Comparing AMD 64 x2 4200+ to AMD 64 FX-57

Hello all.

As of right now, i'm currently building a new computer, and I was wondering what the difference between the AMD 64 x2 series to the FX series.
I had looked at the AMD 64 x2 4200, which is a pretty reasonable price, and it's dual core, then I looked at the FX-57, which is suppose to be "the fastest gaming CPU", but currently i'm in a dilemma.

Which one would be more useful, as in for gaming standards.
The current specs I have in mind as of right now are...

AMD 64 X2 4200
nVidia 7800 GT SLi
PC-3200 - 2 gig - 1gb x 2
250 gb hdd

Now, I just want to know which one would be a better deal, as of right now.
Either a FX-57 or the 4200+.
A friend of mine was the one who said that I should go with the 4200 because it's dual core and it's at a more reasonable price (he's currently running on an AMD 64 X2 4000).
Now, I would shell out the money for an AMD 64 X2 4800, but he says it's not worth it, and he says that he runs games like Doom, BF1942 and FFXI on top resolution, highest settings, and runs at 60 FPS with no drops, and that I would see no difference.

Any comments or suggestions?

 

Personally, if i had no budget, i'd go with FX-57 because it would last me longer but if you are on a budget do with the AMD 64 X2. It is sufficient enough for games right now.

 

Right now, the FX-57 is the fastest CPU for gaming. However, that could change in the near future. If games begin to take advantage of multi-threading, the dual core chips will be a much better choice. Here are some benchmarks from Tom's Hardware that will give you an idea:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=238&model2=236&chart=70

The X2 4200+ is slower, but not considerably. IMO, I would go with a dual core chip if you have the money. However, if you want to save a little money, you could go with the Athlon 3700+ San Diego core for about $230 and it will perform better than the X2 4200+ in games. (right now) Then in the future, maybe upgrade to an X2 CPU.

 

Well, what do you guys think?

Should I just keep the X2 4200 or shell out 300 or so more for the 4800?
The FX-57 is about 600 or so more, but with the kind of games I play (mainly World of Warcraft, etc) I don't think I need to upgrade that high, as of right now.

 

if you mostly just play WOW the x2 would work great, I have a p4 1.6ghz and WOW runs fine, and that is with a crappy 5200FX video card, also I think dual core could be useful in the future, also I wouldn't reccomend the FX-57 or intel EE, they are really overpriced, in a year there will be much better technology out for the sxame price. if you have the money go for the 4800 X2

 

What frame rates do you get playing WoW on your PC?

And I guess i'll just stick to the 4200 and upgrade later on when I need to.

 

I generally saw a steady 40-60 fps on this system:

AMD64 3800+
ATI X800Pro
1gb PC3200 DDR

That was running it at 1280x1024, with options maxed.

WoW itself isn't that hardware intensive, and the video card makes the biggest difference in it.

 

I don't really know what my frame rate is but it seems pretty smooth when I am not in a major city.