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The Processor you linked to is out of stock.
Didn't the many, many links I provided not answer the question of "how to choose a processor"?
There's more to processors than just benchmarks. I only use benchmarks once I have a handful I've shortlisted as "potential candidates". They are useful when comparing those of the same technology Tier, with similar technical criteria as the only thing the benchmarks tell me at that point is Performance and Pricing Hierarchy
within that Tier.
Quote: Originally posted by callistra
You have an Acer Power FH with an ECS 946GZT-AM made specifically for Acer. It is mini itx, the tower is small, and upgrades are limited.
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And as Callistra mentioned, this upgrade may be moot if you're not switching Casings/Chassis as the CPU (and/or new GPU) may not even fit in the casing, provided there is even a CPU model that is still supported by that motherboard, that is still in stock. When the upgrade is not even guaranteed to provide improved performance, if you're not changing the trifecta components ie CPU (+ Motherboard), RAM & GPU, do you still want to upgrade ?
I mean, as of now, looks like there's no longer any Processor available for that motherboard. So, if you switch motherboards, you'd need to switch casings as the current casing may not fit the basix ATX motherboard - you can go mini-motherboard of course, but you'll end up with this very same issue the next upgrade cycle. And when the motherboard is changed, the RAM may not be compatible anymore...
And if you're switching casings, would not the extra few hundred or so for new motherboard+CPU, (new) RAM & new GPU give you a better peace of mind that you won't need to upgrade for another 2 years at least? Because I can guarantee you that not doing a full upgrade now, and just looking for a "needle-in-a-haystack"
in-stock CPU that
may fit that ITX motherboard may mean you need another upgrade soon, as that component is considered "aged" and its lifetime at this point is numbered.
Search results to explain motherboard sizes -
http://bit.ly/rKkt3P. That first Wikipedia article has pictures to explain all the gobbledygook of the confusing text.
This is why buying OEM Desktops with "mini" or "slim" in its marketing spin of a Description is generally bad, as their upgrade choices are limited if not totally nil.