Which 939 processor is best?

[ToBXaH]

I just ordered an open box ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 motherboard off Newegg.com for $30 and now I need some advice on which socket 939 processor I should get...

I was thinking:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2.2GHz Socket 939 = $86.99
AMD Opteron 165 Denmark 1.8GHz Socket 939 Dual Core = $157.99

or whatever else you guys think would be better for around $150 or less..

 

[Glow]

I just ordered an open box ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 motherboard off Newegg.com for $30 and now I need some advice on which socket 939 processor I should get...

I was thinking:
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2.2GHz Socket 939 = $86.99
AMD Opteron 165 Denmark 1.8GHz Socket 939 Dual Core = $157.99

or whatever else you guys think would be better for around $150 or less..

between those the 165 for sure.

 

[LOCO LAPTOP]

between those the 165 for sure.

2nd that.

 

[ToBXaH]

You guys have any other 939 suggestions in the $150 area or should I go with the 165 opteron?

 

[Glow]

You guys have any other 939 suggestions in the $150 area or should I go with the 165 opteron?

If newegg gets in anymore FX-55s for $139 go for one of those. If buy.com didn't fuck up an order on me hard I would have gotten one of them

 

[{NcsO}ReichstaG]

If newegg gets in anymore FX-55s for $139 go for one of those. If buy.com didn't fuck up an order on me hard I would have gotten one of them

Why would anyone go FX55 now when Opteron 165 costs maybe $20 more? Dual Core is the future and single core will start dying out. Also, Opterons can overclock to 2.5+Ghz. Mine does 2.7 and it's not one of the best steppings either. Basically, even if the FX55 is, say 100Mhz faster, it's simply not worth it.

 

[Glow]

Why would anyone go FX55 now when Opteron 165 costs maybe $20 more? Dual Core is the future and single core will start dying out. Also, Opterons can overclock to 2.5+Ghz. Mine does 2.7 and it's not one of the best steppings either. Basically, even if the FX55 is, say 100Mhz faster, it's simply not worth it.

Well u can clock it to 2.8 to 3.0. vs. dual-core which u cant take advantage in like 98% of games right now. The argument is "well developers are going to be taking advantage of this in 6-12 months" Well theres no set amount of time and some developers might not. When push comes to shove clock cycles make the big difference. Then again the key factor here is 12months+ most of us on here seem to upgrade to another platform by then anyways. IE: core 2 duo which is a much better dual core chip and in 6 to 12 months will be pretty damn cheap since u can get some for under $200 now.

 

[stratjb]

I just picked up the same deal a while back on the Asrock 939 Dual Sata2 and I got an A64 3200+ Venice for 30 bucks off eBay. OC'd it to 2.5Ghz rock solid stable and I'm very happy with it. I'll get a dual core when the price is under 100 or when I see a need.

 

[legcramp]

Ehhh not a DFI board.. or else I would've recommand the opteron 144 stepping newegg is shipping Check my sig I am enjoying my $70 gem hehe.

My vote goes for he 165.

 

[Viper87227]

Well u can clock it to 2.8 to 3.0. vs. dual-core which u cant take advantage in like 98% of games right now. The argument is "well developers are going to be taking advantage of this in 6-12 months" Well theres no set amount of time and some developers might not. When push comes to shove clock cycles make the big difference. Then again the key factor here is 12months+ most of us on here seem to upgrade to another platform by then anyways. IE: core 2 duo which is a much better dual core chip and in 6 to 12 months will be pretty damn cheap since u can get some for under $200 now.

A good Opteron will to 2.8-3.0 also, and a shitty one should still do 2.6 or so, and that extra 200 mhz will mean jack for performance.

 

[Glow]

I think the vast majority of 165s are hitting 2.6I haven't read everyone hitting much above unless their on water cooling and such.

 

[MrMike]

My 165 can go higher than what it says in my sig, but I'm uncomfortable with load temps over 50C. I had to undervolt it where it is to get good load temps. So, my vote is also for an Opteron 165.

 

[Kasparz]

FX55 was good in AMD era for hardcore overclockers. Then came Dualcore opterons, now Conroe era. Buy 165 Opteron, and enjoy every spent dollar.

 

[Viper87227]

I think the vast majority of 165s are hitting 2.6I haven't read everyone hitting much above unless their on water cooling and such.

Not true. There are tons of opertons out that that can hit 2.8+ on air. Shit, I had one up to 3.1Ghz stable on air, and the one I have now tops out at 2.8-3.0 depending on the board it's in. It takes a bit of luck, and the right stepping. Get a CBB1E and your chances of 2.8+ on air would be good. CBBLE aint to shabby either. CBBWE is what the newest stepping is IIRC, and those are more of a mixed bag.

 

[GlimmerMan]

Why would anyone go FX55 now when Opteron 165 costs maybe $20 more?

Higher stock speed? Not everyone overclocks.

Dual Core is the future and single core will start dying out.

Dual-core will be old news soon. Quad-core is the future of gaming. Value is designing and coding their next engine for quad-core. Same for Alan Wake.
A very fast single-core is still good for gaming today since 98% of the games out there are single-threaded.

Buy for the needs of today and the near future. Not for 6-12 months down the road. Tech changes pretty fast today.

 

[funkyfish77]

opty for sure the chips are very solid.u should get atleast 2.6. don't go quad core unless u have unlimited money . software is slowly catching up with dual core but it will probaly be several years before they can optimize quad core. just my $.02

 

[Varmint]

Nothing wrong with the 3700+, I just built a PC with one of those ($78 one from Newegg), but since it's not my PC I couldn't try overclocking it. It was a CCBWE stepping.

The 3700+ should hit 2.7 GHz easy - making one wonder if the Opty is worth double the money for same clock speed.

 

[Jayemji]

The 3700+ should hit 2.7 GHz easy - making one wonder if the Opty is worth double the money for same clock speed.

It's worth twice the money because it's a dual-core, able to process as much as double the amount of information as a single-core of the same "speed".

Although most games aren't multi-threaded, running more than 1 program amounts to multitasking, which is all you need to be doing for a dual-core to be more useful. Since you generally need to be running an OS to play a PC game, that's at least 2 threads right there. Not to mention the media, security, or maintenance programs that are almost universally used.

 

[CRSharff]

Is the Opteron still good for non overclockers because at first I was planning on a x2 4400+ but that was too much for me than I was planning on AMD64 4000+ and now maybe the Opteron but Im not sure what to do because I dont want to spend to much on something that I'll probably ditch in less than a year.

 

[GlimmerMan]

don't go quad core unless u have unlimited money . software is slowly catching up with dual core but it will probaly be several years before they can optimize quad core.

Intel is releasing mainstream quad-core in Q1/2007. And with AMD quads coming in mid-2007, quad-core will only get cheaper. Software is slowing catching up. But I think dual-core will be by-passed. New multi-threaded applications will be designed to work better with quad-core than dual-core.

Need an example, take the Stanford SMP folding client (http://folding.stanford.edu/FAQ-SMP.html). They recommend running the client on a box with at least 4 cores.

 

[UncleDavid218]

Between the two, the 165 is without a doubt your best choice. If you're going to overclock, however, you may want to think twice.
Opterons (specifically 165's) have difficulty running with a 150 memory divider. That is, they won't boot.
So in order to fully take advantage of the CPUs overclocking capabilities, it's essential to have PC4000 memory.

With that being said, even at stock speeds, they're still wickedly fast!

Even though games don't generally take advantage of dual-core CPUs, it's important to remember the for most of us, over 50% of our time is spent web surfing/encoding/listening to music/torrenting/etc.
It is times like these that you really notice the extra core.
And that, my friend, is why the Opteron 165 is the better buy here.

 

[Varmint]

It's worth twice the money because it's a dual-core, able to process as much as double the amount of information as a single-core of the same "speed".

Although most games aren't multi-threaded, running more than 1 program amounts to multitasking, which is all you need to be doing for a dual-core to be more useful. Since you generally need to be running an OS to play a PC game, that's at least 2 threads right there. Not to mention the media, security, or maintenance programs that are almost universally used.

Single cores can multitask. Games optimized for dual core run about 10-15% faster with a dual core. I'm not sure it's worth 100% more money for 10% more performance, but that's just me.

 

[Varmint]

Between the two, the 165 is without a doubt your best choice. If you're going to overclock, however, you may want to think twice.
Opterons (specifically 165's) have difficulty running with a 150 memory divider. That is, they won't boot.
So in order to fully take advantage of the CPUs overclocking capabilities, it's essential to have PC4000 memory.

What's a 150 memory divider? Mine has 100, 133, 166 only. I can run my 3000+ w/ 133 divider and 300 mHz HTT, can the Opty 165 run at the same settings?

 

[BigMacAttack]

I believe the 150 divider is available on the DFI mobos as they seem to offer a lot more options. I've never seen the 150 divider myself but my Abit s754 NV8 offers DDR433, 466 and 500 dividers so I'm sure other mobo makers may offer other non-standard dividers as well.

 

[funkyfish77]

 

[kevdog]

one way to increase post count, i guess

back to topic...opty for sure, although i got 2.5 Ghz (on air) out of my 3800+ x2, and they're pretty cheap these days

 

[UncleDavid218]

I believe the 150 divider is available on the DFI mobos as they seem to offer a lot more options. I've never seen the 150 divider myself but my Abit s754 NV8 offers DDR433, 466 and 500 dividers so I'm sure other mobo makers may offer other non-standard dividers as well.

You're correct. Some (not all) 165's won't boot at anything lower than this.

 

[Varmint]

You're correct. Some (not all) 165's won't boot at anything lower than this.

I hope the one I just ordered will use 133 or even 100. If not I'm gonna sell it.

 

[reswob]

So do you think I should get a DFI nf4 sli expert? I was looking at the Asus A8N32.

I just got an opty 165. What ram would you recommend for 2x1GB?

Was it OCZ that had problems with DFI boards?

 

[yossarian]

Well u can clock it to 2.8 to 3.0. vs. dual-core which u cant take advantage in like 98% of games right now. The argument is "well developers are going to be taking advantage of this in 6-12 months" Well theres no set amount of time and some developers might not. When push comes to shove clock cycles make the big difference. Then again the key factor here is 12months+ most of us on here seem to upgrade to another platform by then anyways. IE: core 2 duo which is a much better dual core chip and in 6 to 12 months will be pretty damn cheap since u can get some for under $200 now.

That was my thinking. I don't want to do a major upgrade for 6-12 months so I bought the the Newegg FX-55, arrived today and I'm running it now. It replaced my Clawhammer 4000+ that I'll sell to defray the cost. I'm not impressed with the dual core in game benchmarks right now, and the compatibility issues I don't want to deal with. Plus, the FX ought to give me some easy overclocking near the end of it's life.

 

[Varmint]

You're correct. Some (not all) 165's won't boot at anything lower than this.

After some searching, I get the impression the Opty 165 has trouble with some specific dividers - like often 133 doesn't work, but 100 and 166 do, or 166 doesn't work, but 133 does.

 

[Jayemji]

After some searching, I get the impression the Opty 165 has trouble with some specific dividers - like often 133 doesn't work, but 100 and 166 do, or 166 doesn't work, but 133 does.

Odd... My opty 165 didn't have a trouble with any dividers I threw at it. Though some were more stable than others. (That could be my mobo, too.)

 

[bigredcat]

Just go with the Opty. It's a little more, but it's worth it. I still love my Opty. I don't plan on giving up on it just yet. I think I will wait till the quad cores come out before I make the jump from my opty. I've reached 2.6 with ease, and I have heard most do. Even if you don't OC it, it is still a great processor. I hope that helps you on your dilema.

 

[Jayemji]

Single cores can multitask.

Yes, but they have half the resources to do so in comparison to a dual-core.

Just go with the Opty. It's a little more, but it's worth it. I still love my Opty. I don't plan on giving up on it just yet. I think I will wait till the quad cores come out before I make the jump from my opty. I've reached 2.6 with ease, and I have heard most do. Even if you don't OC it, it is still a great processor. I hope that helps you on your dilema.

Agreed, my opty at 2.7 is faster than the fastest s939 processor that AMD will ever release. The FX-60.

 

[ThatDood]

Would you guys recommend that opty 165 over a x2 4400+ 2x1mb?

 

[MrMike]

The 4400+ is only 2.2GHz. That would be pretty bad luck to get an Opty 165 that wouldn't do even that I would imagine.

 

[ThatDood]

The 4400+ is only 2.2GHz. That would be pretty bad luck to get an Opty 165 that wouldn't do even that I would imagine.

Would you be able to tell a difference because of the 1000mhz HT difference from the opty to the 4400+?

 

[IanG]

Would you guys recommend that opty 165 over a x2 4400+ 2x1mb?

For the same price, probably not. The 165 should be quite a bit cheaper though, and will probably oc a little bit higher, as long as your mobo can do >300mhz HTT.

 

[MrMike]

Would you be able to tell a difference because of the 1000mhz HT difference from the opty to the 4400+?

If you're referring to how on Newegg's site the X2 is 2000MHz and the Opty is labeled 1000MHz, that's just inconsistent labeling.

They're both 1000MHz DDR HT.

 

[ThatDood]

If you're referring to how on Newegg's site the X2 is 2000MHz and the Opty is labeled 1000MHz, that's just inconsistent labeling.

They're both 1000MHz DDR HT.

Yeah that is what i was seeing on their site, so I have DFI Lanparty nF4 sli-dr and says that is supports "AMD® Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 / Sempron"

Will the opteron work with that or does it have to support the opteron?