Ready to step up to Dual core...need advice please

[stockjock]

OK...I'm currently running an Opty 146 and it is running nicely at 2.8Ghz on a water cooled system. I haven't try to go higher. Anyway, I love to game and there is a new game out called Supreme Commander that actually benefits from a Dual Core. So, I want to step up...but I want something I can overclock and something that will still fit in my 939 system. I've got a DFI Lanparty UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert board and she overclocks well. I was thinking about the 165 but I'm not hearing very good news about overclocking. Little help from you CPU gurus would be much appreciated...oooh...I don't plan on stepping up to AM2 so don't even bring it up please.

Edit...after I just posted this I noticed this thread, Linky talking about this very thing and I guess I'm wrong as it looks like most are saying go to a 165 or 170...am I right?

 

[Markfw]

yes.

 

[lobbyone]

Opteron 165!FTW

 

[dogmir]

well i cant speak for the current offerings around the net but some of the early 165's were great overclockers.....i got screwed with a mediocre stepping and mine will only pull 2.6ghz but i had friend that got his to 2.7 and another that got a great chip that went to 2.8.....but like i said i havent been up to much on the current state of affairs....but you can probly find a good stepping on for sale forum

 

[stockjock]

looking like I'm headed for an Opty 165

 

[customcoms]

I know the steepings they were selling back in November were excellent....see my system specs.

 

[catalysts17az]

i have both the 165 and 170. the 170 is also on a DFI Expert board and the 165 is on a biostar Tforce 6100. IMHO go with the 170 as it has a 10 multiplyer.

 

[aigomorla]

heh.... how come no one says 175?

My scary 175. Look at voltage

if your set on the two, id take the 170 for the higher multi, the 165 can just BITE me. You end up spending the cost difference on high clocking ram. BTW i can push her to 3.4 on 1.52V. so yeah the 165 can BITE ME.

However i heard lately the 165 and 170's dont OC very well.

:T

 

[stockjock]

yeah...i've been looking at those 175s and actually am thinking of going in that direction.

 

[deadseasquirrel]

While Supreme Commander does indeed utilize some of that 2nd core, you'll see a much greater benefit to your gaming if you upgrade your x850xt first. There are video cards out there now that will double your framerates compared to the x850xt. A dual-core cpu won't.

 

[stockjock]

Thanks deadseasquirrel for that info. I'm so out of the loop on vid cards now...what would be nice stepup vid card that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg?

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Your monitor, if I remember correctly, is capable of displaying 1600x1200 resolution. But, what resolution do you normally play games at? What do you prefer? That answer goes a l-o-n-g way in determining which video card is best for you. Also, keep in mind that Supreme Commander is one of those games that choke even on a C2D with a 8800GTX, if the settings are pushed high enough. Here is a recent review.

If you play at/below 1280x1024 or around there, an 8800GTS 320mb would likely fit the bill, though, a case could be made for the 640mb version instead. The pricing goes (approximations) like this-- $270, $350, $500. The GTX is highest, the 320mb GTS is the lowest.

All of them will give you a much better performance increase in your games than moving to a dual-core chip. Though, as you can see, they cost a lot more than just grabbing a $120 X2 3800.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: deadseasquirrel
Your monitor, if I remember correctly, is capable of displaying 1600x1200 resolution. But, what resolution do you normally play games at? What do you prefer? That answer goes a l-o-n-g way in determining which video card is best for you. Also, keep in mind that Supreme Commander is one of those games that choke even on a C2D with a 8800GTX, if the settings are pushed high enough. Here is a recent review.

If you play at/below 1280x1024 or around there, an 8800GTS 320mb would likely fit the bill, though, a case could be made for the 640mb version instead. The pricing goes (approximations) like this-- $270, $350, $500. The GTX is highest, the 320mb GTS is the lowest.

All of them will give you a much better performance increase in your games than moving to a dual-core chip. Though, as you can see, they cost a lot more than just grabbing a $120 X2 3800.

he's so right. If your main objective is gaming, then getting a new class video card would be the better investment. If you want overall smoother performance in all other area's the cpu is the better upgrade.

Or find a nice sweet spot in the middle somewhere.

 

[secretanchitman]

just upgraded from a intel p4 2.4C @ 2.95Ghz to an opteron 170.

i'd definitely go for an opteron 165 or 170...

 

[cubeless]

i had same issue with sup com... 2.8 opty and an x1800xt512 and it crawled... just dropped in a $120 ne x2 3800, bumped it to 2.5 and now it runs great... i bet dual core cpu will be better boost than vid card... i have another pc with a 8800gts640 and a 3.0 a64 and the x2/x1800xt box is faster now in sc...

with better cooling i could probably get to 2.6 or .7... needs more volts to get over 2.5 (@1.4) and gets too hot at 1.45...

 

[deadseasquirrel]

Originally posted by: cubeless
i had same issue with sup com... 2.8 opty and an x1800xt512 and it crawled... just dropped in a $120 ne x2 3800, bumped it to 2.5 and now it runs great... i bet dual core cpu will be better boost than vid card... i have another pc with a 8800gts640 and a 3.0 a64 and the x2/x1800xt box is faster now in sc...

You're likely much better off listening to someone who actually plays Supreme Commander and went through this exact same situation, instead of my advice. Since I don't have the game (or a dual-core chip to test the demo with), all I can do is rely on benchmarks.

This page shows that a low-end X2 gets 8.6fps with a 6600gt. This one shows a high-end C2D getting 14.1fps with that same 6600gt. Almost double, but still low on the playability scale. Where your x850xt fits in there, I don't know. But these benches do show that SC cares greatly about both CPU and GPU speed.

My advice is that a $120 X2 at Newegg matched with a GTS 320mb for $270 would make a really good $400 upgrade for not only this game, but future games as well.