opteron 185 exactly same as fx-60?

[jealouse]

hi guys

too lazy to migrate to conroe so i figured i'll upgrade my system a bit and use it for another year or so.

been thinking about adding fx-60 (currently 3700+) but the price has not dropped at all!

checked newegg.com and they have fx-60 for some 800 dollars

on the other hand, they have opteron 185 for half the price (some 400 dollars)

i read the spec and they seem to be identical - same clock speed, same amount of cash, etc...

i never knew the difference between athlon and opteron and maybe it's a good time to know.

so what's the difference between athlon and opteron and more specifically, fx-60 and opteron 185? will i have to sacrifice any kinda hardware/software compatibility if i go with opteron instead of athlon? or vice versa?

many thanks in advance.

 

[aelfwyne]

Pretty much the same. Be aware that Opterons run at a slower HyperTransport link speed - 1ghz, not 2ghz.. HOWEVER, that is not a big problem, as you'll STILL get better bang for the buck, and the Opty's tend to overclock very well. The extra HTT speed is almost negligible, and benchmarks of various programs (apps/games) show that it makes almost no difference whatsoever.

 

[Maximilian]

Originally posted by: aelfwyne
Pretty much the same. Be aware that Opterons run at a slower HyperTransport link speed - 1ghz, not 2ghz.. HOWEVER, that is not a big problem, as you'll STILL get better bang for the buck, and the Opty's tend to overclock very well. The extra HTT speed is almost negligible, and benchmarks of various programs (apps/games) show that it makes almost no difference whatsoever.

Every A64/opteron runs on 1ghz except the older hammer cores which use 800mhz.

 

[Brunnis]

They're the same. The only thing you lose is the unlocked multiplier.

 

[aelfwyne]

If they're the same, then explain why AMD says they're different:
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/opteron/details.aspx?opn=OSA185CDBOX
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/details.aspx?opn=ADAFX60DAA6CD

Notice the difference? I could be wrong.. but I've seen this difference referred to in several other places as well....

 

[Brunnis]

Originally posted by: aelfwyne
If they're the same, then explain why AMD says they're different:
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/opteron/details.aspx?opn=OSA185CDBOX
http://www.amdcompare.com/us-en/desktop/details.aspx?opn=ADAFX60DAA6CD

Notice the difference? I could be wrong.. but I've seen this difference referred to in several other places as well....

That's an inconsistency on AMD's side. The HT bus on all S939 CPUs is a bi-directional 1GHz bus. For some reason, they've added these two frequencies in the Opteron description. The correct figure is on the A64 spec sheet.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Brunnis

That's an inconsistency on AMD's side. The HT bus on all S939 CPUs is a bi-directional 1GHz bus. For some reason, they've added these two frequencies in the Opteron description. The correct figure is on the A64 spec sheet.

Indeed.

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: jealouse
hi guys

too lazy to migrate to conroe so i figured i'll upgrade my system a bit and use it for another year or so.

been thinking about adding fx-60 (currently 3700+) but the price has not dropped at all!

checked newegg.com and they have fx-60 for some 800 dollars

on the other hand, they have opteron 185 for half the price (some 400 dollars)

i read the spec and they seem to be identical - same clock speed, same amount of cash, etc...

i never knew the difference between athlon and opteron and maybe it's a good time to know.

so what's the difference between athlon and opteron and more specifically, fx-60 and opteron 185? will i have to sacrifice any kinda hardware/software compatibility if i go with opteron instead of athlon? or vice versa?

many thanks in advance.

185 is the same more or less. i think if it were made in 939 form it would be the 5200+ which they have for am2.

you could just get a 4800+ x2 or something save some cash and upgrade other things.

 

[Noubourne]

I've got a 165 at 2.8Ghz.

That's FX-62 speed for more like $150.

 

[jealouse]

thanks for the replies. but i'm still not getting the cristal-clear picture.

are fx-60 and op185 "exactly" the same, in which case HT speed printed for them

(2ghz for fx-60, 1ghz for op185) is simply an error?

or are fx-60 and op 185 "kinda" the same, where their HT speeds are different but in terms of performance they are more or less the same?

so which is it?

 

[Brunnis]

Originally posted by: jealouse
thanks for the replies. but i'm still not getting the cristal-clear picture.

are fx-60 and op185 "exactly" the same, in which case HT speed printed for them

(2ghz for fx-60, 1ghz for op185) is simply an error?

or are fx-60 and op 185 "kinda" the same, where their HT speeds are different but in terms of performance they are more or less the same?

so which is it?

They're exactly the same. Both have a HT bus speed of 1GHz. Labeling the HT bus on the Opteron as 2GHz is an error. Performance of the two parts is identical.

 

[Xcobra]

Originally posted by: Brunnis

Originally posted by: jealouse
thanks for the replies. but i'm still not getting the cristal-clear picture.

are fx-60 and op185 "exactly" the same, in which case HT speed printed for them

(2ghz for fx-60, 1ghz for op185) is simply an error?

or are fx-60 and op 185 "kinda" the same, where their HT speeds are different but in terms of performance they are more or less the same?

so which is it?

They're exactly the same. Both have a HT bus speed of 1GHz. Labeling the HT bus on the Opteron as 2GHz is an error. Performance of the two parts is identical.

word...since HT is bi-directional, i can see how they state the spects 2GHz since its has 1GHz going one direction and 1GHz going the opposite...but yeah theyre the same

 

[jealouse]

Originally posted by: Xcobra

Originally posted by: Brunnis

Originally posted by: jealouse
thanks for the replies. but i'm still not getting the cristal-clear picture.

are fx-60 and op185 "exactly" the same, in which case HT speed printed for them

(2ghz for fx-60, 1ghz for op185) is simply an error?

or are fx-60 and op 185 "kinda" the same, where their HT speeds are different but in terms of performance they are more or less the same?

so which is it?

They're exactly the same. Both have a HT bus speed of 1GHz. Labeling the HT bus on the Opteron as 2GHz is an error. Performance of the two parts is identical.

word...since HT is bi-directional, i can see how they state the spects 2GHz since its has 1GHz going one direction and 1GHz going the opposite...but yeah theyre the same

thanks for the input. but i still don't get it.

if they are indeed the same, how can they charge $800 for fx-60 while $400 for op185? will i be missing anything by not getting fx-60 but getting op185?

sorry to be skeptical but the price discrepency seem just too great. besides, i heard opteron is usually a better overclocker. then shouldn't op185 be priced higher?

 

[Brunnis]

Originally posted by: jealouse
thanks for the input. but i still don't get it.

if they are indeed the same, how can they charge $800 for fx-60 while $400 for op185? will i be missing anything by not getting fx-60 but getting op185?

sorry to be skeptical but the price discrepency seem just too great. besides, i heard opteron is usually a better overclocker. then shouldn't op185 be priced higher?

There are basically two things that make the FX-60 more expensive:

- It is a high-end enthusiast part. The prices for these parts usually tend to stay at a high price point, even when their successors arrive. Retailers probably think that they'll be able to sell those CPUs anyway, since they have the "FX" designation (which to most people means "badass").

- The FX is multiplier unlocked. This is worth a lot to overclockers and AMD and retailers make us customers pay for it. Sadly, with the low overclocking potential of the FX-60, this is practically useless to most people.

Ohh, and about Opteron overclocking: They probably overclock better because of a slightly different binning process. Opterons are likely binned with a larger safety margin than desktop CPUs, since they're used in machines were reliability is of utmost importance. A side effect of that might be the higher overclocking potential.

There you have it.

 

[customcoms]

The Opteron 185 is priced cheaper because it carries the Opteron moniker. There are higher number Opteron's-the 2XX and 8XX series. The 1XX series is the lowest end Opteron series, whereas the FX is the high end AMD64 series with an unlocked multiplier, designed for "enthusiasts." In actuality, most people theorize that the FX and Opterons are produced on the same silicon-based on the fact that both processors hit the same speeds at the same voltages, this makes sense. The only difference lies in binning (maybe) and the multiplier.

Personally, I would be buying an Opteron 165 like I did last week. The latest steppings are all CCBBE's that are hitting 2.7+. Thats an FX-60 for $160. I would say thats bang for the buck! Just for your information, the 165's appear to be the best overclocking Opterons. The 185's for example top out aorund the same level (2.8-3ghz). If your board can support the high FSB (technically HTT) speeds needed, and you have the ram, go for the Opteron 165 (btw, your sig is very very general. Ref. my sig).

 

[lyssword]

2ghz transport = dual chan memory (128 bit) and for opty they say its single chan because 4 sticks of ram (or 1) can't be dual chan, just a little typo.
Optys do run dual chan, just like fx/a64 though, with 2 mem sticks

 

[VooDooAddict]

Originally posted by: jealouse

Originally posted by: Xcobra

Originally posted by: Brunnis

Originally posted by: jealouse
thanks for the replies. but i'm still not getting the cristal-clear picture.

are fx-60 and op185 "exactly" the same, in which case HT speed printed for them

(2ghz for fx-60, 1ghz for op185) is simply an error?

or are fx-60 and op 185 "kinda" the same, where their HT speeds are different but in terms of performance they are more or less the same?

so which is it?

They're exactly the same. Both have a HT bus speed of 1GHz. Labeling the HT bus on the Opteron as 2GHz is an error. Performance of the two parts is identical.

word...since HT is bi-directional, i can see how they state the spects 2GHz since its has 1GHz going one direction and 1GHz going the opposite...but yeah theyre the same

thanks for the input. but i still don't get it.

if they are indeed the same, how can they charge $800 for fx-60 while $400 for op185? will i be missing anything by not getting fx-60 but getting op185?

sorry to be skeptical but the price discrepency seem just too great. besides, i heard opteron is usually a better overclocker. then shouldn't op185 be priced higher?

At stock settings they are exactly the same.

The only differance is the FX series has an unlocked multiplier which gives you more options when overlocking. (It's important to note that this won't nessesarily translate to higher overclocks! It will just give you more options.)

As far as a choice between the two, Opteron 185 all the way. Simply drop it in and it's exactly the same speed and performance as the FX. The extra overclocking headroom the FX's unlocked multiplier might provide isn't worth double the price.

If you want no work performance, then the Opty 185 is the way to go. If you'd rather overclock and find enjoyment in running your system though a couple nights of stabiltiy tests ... there are better deals for the $$ (i.e. the Opty 165).


If you didn't already have 2 gigs of DDR and enjoy overclocking ... With the $400-$800 to burn I'd suggest moving to C2D simply because of how much you can overclock on a budget. It's just hard to give up on 2 gigs of RAM with current prices. (Though, switching to C2D you could sell you current MB/CPU/RAM together.)

 

[myocardia]

Actually, people, both the 1,000 Mhz and the 2,000 Mhz numbers are correct. Starting with the Athlon XP's, the FSB or HTT now, has been DDR. So, on both of these processors, the HTT bus actually runs @ 1,000 Mhz, but, since it's DDR, it operates at the speed that it would if it weren't DDR, and ran @ 2,000 Mhz.

The concept is identical to DDR RAM, which operates @ half the speed, but performs as if it didn't, since it transmits and receives data on both edges of the clock cycle, effectively doubling performance.

 

[aelfwyne]

Myself, I just dropped $184 on an Opty 170 at NewEgg... came with a free "money clip" of dubious quality!!!! I almost bought an FX-55 for $199 (which currently comes with a "free" Seagate 250gb sata drive), but caught the Opteron deal as the FX-55 was in my shopping cart.

In hindsight (after reading forums), I might have even been better off with the Opteron 165 that everyone else is getting, as it is only $159.... But I think I'll be okay with the 170...

 

[IEC]

Buy an Opty 165 or 170... and you'll get a nice overclock at half the price!

 

[hclarkjr]

i am also going to get an FX-60 or opteron 185 shortly and have been following this thread from the start. i am wondering what motherboards will run the 185 though? if the motherboard supports the FX-60 does that mean it will support the 185? i contacted gigabyte and was told that my board will not run the 185 but other people are telling me that it will. is there an unofficial listing of motherboards that will support it? i have been told that AMD wants you to buy the X2's and not the opteron and that is why the opterons are not listed as supported on most socket 939 motherboards that run the X2's

 

[SparkyJJO]

I haven't heard of a socket 939 mobo not working with socket 939 opterons though I suppose it could be possible....

 

[tersome]

Personally, I'd just get a 165 or 170. I don't think AMD agressively bins their opteron series.

 

[hclarkjr]

jealouse, here is a link that might help you decide. i also noticed in that article that they used the motherboard i have to benchmark it so i have my question answered for me as to if it will work on my board. i am definately getting the 185 now

 

[aelfwyne]

I have an ASUS A8V which actually officially supports the Opterons as long as you run a BIOS update to a recent BIOS.