AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Review

Now that the required specifications are done with I will get to the meat of the matter, installing and use. The processor is easy to install and setup for the heat sink. You will have to take into consideration the heat requirements of this processor if you're thinking of using one in your system.
The processor uses up to 125 watts of power so you need a decent cooling solution but it does not need to be the best out there for normal operation.

I do not and will not be overclocking the AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ in this review. The frame rates I received for testing and playing since I have had this processor are more than adequate and I just do not want to take the time for a few frame rates increase. I do not like to overclock components as the benefits do not equal the time spent when I have so much better things to do with my time.

I tried the stock fan and heat sink that came with my system for the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ and found that running any games or CPU intensive programs would cause errors due to heat. The core would get up towards 70 degrees Celsius and would shut down. I also tried a lower model of CPU cooler from EverCool, the Shark, and it did much better than the stock heat sink. At some very intensive testing and benchmarking it does not keep the 6000+ as cool as I would like so I tried out the Buffalo from EverCool and it does very well. I have run the processor through its paces with both games and benchmark programs and the chip never gets over 60 degrees Celsius.

I would recommend a very good CPU cooler for this much power but you really don't have to buy the best on the market, just a good one. Installing the processor is easy and the coolers I used were also very easy to install. Just like any computer installation you need to learn what you're doing if you have never done this before but it is not that difficult to replace a CPU. If you don't know how to do this kind of upgrade it is not even as difficult as changing a video card as you do not have to install any drivers. You just swap out the processor and install the CPU cooler.

As long as you have the correct processor and know that your motherboard and system will handle the new processor you simply remove the CPU cooler, wipe off the old thermal compound and install the new one. You will need to put some thermal paste on that should come with your new CPU cooler. If not you can buy a tube for about ten dollars at a computer store or order some from the internet. The best brand out is Artic Silver 3 but you can use the more common thermal compound and just smear a small amount on the CPU.