the heirarchy of a cpu line

[acegazda]

Hey guys,
basically what I'm trying to ask is this: In the line of cpus, take the athlon x2's, is the overclocking potential of a 4200+ higher than a 3800+? is the overclocking potential of the new 5000+ the greatest of all? Or is it that every cpu can oc to around the same clock speeds (i realize overclocking itself is a crapshoot, but assuming all chips are highly overclockable) and thus eliminating the need to get anything more than a 3800+ X2 or a 3000+ a64? Can anyone explain this to me?

 

[BassBomb]

higher models doesnt increase oc potential, in most cases lower models may have more potential ... MAY, some may be incapable of the higher speeds that the high end core of same specs (besides clock) has, however some may just be downbinned...

overclockers like getting low end chips and overclocking them to the higher end specs or beyond, therefore getting high end for low cost DIY

for people that dont overclock going to the highend is what they do if they want the high end.. if they dont care for the high end then they just stick to the low end and still dont overclcok if it suits their needs

you not only have to look at model numbesr and clockspeeds, but some cores also have different cache sizes and such, therefore you cant exactly compare their overclocking ability to the higher end which may have more cache then the lower end... that is ie a 3800+X2 @ FX62 speeds..

 

[acegazda]

so a 3200+ venice will oc as high as a 3800+ venice will oc?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Your trying to simplify it to much. It truly is a crap shoot.

All the chips in a family(A64,X2,AM2) are all manufactured using the same process, they don't start out to make a 3200 or a 3800, they are making A64's. The speed rating is determined by testing(binning) and supply/demand. All of the chips will overclock some above their rated speed because they leave some overhead to insure stability. But beyond that there are no gaurantees, you may get a 3200+ that will hit 3ghz or one that will only do 2.2ghz. You may get a 3800+ that will hit 3ghz, or one that barely breaks it's rated speed of 2.4ghz.

But in the majority of cases once the mfg process matures, all CPU's in a class will on average clock around the same range unless your unlucky enough to get a binned dud.

 

[acegazda]

ok, thanks... I get it now.

 

[Munky]

A higher clocked cpu will usually OC higher, but it will not have as much OC headroom as a lower clocked cpu. For example, a FX-57 has a much higher chance of reaching 3 ghz than a A64 3000 because it only has to go up by 200mhz as opposed to 1000mhz. But the lower clocked A64 will often have like 600mhz headroom and reach 2.6 ghz, whereas the FX-57 is already clocked close to the limit and will not have 600mhz of OC headroom (at least not without extreme voltage and cooling).

 

[warbean]

DIfferent A64s come with different cache sizes though. You can't tell me they just start off making A64s and magically just see which ones come out with 512k cache and which ones come out with 1mb!

Look at the 3700+ and 3800+; they are both A64s, but I cant believe they came out of the exact same process.

 

[Skott]

Generally speaking, a 3800 X2 (AM2 versions as well) will easily hit 2400GHz (4800 level). After that its a crapshoot. Most 3800s will hit 2600GHz but thats where you start to see the wall on aircooling. It depends on the stepping of the chip and your rig setup. Most folks cant get past 2800GHz on aircooling with a 3800 proc. Basically you'll hit a wall/ceiling at 2600-2800 on aircooling. 3000GHz or a bit more on watercooling.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: warbean
DIfferent A64s come with different cache sizes though. You can't tell me they just start off making A64s and magically just see which ones come out with 512k cache and which ones come out with 1mb!

Look at the 3700+ and 3800+; they are both A64s, but I cant believe they came out of the exact same process.

You are correct, the 3700+, 4000+, and single core FX's are a different process than the normal 512 A64's. I should have clarified that in my original post. Venice and San Diego although both A64's are different processes, same with X2 Toledo's 1mb cache and Manchesters 512 are also different processes.