR3-1333.  I'm having issues setting up because the only extra keyboard I have decided to crap out on me.  Gonna romage through the Computer Graveyard to see if I can find another keyboard.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

kurosagi01 said:


> mega cheap for an triple core and you should try getting the MSI AM3 770G motherboard for £50



well.. i'm POOR
i could cut down to a lowly dual core
and pick up said motherboard
but i don't want to


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

Alright!! Have the keyboard working again and just did a basic setup in the bios for now except bumping the memory to 1600 instead of 1333.  Testing the memory and Hard drive out and should get Windows installed tomorrow.  

Are there any certain test you would like done El Mayo?


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## LittleLizard (Nov 7, 2009)

kenkickr said:


> Alright!! Have the keyboard working again and just did a basic setup in the bios for now except bumping the memory to 1600 instead of 1333.  Testing the memory and Hard drive out and should get Windows installed tomorrow.
> 
> Are there any certain test you would like done El Mayo?



you just got an athlon II x3, right. well, if u run benchmars for him, lower the ht multiplier to 5 as the mobo he is gonna buy is am2, not am2+, thus he will be running with the ht link at 2000mt (1000mhz)


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

Then I will run the benchmarks twice, one with HTT @ 2000 and the other @ 4000.


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## LittleLizard (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> i'm not looking to unlock the other core
> when you say it reduces performance.. i'm guessing it's nothing noticable.. like games stuttering etc. etc.



i dont think so. 939 and am2 cpus didnt have their performance seriously halved for having the ht link at a lower speed. I would say you will lose 5 - 15% of performance. 20% in the worst scenario. but that cpu is so quick u want notice


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> you just got an athlon II x3, right. well, if u run benchmars for him, lower the ht multiplier to 5 as the mobo he is gonna buy is am2, not am2+, thus he will be running with the ht link at 2000mt (1000mhz)


This one?
it SAYS it's AM2+


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## kenkickr (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> This one?
> it SAYS it's AM2+



It will support upto some AM3 procs but does not support HT3(5200).


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 7, 2009)

Same issue.  It has nothing to do with AM2+ or not.  It is the chipset and the HyperTransport you want to up.

The one you just listed is still FSB 1000 MHz (2000 Mhz HyperTransport).  The new AM3 chips normally run at FSB 2000 Mhz (4000 HT/s).  I think my board supports up to 5200 HT/s, but I digress.

You need a chipset from AMD in the 700 series and up which has HyperTransport 3.0 if what HT to run at full speed.

Example


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

TheLaughingMan said:


> Same issue.  It has nothing to do with AM2+ or not.  It is the chipset and the HyperTransport you want to up.
> 
> The one you just listed is still FSB 1000 MHz (2000 Mhz HyperTransport).  The new AM3 chips normally run at FSB 2000 Mhz (4000 HT/s).  I think my board supports up to 5200 HT/s, but I digress.
> 
> ...



does HyperTransport 3.0 affect gaming performance?


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> does HyperTransport 3.0 affect gaming performance?



Yes.  It does a lot of things, but basically it increases the bandwidth between your CPU and the rest of your computer.  It also allows direct connection from your add-in cards (GPU) to the CPU.

For details, click here.

But for a simply analogy, think of your computer as a city.  The HT is the high system.  The more lanes on the freeway the more traffic (information transfers) it can handle without congestion.


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## LittleLizard (Nov 7, 2009)

kenkickr said:


> It will support upto some AM3 procs but does not support HT3(5200).



in fact, asrock has a very good cpu support on their mobos. that mobo should support any cpu that has a 95w tdp.



TheLaughingMan said:


> Same issue.  It has nothing to do with AM2+ or not.  It is the chipset and the HyperTransport you want to up.
> 
> The one you just listed is still FSB 1000 MHz (2000 Mhz HyperTransport).  The new AM3 chips normally run at FSB 2000 Mhz (4000 HT/s).  I think my board supports up to 5200 HT/s, but I digress.
> 
> ...



true. the only chipset so far that use ht 3.0 are the 780g, 780v, 785g, 770, 790x, 790gx, 790fx and the nvidia chipsets 7xx and 8200.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> in fact, asrock has a very good cpu support on their mobos. that mobo should support any cpu that has a 95w tdp.
> 
> 
> 
> true. the only chipset so far that use ht 3.0 are the 780g, 780v, 785g, 770, 790x, 790gx, 790fx and the nvidia chipsets 7xx and 8200.



this is the cheapest motherboard i can find with HT support
WITH 125W cpu support
should i skimp out on the processor for now
and get a dual core instead?


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## fullinfusion (Nov 7, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> this is the cheapest motherboard i can find with HT support
> WITH 125W cpu support
> should i skimp out on the processor for now
> and get a dual core instead?


Nothing wrong with that choice.
And imo I wouldn't.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 7, 2009)

that motherboard and an Athlon X2 240
work out at the same price.


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## fullinfusion (Nov 7, 2009)

how much can you spend in total?


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

fullinfusion said:


> how much can you spend in total?



i've got.. £85 atm
i might just not upgrade the CPU though (AMD 64 4400+ X2)


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## LittleLizard (Nov 8, 2009)

get the 780g and the athlon II x2. very few apps are optimized for using more than 2 cores right now. also it uses less power, has more cache and the 780g is one of the best onboard video and probably the best budget chipset out there (after its sucessor the 785g)


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## fullinfusion (Nov 8, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> get the 780g and the athlon II x2. very few apps are optimized for using more than 2 cores right now. also it uses less power, has more cache and the 780g is one of the best onboard video and probably the best budget chipset out there (after its sucessor the 785g)


Like he said...+1


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> get the 780g and the athlon II x2. very few apps are optimized for using more than 2 cores right now. also it uses less power, has more cache and the 780g is one of the best onboard video and probably the best budget chipset out there (after its sucessor the 785g)



alright man
i will do 
any chance of unlocking cores on that motherboard?


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## LittleLizard (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> alright man
> i will do
> any chance of unlocking cores on that motherboard?



no, it has the old sb700 which does NOT has acc, thus you cant unlock cpu cores. altough that shouldnt be a problem as, well, the athlon II x2 has no cores to unlock


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> no, it has the old sb700 which does NOT has acc, thus you cant unlock cpu cores. altough that shouldnt be a problem as, well, the athlon II x2 has no cores to unlock




ahh well! XD
i think i'm gonna stick with my 4400+ X2
pick up a wireless PCI card
and save up for a 20" monitor.


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> ahh well! XD
> i think i'm gonna stick with my 4400+ X2
> pick up a wireless PCI card
> and save up for a 20" monitor.



Wow, that was drastic.  You went from CPU/Mobo to Wireless and 20" monitor.

The example I sent earlier has a SB710 southbridge and you should be able to unlock with it.  I say upgrade the CPU, the mobo can come later.  HT will be limited, but it will still work faster.  Then when you change the mobo later on, it will give you more.

I had your 4400+ X2 for 2 years, trust me when I say it will be a big and I mean big difference between the two processors (that goes for the 240 and 425)


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

TheLaughingMan said:


> Wow, that was drastic.  You went from CPU/Mobo to Wireless and 20" monitor.


well i'm still considering which to do, nothing's set in stone 



TheLaughingMan said:


> The example I sent earlier has a SB710 southbridge and you should be able to unlock with it.  I say upgrade the CPU, the mobo can come later.  HT will be limited, but it will still work faster.  Then when you change the mobo later on, it will give you more.


My current motherboard is DEAD.
so might as well get one i won't need to upgrade in the future (125W AM2+)



TheLaughingMan said:


> I had your 4400+ X2 for 2 years, trust me when I say it will be a big and I mean big difference between the two processors (that goes for the 240 and 425)



oh i thought it'd be only a marginal difference because they are both dual core


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## Cheeseball (Nov 8, 2009)

I had a 5000+ Black Edition for nearly 2 years and when I went to a Athlon II X2 240 and matched my initial 3GHz clock, the difference in performance is huge. Far Cry 2, GTA4, and other games were a lot more smoother.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

Cheeseball said:


> I had a 5000+ Black Edition for nearly 2 years and when I went to a Athlon II X2 240 and matched my initial 3GHz clock, the difference in performance is huge. Far Cry 2, GTA4, and other games were a lot more smoother.



oh okay
i just realized i could sell my current CPU after i get a new one
so i might as well get the Athlon X3 
although i heard it consumes loads of power D:


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 8, 2009)

218W full load but i doubt you push it that high,unless your doing some massive stress test then it probably go that high but you could always lower the voltage and it use 182W.
If your that worried then i would consider waiting until christmas or so and buy a decent 400W+ brand like corsair etc.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

kurosagi01 said:


> 218W full load but i doubt you push it that high,unless your doing some massive stress test then it probably go that high but you could always lower the voltage and it use 182W.
> If your that worried then i would consider waiting until christmas or so and buy a decent 400W+ brand like corsair etc.
> http://tpucdn.com/reviews/AMD/Athlon_II_X3_425/images/power_load_low.gif



I've got a 400W OCZ StealthXtreme 
oh btw... how come it's rated 95W if it uses 182W


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## Zubasa (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> I've got a 400W OCZ StealthXtreme
> oh btw... how come it's rated 95W if it uses 182W


As far as I can tell that screenshot is suppose to be the power draw of the whole system.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

Zubasa said:


> As far as I can tell that screenshot is suppose to be the power draw of the whole system.



oh okay


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 8, 2009)

you wouldn't push it that high anyway your not going do any cpu stress test like furmark and so on unless you want check your cpu is stable at overclocking but i doubt you be overclocking.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

kurosagi01 said:


> you wouldn't push it that high anyway your not going do any cpu stress test like furmark and so on unless you want check your cpu is stable at overclocking but i doubt you be overclocking.



damn right
might even be underclocking


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## Zubasa (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> damn right
> might even be underclocking


Pointless, the Phenom II downclocks itself to 800Mhz in idle, so it is better off undervolting.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

Zubasa said:


> Pointless, the Phenom II downclocks itself to 800Mhz in idle, so it is better off undervolting.


good to know... but i'm getting the *Athlon II* 
undervolting then 
that's BIOS shit yeah?


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## LittleLizard (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> good to know... but i'm getting the *Athlon II*
> undervolting then
> that's BIOS shit yeah?



athlon II and phenom II are based in the same arquitecture, both have C'n'C 3 so both downclocks to 800mhz on idle, so no, no underclocking.

EDIT: undervolting is in the same section of overvolting which is in the oc section of the bios.

EDIT 2: GO FOR THE 780G MOBO aahhhhhhhhahaha


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> athlon II and phenom II are based in the same arquitecture, both have C'n'C 3 so both downclocks to 800mhz on idle, so no, no underclocking.
> 
> EDIT: undervolting is in the same section of overvolting which is in the oc section of the bios.
> 
> EDIT 2: GO FOR THE 780G MOBO aahhhhhhhhahaha



I WILL GET THAT MOTHERBOARD


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## TheLaughingMan (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> I've got a 400W OCZ StealthXtreme
> oh btw... how come it's rated 95W if it uses 182W



The TPD has nothing to do with power consumption.  TPD (Thermal Power Design) is the amount of heat needed to be disapated for the product to function normally.  While it is a good parallel as more powerful parts will generate more heat, but is not always the case.


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## Zubasa (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> good to know... but i'm getting the *Athlon II*
> undervolting then
> that's BIOS shit yeah?


Athlon II is the same shit as a Phenom II, just less cache. 
Make sure you get a board with a SB710 or SB750 southbridge.
That way you can try your luck on getting a quad.


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

Zubasa said:


> Athlon II is the same shit as a Phenom II, just less cache.
> Make sure you get a board with a SB710 or SB750 southbridge.
> That way you can try your luck on getting a quad.



edit: the motherboard i want says:
Chipset   
AMD 780G/SB700


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 8, 2009)

i'm not really bothered about unlocking mine IF i am able to build a new rig and why don't you fill in your system specs? i always wonder that lol


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## El_Mayo (Nov 8, 2009)

kurosagi01 said:


> i'm not really bothered about unlocking mine IF i am able to build a new rig and why don't you fill in your system specs? i always wonder that lol



i'm pretty sure i already did fill it in!
and even if i did.. it's not working atm
so doesn't matter for now


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## LittleLizard (Nov 8, 2009)

El_Mayo said:


> i'm pretty sure i already did fill it in!
> and even if i did.. it's not working atm
> so doesn't matter for now



ok you filled it BUT did u ACTIVATE IT¿ 

EDIT: 





El_Mayo said:


> edit: the motherboard i want says:
> Chipset
> AMD 780G/SB700



unless u want to unlock the 4º core or u need to do Raid 5, you will be fine with the sb700


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## El_Mayo (Nov 9, 2009)

LittleLizard said:


> ok you filled it BUT did u ACTIVATE IT¿
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> unless u want to unlock the 4º core or u need to do Raid 5, you will be fine with the sb700



lol i don't think i did xD
and okay thanks for that ^^
maybe there'll be some cores to unlock


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## El_Mayo (Jan 31, 2010)

I only just actually bought this on ebuyer today
4 months after this thread was made xD
looking forward to it though


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