Toledo or Manchester?

[spegb]

I am flip flopping between several different choices and before you think this is the obvious newb question check this link.

price chart

Granted it is a $4 difference right now (the Toledo was closer to $45 higher last week), but why is the 3800+ listed as both? is there a way to unlock the cache?

And so you know I am trying to decide between an Operton 165/170 or the x2 3800+/4200+

I plan on using an XP-90 and arctic silver ceramique. And putting it in an ASUS A8N board (anybody see that they came out with a SE edition for the plain SLI version?)

Lastly, do the extra memory controllers in the Opteron (am I using the right word? there are 3 of them, I think, as opposed to 1 in the x2) improve perfromance or are they strictly there to interact with a 2nd operton?

 

[Leper Messiah]

At stock, there are no differences between the toldeo and manchester 3800s. AFAIK you can't unlock the cache, and there are 3 Hyper Transport Tunnels on the opterons, for connecting between other opterons in a multi CPU config, on the 1XX I believe they are disabled.

 

[spegb]

Ok so the additional Hyper transport tunnels are strictly for dealing with other chips then? and will basically go unused if I have a single opteron.

I guess I should add that I plan to do a little over clocking (I would be happy with a 100-200mhz boost, I know some of you are getting about 1 ghz), and the rig will be used for gaming (sim racing). I would also prefer not to create a space heater with the new set-up.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: spegb
Ok so the additional Hyper transport tunnels are strictly for dealing with other chips then? and will basically go unused if I have a single opteron.

I guess I should add that I plan to do a little over clocking (I would be happy with a 100-200mhz boost, I know some of you are getting about 1 ghz), and the rig will be used for gaming (sim racing). I would also prefer not to create a space heater with the new set-up.

Normally x2s are hitting 2.4 on stock volts, which won't heat up too bad. That mobo seems to be pretty well regarded, never had an asus mobo before, so I dunno about it.

 

[lopri]

Asus board + dual core = voltage dance
Well, at least stock voltages seem fine.

 

[spegb]

Originally posted by: lopri
Asus board + dual core = voltage dance
Well, at least stock voltages seem fine.

But your sig says you have an ASUS board yourself. Would you not get another one if it was bad? or is the premium that much better than the sli/sli se

doh nm!! I just did some reading in the motherboard forum!