I'm thinking about grabbing a mobile amd

[CHarrington]

I've been hearing great things about AMD's mobile CPU's and I'd like to give one try.

Which model should I buy? Any good reviews you guys can link me to?

My current setup:

AMD 2600 11.5 * 200 1.7v
512 MB 3200 Mushkin 222
ASUS Ti4800
A7N8X-E
ENERMAX 460 PSU

 

[mamisano]

Well, if you get a good chip with decent cooling, you can probably get another 200-400Mhz over your current setup. I believe most people go for the 2600+. Personally, I have Dual 2400 Mobiles @ 2200Mhz for my home server. Wasn't looking for much more than that, and haven't tried to go higher.

 

[tbooth]

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to decide which mobile XP to buy and I ended up with the 2400+. I have it running at 13x200 at 1.725v on my abit
NF-7 S. Some might say that the slightly more expensive 2600+ will guarantee you a better overclock, but then again overclocks are never guaranteed and you can save ~$20 by getting the 2400+.

 

[ViviTheMage]

yeah, i hear the mobiles overclock nicely

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
yeah, i hear the mobiles overclock nicely

Well, I definitely like mine.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: CHarrington
I've been hearing great things about AMD's mobile CPU's and I'd like to give one try.



Which model should I buy? Any good reviews you guys can link me to?



My current setup:



AMD 2600 11.5 * 200 1.7v

512 MB 3200 Mushkin 222

ASUS Ti4800

A7N8X-E

ENERMAX 460 PSU

if you already have a chip that does 2300 mhz, i think you are wasting your money getting a mobile

 

[myocardia]

Yeah, I agree. You're looking at a maximum of 300 mhz difference, but more than likely 200 mhz. If 200mhz is worth $100, plus the cost of a good heatsink, then go for it. But you aren't going to be blown away by the speed difference. Although, if you've got another AMD rig to put that 2.3ghz desktop Barton into, that's different!

 

[magratton]

Yes, was going to say the same thing as myo. The 200mhz bump and 256k more cache may not be that much more noticeable for thr $100 spend.

 

[CHarrington]

Actually, I'm giving my 2600 (T-Bred) away to a friend. I should have mentioned this .

I have a Volcano 11+ heatsink/fan.

 

[myocardia]

In that case, you should definitely get a mobile Barton. I recently upgraded from an XP2400 that I ran at ~2.25ghz, to a mobile 2600@2.5ghz, and the difference was very noticeable to me. The extra 256KB of L2 cache doesn't make any real difference in performance, but it makes a very noticeable difference anytime you open up any application or even just open a file/window. You'd be very happy with a mobile.

edit: Oh, and a Volcano 11 will cool a Barton up to/around 2.5ghz, though if you're doing anything that's using alot of processor power, it will definitely be running the fan wide open.

 

[myocardia]

Hey, Magratton, I thought we were going to hear back from you about whether there was any difference in overclockability of the two different mobile 2600's you have. Was there any?

 

[CHarrington]

Originally posted by: myocardia
edit: Oh, and a Volcano 11 will cool a Barton up to/around 2.5ghz, though if you're doing anything that's using alot of processor power, it will definitely be running the fan wide open.

Should I replace the fan on the heatsink or switch to some other cooling (water?)? As far as water goes, I have no experience in this area, but am willing to learn .

 

[magratton]

Originally posted by: myocardia
Hey, Magratton, I thought we were going to hear back from you about whether there was any difference in overclockability of the two different mobile 2600's you have. Was there any?

Believe it or not, I got the same chip so.... didn't bother.

 

[bootoo]

Charrington: My understanding on watercooling is that if you're willing to spend like $250 or above you can get a nice overclocking setup; a cheap one though is just kind of a quiet cooling solution. I've been checking things out too, especially since the heat wave where I live is making me consider backing off my o/clock a tad. What are you willing to spend? Or are you willing to build/assemble your own?

I know some folks with aquarius 2's etc. say their temps are about the same on overclocked systems as they were with the thermalright slk series, just quieter.