2 opteron questions

S

Some Llama

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 6, 2001
Messages
379
Hey Guys,

So i got some opterons for free and I was thinking about upgrading my box to a 939 chipset, are the opterons better performers for desktop systems or would i be better off building a box with Athlon 64s? Like along the lines of video cards where there are GPUs that are good for CAD and wireframe work and others that are better at gaming, is it the same deal with opterons vs Athlon 64s?

Also, i have seen that opterons use 940 pins right? So they aren't compatible with a 939 motherboard? OR are the opterons 939 pin now also? I remember hearing something about this a little while back but i forget now... are there 2 types of Opterons, 939 AND 940?

I don't wanna buy a 939 socket motherboard and find out these opterons won't work in it...

Thanks for your time. :)
 
there are s939 opterons out now.. the reason people are buying them is becasue an opteron has to go through more strenous testing. therefore they are generally better than an a64 of the same clock speed and overclock more..

also the ihs is better i guess..

so if you can get one, i would.. unless you won't be overclocking at all..
 
scottatwittenberg said:
also the ihs is better i guess..
Click to expand...

ihs?

I wont be overclocking.

SO opterons used to be 940 and now they are all standardized on the 939 architecture, correct? I thought i had seen something about this before...

Also how can i tell if it is a 939 or 940 pin?

The problem is that these CPUS are engineering samples so they dont have a model number listed, is there a way to tell by looking at the pins or what the OS reports?

I did a GIS for pics showing the pins of a 939 and 940, but they look identical (or the pics i found aren't really 939 and 940)...

edited to add information-somellama
 
Some Llama said:
ihs?

I wont be overclocking.

SO opterons used to be 940 and now they are all standardized on the 939 architecture, correct? I thought i had seen something about this before...

Also how can i tell if it is a 939 or 940 pin?

The problem is that these CPUS are engineering samples so they dont have a model number listed, is there a way to tell by looking at the pins or what the OS reports?

I did a GIS for pics showing the pins of a 939 and 940, but they look identical (or the pics i found aren't really 939 and 940)...

edited to add information-somellama
Click to expand...

IHS = Integrated Heat Spreader (I think :) ). It's the metal cap on top of the CPU that protects the die. Compare the AXP's with the A64's for example (or the P3's with the P4's).

When buying, the only real way to tell the difference is by the model number being listed. OSA144BNBOX is s939. OSA144ATBOX (or something like that) is the s940 version.

There is only 1 pin difference so they do look identical (unless you like counting 939 pins :) ). I think the 1 pin missing is in the corner that has the "notch" in it. The 940 has one pin in the notch and the 939 doesn't have it.

Since you're not OCing. I'd probably just be content with the A64. Less hassle and you won't have to worry about compatibility.
 
Some Llama said:
SO opterons used to be 940 and now they are all standardized on the 939 architecture, correct? I thought i had seen something about this before...
Click to expand...

Socket 940 is still standard for Opterons. You can't get non-dual core SMP S939 opteron systems as far as I know, however quad opteron s940 boards exist.
 
also, only the 1xx line is moving to s939. everything else stays with s940 for now, and will switch to socket F for ddr2 support next year.

kirby, don't forget those 4 "holes" in the pins in both s939 and s940, they're in different places :D


llama.. did you get s939 or s940 opterons? if you're not overclocking... i highly advise you donate one to me for a worth cause ;)
 
(cf)Eclipse said:
kirby, don't forget those 4 "holes" in the pins in both s939 and s940, they're in different places :D
Click to expand...

Can't win them all ;).
 
oh, i didn't read that right the first time.. you got some for free..
lucky...

anways.. what are the model numbers? and what does it say on the box.. if you don't have the boxes.. then tell us what the numbers are on the actual cpu itself...
 
Well like i said, these are engineering samples, they dont have the model number listed.

So basically they came from AMD themselves, were given to my company a while back as a gift, and I was given them.

Is there anyway to tell from the actual pins on the CPU what socket it uses?

Counting the pins, it seems there are 940 pins, but do all opterons have 940 pins? The pins look exactly like every 939 picture i have seen using google image search...

Can someone post a picture of the pins on a 939 model?
 
It's easier if you would post a pic and we could tell you if it's 939 or 940 ;).
 
Some Llama said:
So basically they came from AMD themselves, were given to my company a while back as a gift, and I was given them.
Click to expand...
how long ago? also.. you would think amd would give you a bit of info on the things :D
 
I'd say about a year ago, they gave us this whole custom computer that had dual athlons in it.. the motherboad is also an engineering sample so that's why I am curious to find this infromation out so I can buy a new motherboard.
 
are opterons able to be used without registered ram these days?
 
and a year ago.... definitly definitly means s940.
scott, i'm fairly certain all s940 opterons are locked up and down :(
 
I have a motherboard already, but it is a pre-released engineering sample also...

I dunno, the opterons might be unlocked since they are engineering samples, and not tied to production specifications... i'll fire up the server i have tomorrow and see what i can do in the BIOS....

Can anyone post up a 939 pin Operton pic of the pins so I can see the difference?
**UPDATE** Thanks scottatwittenberg, your link cleared it up for me...



So I was looking around at MBs that will support these processors and dual proc MBs run about 200-400 dollars, that is way more than i wanted to spend, so I might end up going with a single opteron MB, it all depends on the answer i get to the question i posed in a different thread, "what is better for dekstop systems, Opteron or Athlon64?"

You know how there are specific GPUs for CAD and movie rendering that draw wireframe a lot faster than desktop GPUs, and then Desktop GPUs that are made for gaming but suck in CAD applications.. i was wondering if Opterons/Athlon 64s are the same way...


Overall though, thanks for everyone's input, it's nice to see people who spend the time to answer mudane questions from someone not "in the know"...

-Some Llama
 
scottatwittenberg said:
based on this: http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Print.aspx?ArticleId=10618
Click to expand...

Ah i see the difference now about the 939 and 940, thanks alot this clears it up.. i have 2 - 940 processors...

Okie dokie.. well i'll see what these babys can do tomorrow and if they overlock well then i'll prolly use one for my new box and sell the other in the FS/FT forum... :)

Any recommendations for a Motherboard that supports opterons? Preferrably i'd like to have PCI-E or better yet SLI ability...
Cya
-Some Llama
 
i wouldn't but a motherboard, especially if you have one.. i would say 2 non-overclocked are better than 1 overclocked.. like you said, a dual opteron board is $200-400. you already have one.. do you also have ECC ram? because you will need that to fire it up..

i would just use what you got though.. dual opterons on a nice server board.. you will probably need to go agp for the vid card, but that's not a big deal..

find out what you have though.. fire it up.. get windows running and run cpu-z.. or at least figure out what you can by the post screen and bios. that will help determine what to do with them since they could be 1.4ghz.. or 2.4ghz.. and that would make a difference...
 
Oh I already have it running SuSe 9.3, but like i said previously, the motherboard is also an engineering sample, and if I am gonna use these in a desktop box i'd like to have a good vid card, like a 7800 or something.

I wasn't worried at what speed they ran, just what kind of motherboard i would need if I were to use them in a desktop system, and if they are better CPUs overall, or more suited to a server.

Back when the pentium pro CPUs came out, they sucked for desktops and it was better to use a high end pentium, they were more suited to use in servers, thats the only unanswered question now...

Please please please, i appreciate all the responses, but if you are gonna post, at least read the thread so far as I have re-answered the same questions over and over ...

Thanks :)
 
well.. it is my opinion that you either sell the set as a whole.. or use it..

what speed are the opterons? it does matter.. i would not reccomend pairing a 1.6ghz opteron up with a nice vid cards like a 7800.. but if they are running at 2.2 ghz or more, it might make more sense..

there really is no difference.. except in your case, since they are skt 940, they need registered ecc ram.. which costs more and is slightly slower.. and the multi can't be dropped lower.. and the motherboards cost more..

the reason that people have been using the opterons so much recently is becasue of the s939 versions which really aren't different from a normal a-64.. except for a larger cache and different IHS..

so it really depends what you want to do with tthat computer.. if you are playing games on it.. then it might not be worth it unless those cpus are running over 2.2ghz and you are willing to buy a agp vid card.. assuming the board is too old to be pci-e..
 
Volkum said:
Socket 940 is still standard for Opterons. You can't get non-dual core SMP S939 opteron systems as far as I know, however quad opteron s940 boards exist.
Click to expand...
an easier way to say this would be: there are no dual-socket 939 boards. If you want real multiprocessing, i.e. two or more physical chips with packaging, you will need a s940 board and Opteron 2xx or 8xx CPUs.
 
Ah ok yes this sums it up very nicely, bascially if I want to use these CPUs, I am looking at an expensive motherboard, ECC ram, and AGP graphics... so unless they are top of the line (which i doubt) it is pretty much pointless... ok into a server they go (my game server needed an upgrade from dual pentium3 1GHZ anyway :))


Thanks to everyone who posted up and helped me out!!

-Llama
 
Some Llama said:
Ah ok yes this sums it up very nicely, bascially if I want to use these CPUs, I am looking at an expensive motherboard, ECC ram, and AGP graphics... so unless they are top of the line (which i doubt) it is pretty much pointless... ok into a server they go (my game server needed an upgrade from dual pentium3 1GHZ anyway :))


Thanks to everyone who posted up and helped me out!!

-Llama
Click to expand...

You can get PCI-Express or even SLI if you wanted. You aren't limited to AGP if you want to build a dual opteron system.
 
Volkum said:
You can get PCI-Express or even SLI if you wanted. You aren't limited to AGP if you want to build a dual opteron system.
Click to expand...

Yah but looking around, getting PCI- or SLI increases the motherboard cost upwards of 400 bucks, seeing as how I can build a new system for about that much (sans video) i'd rather just use what i have to upgrade our server that doesn't need a vid card ;)
 
Some Llama said:
Yah but looking around, getting PCI- or SLI increases the motherboard cost upwards of 400 bucks, seeing as how I can build a new system for about that much (sans video) i'd rather just use what i have to upgrade our server that doesn't need a vid card ;)
Click to expand...

The board in my sig is under 300 and has PCI-Express.
 
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