Opteron 165 or Athlon X2 3800+???

[bdww00]

Athlon X2 3800+ $297
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
Opteron 165 $327
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588

which one is better for gaming? or for anything for that matter such as photoshop and @home programs? and how good are each at overclocking

what i was worried about is the 1000mhz fsb on the 165 and 2000mhz on the 3800

doesnt the opty have the fancy heatpipe cooler also

anyone have benchies or anything?

 

[imported_bum]

They are basically the same CPU, one is just considered more reliable when overclocking. If you don't plan on overclocking a fair amount the x2 3800+ should be fine. I saw the other day someone said you can still get the 165 from Monarch for < 300 with coupons? If so, you might want to jump on that.

 

[bdww00]

3800 has manchester core
165 has denmark core

im asking which one is faster all around and can overclock later??? seems 165 has good cooler

 

[stevty2889]

Neither really has a "FSB" so to speak. They both operate at a 1000mhz HTT bus, but it's bi-directional, so it could be reffered to as 2000mhz as well, but they are both using the same bus speed. The opty should come with the heatpipe cooler, which is definatly pretty nice, I have my 4200+ @2.6ghz on the stock heatpiped cooler. If you plan to OC, the opties are supposed to OC a little better, But at stock speeds, the 3800+ X2 is 2ghz, the 165 opty is 1.8ghz, the cache doesn't usualy make up the 200mhz differance in most cases.

 

[bdww00]

but if i do oc up 200 htt or w/e (i will learn all the oc things when i get the board manual) i will have a 3800 but with a larger onboard cache?

do you know the difference in top oc speeds? how much more can the opty go than the 3800

 

[robertk2012]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=28&threadid=1810127&enterthread=y

read this.

Also the newer 3800s are doing just as well as the optys

The stock cooler however is better with they opty.

 

[bdww00]

man dude nice thread i will proly get a volcano 12 now for my 3000xp and then transfer at end of summer to the 3800

will volcano 12 work good on 3800 better than oem cooler?

 

[robertk2012]

If it will fit. The stock coolers on the 3800 arent very good.

 

[Xorp]

Definitely get the Opteron. It has twice as much cache and will more than likely be an exellent OCer.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

If you get lucky and get a Toledo core on the 3800+ then I would say they would probably be about even. Then again, who's to say you won't get a CBB1E on the Opteron 165?

Since the Opteron 165 has only a multiplier of 9, vs. the 10 multi of the 3800+ you will need a mobo that can O/C better to get higher speeds for the Opty. Something to keep in mind.

 

[starwars7]

I'm happy with my opteron 165, once I got it past 2.2 GHz by just upping the FSB I was pretty psyched. The only "special" thing I had to do to get to 2.5 on stock volts was use a .9 divider. It will not go much past 2.5 GHz unless I give the CPU more voltage, which I don't really want to do.

 

[Titan]

Opteron baby. Double cache equals signifigant performance gains in many applications. But, as a general rule, more cache equals more die size and less overclockability, BUT Opterons are server chips with a higher standard of quality so I say those things cancel out. Cache is where it's at, which is why the pentium rocks with 2mb of it, and why celerons and semperons suck.

 

[firewolfsm]

Actually, cache doesn't matter much, semprons at the same clock speeds are almost as fast as Athlons, and Pentiums do not rock right now anyway.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
Actually, cache doesn't matter much, semprons at the same clock speeds are almost as fast as Athlons, and Pentiums do not rock right now anyway.

Depends on the app. In Oblivion for instance, cache matters.

 

[Shimmishim]

but in general cache doesn't matter.

if you can find a ccb1e opteron, i'd get that over a newer X2.

the nice thing about the X2's is that their mem controller isn't coldbugged so for extreme cooling, the X2 is the way to go.

for air or water, i'd get an opteron.

 

[Amaroque]

Originally posted by: Titan
Opteron baby. Double cache equals signifigant performance gains in many applications. But, as a general rule, more cache equals more die size and less overclockability, BUT Opterons are server chips with a higher standard of quality so I say those things cancel out. Cache is where it's at, which is why the pentium rocks with 2mb of it, and why celerons and semperons suck.

Wrong. 1M cache doesn't do a whole lot for the A64. If I bought another A64 rite now, I'd get a 512k L2 processor. The added heat of the 1M L2 doesn't equate to much performance performance increase.

 

[robertk2012]

Originally posted by: Amaroque

Originally posted by: Titan
Opteron baby. Double cache equals signifigant performance gains in many applications. But, as a general rule, more cache equals more die size and less overclockability, BUT Opterons are server chips with a higher standard of quality so I say those things cancel out. Cache is where it's at, which is why the pentium rocks with 2mb of it, and why celerons and semperons suck.

Wrong. 1M cache doesn't do a whole lot for the A64. If I bought another A64 rite now, I'd get a 512k L2 processor. The added heat of the 1M L2 doesn't equate to much performance performance increase.

Depends on the program. More and more applications are taking advantage of the additional cache and well even more so in the future.

 

[bdww00]

hmm tough debate
so for the 25 dollas or so i should get opteron for its larger cache and better hsf?

so what board for it is good for the 9 multi or w.e?

 

[d3lt4]

Hey a good cooler costs $25 and upwards, and the multi won't matter, I have a 9x multi. You can OC the opty, but you can't increase the cache on the 3800.

 

[starwars7]

I like my rig, so yeah, Opty 165 with a DFI Ultra-D

However, a different board that would be nice is the EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra.

There used to be a MOBO selection guide somewhere around the anandtech forum.

 

[heedoyiu]

I wish someone would bench it but it seems taht the optys
for some cases get the extra mhz plus the better cooler
unless someone can pull some benchies that extra cache
dosent help at some things i think the cache is still a plus

 

[F1shF4t]

Well for people who say thats new 3800+ x2 dont overclock well, i can show them my 3800+ at 2.7 at stock voltage (well in fact slightly bellow stock 1.34v, mainboard voltage droop)

Cache is temporary storage for the cpu, and is only utilised to really hide the latency of getting instructions to the core from the memory and hdd and as well as for temporary storage of things that might be reused later, now if the cpu is not fast enough to process more instructions, larger cache wont make a diff if the core is already fully utilised. Needless to say up to a sertain clock speed having less cache wont matter appart from sertain situation where having larger tempory storage is important, i think past 3.0ghz 512 to 1024 cache will make a significant difference, just like past 2.0ghz 512 makes a significant difference over 256 cache.

Only problem with the 3800+ x2 is its heatsink is rather bad. If a new heatsink + 3800x2 is cheaper than 165 opty, meh then might as well get that, almost all 3800+ will hit 2.4ghz anyways, beyond that there is very limited gain in performance anyways.

 

[IGBT]

Originally posted by: Dark Cupcake
Well for people who say thats new 3800+ x2 dont overclock well, i can show them my 3800+ at 2.7 at stock voltage (well in fact slightly bellow stock 1.34v, mainboard voltage droop)

Cache is temporary storage for the cpu, and is only utilised to really hide the latency of getting instructions to the core from the memory and hdd and as well as for temporary storage of things that might be reused later, now if the cpu is not fast enough to process more instructions, larger cache wont make a diff if the core is already fully utilised. Needless to say up to a sertain clock speed having less cache wont matter appart from sertain situation where having larger tempory storage is important, i think past 3.0ghz 512 to 1024 cache will make a significant difference, just like past 2.0ghz 512 makes a significant difference over 256 cache.

Only problem with the 3800+ x2 is its heatsink is rather bad. If a new heatsink + 3800x2 is cheaper than 165 opty, meh then might as well get that, almost all 3800+ will hit 2.4ghz anyways, beyond that there is very limited gain in performance anyways.

..is the stock heatsink ok if ya don't overclock?? (xp3800+)

 

[F1shF4t]

Originally posted by: IGBT

Originally posted by: Dark Cupcake
Well for people who say thats new 3800+ x2 dont overclock well, i can show them my 3800+ at 2.7 at stock voltage (well in fact slightly bellow stock 1.34v, mainboard voltage droop)

Cache is temporary storage for the cpu, and is only utilised to really hide the latency of getting instructions to the core from the memory and hdd and as well as for temporary storage of things that might be reused later, now if the cpu is not fast enough to process more instructions, larger cache wont make a diff if the core is already fully utilised. Needless to say up to a sertain clock speed having less cache wont matter appart from sertain situation where having larger tempory storage is important, i think past 3.0ghz 512 to 1024 cache will make a significant difference, just like past 2.0ghz 512 makes a significant difference over 256 cache.

Only problem with the 3800+ x2 is its heatsink is rather bad. If a new heatsink + 3800x2 is cheaper than 165 opty, meh then might as well get that, almost all 3800+ will hit 2.4ghz anyways, beyond that there is very limited gain in performance anyways.

..is the stock heatsink ok if ya don't overclock?? (xp3800+)

It will run a bit hot, well i guess 30C ambient in my room was not helping, but at that ambient full load slightly overclocked (2.25ghz) it used to get to 54 - 57C.
So if say normal ambient of 20 it should prolly max out at 45 - 50C maybe.
So i guess if ur not overclocking it will be fine, after all if it was not fine u would get a bigger cooler with it from amd, and at stock the 3800+ x2 will be quicker in almost everything than the 165, except for the few apps which use lotsa cache, and even then the difference will be small

 

[robertk2012]

Originally posted by: IGBT

Originally posted by: Dark Cupcake
Well for people who say thats new 3800+ x2 dont overclock well, i can show them my 3800+ at 2.7 at stock voltage (well in fact slightly bellow stock 1.34v, mainboard voltage droop)

Cache is temporary storage for the cpu, and is only utilised to really hide the latency of getting instructions to the core from the memory and hdd and as well as for temporary storage of things that might be reused later, now if the cpu is not fast enough to process more instructions, larger cache wont make a diff if the core is already fully utilised. Needless to say up to a sertain clock speed having less cache wont matter appart from sertain situation where having larger tempory storage is important, i think past 3.0ghz 512 to 1024 cache will make a significant difference, just like past 2.0ghz 512 makes a significant difference over 256 cache.

Only problem with the 3800+ x2 is its heatsink is rather bad. If a new heatsink + 3800x2 is cheaper than 165 opty, meh then might as well get that, almost all 3800+ will hit 2.4ghz anyways, beyond that there is very limited gain in performance anyways.

..is the stock heatsink ok if ya don't overclock?? (xp3800+)

It should be ok but will run a little warm on load.