E5200 versus E7200 versus E8200... does the cache make a difference on 45nm CPU's?

A

AmongTheChosenX

Supreme [H]ardness
2FA
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
7,305
E5200: 2MB L2 cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

E7200: 3MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052

E8200: 6MB L2 Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115038

I was just curious. I've read all those "Intel cache performance difference" articles and what not, just wondering if it actually means anything for the 45nm Dual's.

how well will these overclock? I'm especially interested in picking up an E5200 for $85!
 
Scheibler1 said:
yes...

The E7200 is the best deal IMO.
Click to expand...

but what about when you consider the fact that the E5200 has only 1 MB less of L2 cache, and people can still clock it to 3.8/4ghz with ease? is that worth $50 on top of the $85 you'd pay for an E5200?
 
AmongTheChosenX said:
but what about when you consider the fact that the E5200 has only 1 MB less of L2 cache, and people can still clock it to 3.8/4ghz with ease?
Click to expand...


Thats only partially true. SOME people can clock it up to that frequency with ease. Go over to Anandtech and check out their overclocking the E5200 thread in cpus/overclocking forum and you will get a more realistic picture of what the average user can expect. Just because you read about a few people getting that high doesn't mean everyone can do it.

And you can find the E7200 w a free ECS board at Fry's a lot for $100. The cheapest I have seen the E5200 is $80. The E7200 is usually $100 at Microcenter also though currently it is showing for $150.

Never seen it that high at Microcenter before. Its tray price is $113. They also have the E8400 for $155 currently.

This is the thread over at Anands:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=2226620&enterthread=y
 
so it looks like the E5200's top out around 3.7-3.8 ghz, while E7200's will get about 3.8-4.1ghz, and then E8400's will do 4.2ghz, and E8500's will get about 4.4-4.5 ghz.

am i correct?
 
It all depends on if your mobo can actually push a high FSB. Then if your mobo can suport it your ram has to be able to stay stable. All cpu's are different and have a limit

Generally it is best to get whatever has a high multliplier. People hitting over 4ghz with are using E8500's or E8600's. I'de realisticly expect 3.4-3.6ghz out of a E5200 or E7200. The E8200 or even E8400 are a waste IMO. Either go cheap or get an E8500/E8600
 
Scheibler1 said:
I'de realisticly expect 3.4-3.6ghz out of a E5200 or E7200.
Click to expand...

That sounds reasonable. E7200 don't seem to be great overclockers either.

I don't consider the the E8400 a waste (the E8200, yes). I see 4 to 4.5GHz average overclocks on air. Its probably the cheapest cpu you can reasonably expect to get 4GHz from.

You do need a motherboard that can do at least 445MHz FSB though.

Generally, I think you get what you pay for (as long as you understand there are diminishing returns as you go up in MHz). Buy whatever you feel comfortable with, don't expect excellent overclocking results. Better to expect on the low end of average and maybe get a small surprise if you get a good cpu.
 
just a quick advise..go for the Asus P5Q-PRO .. good oc'ing mobo..

I was thinking about going for the E5200 and trying to get between 3.2-3.6 Ghz .. and later on when quads become cheaper ... Q9550 or q9650 ..go for the quad ..

or just go with a q6600 and get it done..
 
needmorecarnitine said:
That sounds reasonable. E7200 don't seem to be great overclockers either.

I don't consider the the E8400 a waste (the E8200, yes). I see 4 to 4.5GHz average overclocks on air. Its probably the cheapest cpu you can reasonably expect to get 4GHz from.

You do need a motherboard that can do at least 445MHz FSB though.

Generally, I think you get what you pay for (as long as you understand there are diminishing returns as you go up in MHz). Buy whatever you feel comfortable with, don't expect excellent overclocking results. Better to expect on the low end of average and maybe get a small surprise if you get a good cpu.
Click to expand...

yes yes this is true (the last paragraph :D)

ok well i'm gunna look into a used E8400 (seen them used for $110-130). for that price i'd get an E7200 new, so i'd rather have the better OC ability. Or I can just get an E8400 for $150 and get the E0 stepping, which would be even nicer :D

i currently run a 680i, people report 500 FSB's all the time. not a problem there :D

omg, imagine that with 8800GTX's in SLi! and my 4 Gigs of RAM! Gah what a beast it will be!
 
you can get a e7200 to 3.6ghz on air easily with out any tinkering
4ghz easy with better cooling
 
My c1 e8400 can barely do 4ghz with >1.5v so you never know. My 24/7 OC on it is 3.6ghz with about 1.375v iirc. It's not representative of most e8400s but still shows that nothing is guaranteed.

(Maybe I should try it in my P5Q-E. I assume it won't do better since my ep45-ds3r and p5q-e both OCed my q9450 with similar results but maybe I'd be surprised.)
 
another thing to consider is voltage.

user AmberClad on Anandtech has an E0 stepping E8400 and its overclocked to 4.2GHz. She runs it at 1.29V

Those E5200 that make it over 3.5GHz seems to need close to or over 1.4V.

What kind of cooling do you intend to use?
 
thanks for the link :D

hm. so i'm thinking the E7200 M0 stepping or an E8400 E0 stepping.

ok that's my next upgrade then. wonder if I should do this or SLi first.....
 
My E5200 won't boot past 3.6GHz with 1.44v. Unstable as well. Also E5200 chip are FSB limited to ~310-350. You won't be able to drop the multi and pump up the FSB for superior bandwidth.
 
oh wow... I'm not going thru the hassle of "upgrading" from an E2180 to get that kind of FSB performance! :(

My P5K-E was able to run 395 FSB on my E2180.
still need to tweak my 680i
 
i'm really thinking i should save for an E8500/E8600 with an E0 stepping. i'd rather just not spend the money now anyways.
 
I bought an E7200 for my brother just as a cheap processor...wasn't expecting great OC or anything...maybe like 3ghz. I used the auto setting on the mobo and set the FSB to 400....BOOM! 3.8ghz no sweat. Idles at around 30 and under load it hits low 60s. This is at 1.296 vcore. E7200 is an insane deal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top