A 4800+ X2 might be a better deal than a conroe for me...should I upgrade at all?

H

HighwayAssassins

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Messages
5,210
I have a 3000+ @ 2.2 GHz ATM, limited by my shitty mobo. The chip can do 2.75GHz no sweat in an nForce based mobo.

I am going to upgrade to a PCI-e based system soon in the near future, because my 6800GT is getting dated, and I really like the G80; so upgrading the mobo is a must. For 939, I like the DFI nF4 mobos.

Now, at the same time, conroe is coming out, and these chips really got my mouth watering. Then again, they will be even better in a year or more. the A64 chips are nearing the end of their life, so I know what I am going to get.

With these price cuts, it looks like I will be able to get a 939 4800+ X2 for ~$260 according to this site. Thats a sweat deal for an X2 2.4GHz 2MB cache. And the overclocking!!

But Conroe looks good, but I would have to get (all at teh same time mind you) a new mobo, PCI-e card, the CPU and DDR-2 memory. Conroes are probably the fastest thing out there, but there is alot of money involved in obtaining ALL the new things that go along with it, while I allready have a fully functional 939 system. Then all I would need to do is around christmass time get my nice nF4 board and the DX10 card of my choosing, and my upgrade is complete. keep in mind im a broke ass college student.

Does my logic sound ok, or am I totally dropping the ball on this conroe thing? is an X2 just a waste of money?
 
Personally, I'd get an X2 3800+ or a 4200+ after the price cuts. A 4200+ with 11x244 = 2.6+ Ghz. If you can pick one of those up for around $200, you'd be set.
 
kirbyrj said:
Personally, I'd get an X2 3800+ or a 4200+ after the price cuts. A 4200+ with 11x244 = 2.6+ Ghz. If you can pick one of those up for around $200, you'd be set.
Click to expand...
do those chips have 2MB chche as well, or is it only 1MB?
 
They are 2x512k...if you want 2x1mb, then get the 4400+ or an Opty 175.

That being said, I don't think you're going to notice a big difference (if any) between the two. I've used both an Opty with 2x1mb and a 3800+ with 2x512k and they performed near the same. 2x1mb chips aren't worth the extra money at this point IMHO.
 
go big. overclocking is never something you should count on, too many variables.
 
Faction said:
go big. overclocking is never something you should count on, too many variables.
Click to expand...
thats kindof my reasoning about going for the big guns...bigger headstart on overclocking, bigger multiplier...and since im only capable of OCing to 245 (shitty mobo again), 245x12 is damn near 3 GHz.
 
the 1mbx2 L2 chips dont get the cut. its my understanding basically the memory controller was the area with the most manufacturing defects and so if one 1mb cache failed they would just label it as a 512x2. i believe they (the 2mb chips) are being discontinued to prepare for a price war with intel.

im in a similar situation as you. ive got a 3500+ running at 2.8ish but ive got the upgrade bug. a new mb, 2gig ddr2 kit and C2D would be nice, but a hassel. and with my 7900gt (soon) i wont be able to get any extra frames (as CSS is the only reason to upgrade). im still thinking about it.

can i use X2 or opteron on my MB?
 
DruSi3r said:
its my understanding basically the memory controller was the area with the most manufacturing defects and so if one 1mb cache failed they would just label it as a 512x2.
Click to expand...
you mean cache, not memory controller. the memory controller on the manchester and toledo is basically identical
 
fatal flaw in your plan: the 2x1mb cache cpu's are not getting the price cuts, they're being phased out.
 
yup. sry to be the one to break the news to you. the cache doesn't really make a difference though unless you do video rendering or something like that that needs a lot of cache. in most apps, its like getting a 200mhz boost over a 2x512kb cache cpu.
 
People blow the L2 way out of proportion, its not a big difference and stupid to base your purchase on it. The 3800+ x2 can OC beautifully and is gonna be cheap.
 
Soymilk said:
yup. sry to be the one to break the news to you. the cache doesn't really make a difference though unless you do video rendering or something like that that needs a lot of cache. in most apps, its like getting a 200mhz boost over a 2x512kb cache cpu.
Click to expand...
well, I do video encoding, so im sure that extra cache would be helpful, but what can you do. after all, MHz are everything, and I will be getting quite a boost in that.

Im glad you told me though, instead of scratching my head trying to figgure out why the fuck I cant find a 4800+ on newegg next week!
 
heh, they'll probably still be available, just for over twice as much as you were expecting :p
 
I love it, a 4800+ costing more than a 5000+
biggrin.gif
 
not just costing more, but costing over double (iirc the price of the 5000+ correctly) !
 
sorry if this is a stupid question (I know nothing about X2's)

Which code name do I want?

Toledo, Manchester or Windsor? I definatly plan on overclocking.
 
$149 3800+ X2 is probably what I would get in your situation, after re-examining your wants.
 
HighwayAssassins said:
I have a 3000+ @ 2.2 GHz ATM, limited by my shitty mobo. The chip can do 2.75GHz no sweat in an nForce based mobo.

I am going to upgrade to a PCI-e based system soon in the near future, because my 6800GT is getting dated, and I really like the G80; so upgrading the mobo is a must. For 939, I like the DFI nF4 mobos.

Now, at the same time, conroe is coming out, and these chips really got my mouth watering. Then again, they will be even better in a year or more. the A64 chips are nearing the end of their life, so I know what I am going to get.

With these price cuts, it looks like I will be able to get a 939 4800+ X2 for ~$260 according to this site. Thats a sweat deal for an X2 2.4GHz 2MB cache. And the overclocking!!

But Conroe looks good, but I would have to get (all at teh same time mind you) a new mobo, PCI-e card, the CPU and DDR-2 memory. Conroes are probably the fastest thing out there, but there is alot of money involved in obtaining ALL the new things that go along with it, while I allready have a fully functional 939 system. Then all I would need to do is around christmass time get my nice nF4 board and the DX10 card of my choosing, and my upgrade is complete. keep in mind im a broke ass college student.

Does my logic sound ok, or am I totally dropping the ball on this conroe thing? is an X2 just a waste of money?
Click to expand...

Putting an X2 into your system would be beneficial. I wouldn't worry about the cache - 2 x 512 will be fine. The 4200+ X2 looks like the best buy at $175, that's alot of processing power for relatively little money.
 
The logic is not flawed and it's perfectly reasonable. I would have done the same if i were you with my 6800GT.

Let's the Conroe technology mature and see what AMD has in his sleeve (if there is any) for 1 year or more before taking the real plunge. Right now, it's GPU-limited anyways so getting a Conroe or a X2 doesn't truly matter, especially for a broke college guy like you.

P.S. : Intel trolls/fan-boi back off my back and get in your area.
 
OK, well then im convinced, I think im going to get a 4600+, manchester core. For only ~$70 more than a 3800+, I will be getting 400 extra MHz on each core, and most importantly, a higher multiplier; so i can mess around a little more with memory and such.

I am wondering how much of an overclock to expect. Will I be able to hit 250x12? I mean with Athlon64's, I would say 250 would be no problem, but it sounds like X2's are just not as good of overclockers. So, what should I expect in terms of overclock?
 
HighwayAssassins said:
OK, well then im convinced, I think im going to get a 4600+, manchester core. For only ~$70 more than a 3800+, I will be getting 400 extra MHz on each core, and most importantly, a higher multiplier; so i can mess around a little more with memory and such.
Click to expand...
have u consiered the opteron 165?
 
DruSi3r said:
have u consiered the opteron 165?
Click to expand...
you know I considered them briefly, but I saw no indication of price cuts in the opteron series, as well as the whole "1MB cache being phased out" thing...

So, can I get my hands on an opteron with 2.4GHz or greater for less than $220? If I can, that is surely the way to go.
 
when I first saw the price cuts I too was ????? about why a 5000+ was cheaper than the 4800+, but I guess its all in the cache difference.
 
HighwayAssassins said:
I love it, a 4800+ costing more than a 5000+
biggrin.gif
Click to expand...
That reminds me of when shortly after the NVidia 7800 video card was released, it was often priced at or below the older 6800! :eek:
 
Soymilk said:
but he doesn't get as high of a multi to be able to mess around with on an opty
Click to expand...
yea, im pretty sick of 9x. I mean its sooo low, espcially when your current mobo tops out at 245. I got to OC a buddies CPU and it was 10x (3200+) and I know it sounds goofy, but it was AWESOME!!

I can only imagine how much fun 12x will be when I get a DFI-SLI-DR Expert and a new PCIe card!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top