FX-55 vs. 3500+

[zerga]

If you can overclock a 3500+ to FX-55 speeds(2.6ghz), would it run the same as a FX-55? In terms of gaming, an overclocked 3500+ appearantly beats FX-55 in fps. However, gaming aside, I was wondering if an overclocked 3500+ performs on par with the FX-55 during other computer use. For example: boot time, application installation, multi-tasking, rendering, extracting files or basically anything that takes "time to do", rather than a raw score of numbers. If the performance difference between an overclock 3500+ and a FX-55 is negligible, I may consider saving 600 dollars and going with the 3500+. However, if there is a large performance hit, I will stay with the FX-55 due to the want to buy the best of the best in today's market; becuase I am doubtful of upgrading this comp for another 3-4 years.

Also, if a 3500+ is recommended, which HSF combo should I use and is the guide on the anandtech forums sufficient enough to guide me through the whole process? Would I also need a bigger power supply to replace my antec true power 430W?

 

[Fingers]

Well Don't forget the rest of your system. Things such as boot time are often affected much more by hard drive performance and many other applications make better use of fast memory and lots of it.

Whenever I build a PC I always save my money on the processor, and overclock it.

As to the performance comparison question. You could overclock a 3000+ to those levals and get the same performance if not better because of the faster speeds of the other components due to overclocking the FSB.

If it was me, I would value the Money much more than the negligable performance and would possibly invest in a better hard drive/raid aray and more memory, or a nicer moniter.

I'd stick with the 3500+ or even the 3200+ as they are great overclockers as well.

 

[zerga]

The rest of my system configuration is this:
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
OCZ 3200 Platinum Edition 1GB(2x512)
6800GT
74GB Raptor
Audigy 2 Platinum
2 Rear 2 Front 1 Side Panaflo 80mm Fans
Antec 1080AMG Case with 430 TruePower PSU

Basically then, the 3500+ WILL perform on par of a FX-55 with my other components? Also, is overclocking easy or hard for a newbie?

 

[Fingers]

Well based on that info, I'd say base it on yor money supply. Thats a whole lot of price differnce there with minimal performance diffence especially considering the overclock. Personally I'd go cheaper but thats just me.

 

[drpootums]

well, i'd personally go for what u can afford/want to spend. I dunno, maybe i just like warrenties...

 

[MDme]

the answer is simple:

if you OC the 3500+ to around 2.6ghz (FX-55) you will probably get a very similar if not better speed than the FX. the reason is a higher FSB with a lower mult is better than a lower FSB with a high mult. the only difference is the L2 Cache size which is 1MB for the FX chip. now some games, like D3 like better caches. same goes for some other (but not all) apps. it really depends on what software you use. but the difference will not be a great as the savings in cost ~600$

 

[CraigRT]

unless you have ridiculous amounts of money, the 3500 is the way to go, no question,

 

[zerga]

I need to make one last check before I go ahead and bu the 3500+. All in all, the 3500+ will perform just as well as the FX-55 in all areas of computing? If there is a very minimal difference, I am just going to go and get the 3500+ instead!

In order to overclock the 3500+, I think I would need to following:
3500+
XP-90
92mm Panaflo Fan
Artic Silver 5
Rest of computer parts

Is there anything else I need and can someone provide an easy to follow guide on overclocking? (I've never done this before, and some of these guides are kind of confusing) Do you think I would need a LCD display, or is it rather un-necessary? Last question, would I need to upgrade my Antec 430W TruePower to something higher, or is 430W fine for the overclock. (I also plan on overclocking my 6800GT to 6800Ultra speeds)
Thanks for all your input guys, it is really helping me finally build my first computer!

 

[Mrvile]

The 430w is fine because it is Antec and has good 12v rails, but you might need to upgrade it in the near future (6 months - 1 year).

Getting an LCD is really up to you, if you like the thin, brighter screen and have the money get the LCD, otherwise the CRT is slightly faster and much cheaper.

I have the same CPU cooling setup you do, and I expected insane temps but I got pretty average ones (35 - 38 idle, 42 - 46 load), with no OC. But I think it's because I applid the AS5 wrong, I'll do it right this time when I get my mobo back from Monarch RMA.

"All in all, the 3500+ will perform..."

Well if you read into what the others said, no. Not the same, at least. Since the FX's have a 1mb L2 cache compared to the 3500+'s 512kb, some games and some apps will run slower on the 3500+. However, the higher FSB will help make up for that, increases performance in other components such as RAM. I suggest get the 3500+, solely for the 600 dollar save in money.

 

[SkyBum]

Be aware that the 3500+ comes in two flavors .90 (Winchester) and .120 (???). The winchester runs cooler and and has lower power consumption due to the smaller die size which should aid the overclocking side of things.

I'm no expert on this but my understanding is that the few dollars more for the winchester version will be the better of the two if you plan to overclock it.

 

[Zebo]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
unless you have ridiculous amounts of money, the 3500 is the way to go, no question,

even if you have ridiculous amounts of money, the 3000 or 3200 is the way to go, no question, 3500 is wasteful and I will not comment on 55

 

[dguy6789]

The fact is, if you put 2 systems side by side all with same specs, except one had a 64 2800 and the other had an fx55, and if there was no fps counter, you could NOT tell the difference at all. The above guy is right, unless you want bragging rights, anything above the slowest 64 on any socket is a waste of money(unless a model right above has something special, like huge oc).

 

[arsbanned]

Originally posted by: zerga
The rest of my system configuration is this:
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum
OCZ 3200 Platinum Edition 1GB(2x512)
6800GT
74GB Raptor
Audigy 2 Platinum
2 Rear 2 Front 1 Side Panaflo 80mm Fans
Antec 1080AMG Case with 430 TruePower PSU

Basically then, the 3500+ WILL perform on par of a FX-55 with my other components? Also, is overclocking easy or hard for a newbie?

That sounds like a LOT of wind noise. Is it possible to make such a system silent?

 

[SMatson]

cant you oc the FX series to be faster, and therfore be better off than with the 3500+?

 

[rpmcrash]

Originally posted by: SMatson
cant you oc the FX series to be faster, and therfore be better off than with the 3500+?

if you want shell out that kind of cash go ahead . but o.cing a 3000+ or any other A 64 to fx
speed would be cheaper and the savings would be $$$$ better in the bank. its called keeping
it simple .

 

[OblivionLord]

In my case the 3500 is not a waste of money. My ram is guaranteed to hit 233mhz and it is highly known to fail at higher speeds. Inorder for me to correct this I would have to sell my ram and buy better ram and in the process take a 100$ price hit from what i origionaly paid since its over a year old now. At least with the 3500 I will be able to do 11x233 or 237 without worrying about my ram failing still being at 1:1 whereas with the 3200 or 3000 I would need to run it at a lower ratio to achieve 2.6ghz. We all know that 1:1 ratio is the fastest and I would rather spend 60-80$ on the 3500 to only need 37mhz out of my ram vs running the ram at lower ratios.

 

[clarkey01]

Dont forget the FX overlocks ok aswell, will hit 2.8 Ghz for sure.

 

[Stormgiant]

Yes, the FX-55 is a good overclocker due to it's better yielding.

Most people are getting 2900-3000 on air with good cooling/cases and luck. @3000 it's one damm fast machine copped with TCCD chips..

 

[clarkey01]

3 Ghz on water....... It deserves a movie

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: zerga
If you can overclock a 3500+ to FX-55 speeds(2.6ghz), would it run the same as a FX-55? In terms of gaming, an overclocked 3500+ appearantly beats FX-55 in fps. However, gaming aside, I was wondering if an overclocked 3500+ performs on par with the FX-55 during other computer use. For example: boot time, application installation, multi-tasking, rendering, extracting files or basically anything that takes "time to do", rather than a raw score of numbers. If the performance difference between an overclock 3500+ and a FX-55 is negligible, I may consider saving 600 dollars and going with the 3500+. However, if there is a large performance hit, I will stay with the FX-55 due to the want to buy the best of the best in today's market; becuase I am doubtful of upgrading this comp for another 3-4 years.

Also, if a 3500+ is recommended, which HSF combo should I use and is the guide on the anandtech forums sufficient enough to guide me through the whole process? Would I also need a bigger power supply to replace my antec true power 430W?

Instead of buying a $800 ($600?) processor now, buy an Athlon 64 3200+ Winchester 90nm now for $215. Then, when some new technology comes out, you can buy the new motherboard ($200) and newER CPU ($250?) and still only end up at $665 versus spending all that money right now for just a processor. Plus, your computer will probably end up being faster in the long run (dual cores coming later on), or even early on if you can overclock the 3200+ to FX-55 speeds. If you don't want to take my advice then I'll answer your original question:

If the 3500+@2600MHz performs better in gaming than the stock FX-55, then you will NOT be disappointed with application performance either. This is the exact same processor that's just set at a lower clock speed and half the cache. Note the cache doesn't make as big a difference on A64FX as it does on P4EE. When the FX-55 does beat it (3500+), the performance increase is negligible and probably within the margin of error. Get the 3500+ and save $400. Either way you will be future-proofed for 64-bit OSes.

As for the HSF, I think the Zalman 7700-AlCu is a good value-conscious choice; I just ordered one with Arctic Silver 5 and my Winchester 3500+. It will be sufficient for moderate overclocking, better than the stock HSF, but not quite like the Hyper 6.

The power supply depends on the rest of your rig. I can't give you any advice on that as I don't have your system info. You could have a GeForce 6200 or a GeForce 6800 Ultra PCIE from what I can tell (a ginormous power usage difference!). However, the 3500+ processor itself might take up 70 watts ballpark. My guess is that the power supply is adequate.