Upgrading...Which A64?

[Rotax]

Doing some upgrading from a Barton 2500 XPM. Going with a Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra motherboard. PCIE X800 GTO 256MB vcard.
I have pair of 512 DDR HyperX.

Just can't figure out which CPU is the 2500 XPM of A64s.

I think a 3000+ would be fine for me, but if there is a chip OCing better than others, I'd really like to know before I order.. Needing to order this week.

Also, any HSF info would be great...begining that search now...

Please suggest / inform away!

 

[Avalon]

A 3000+ Venice would be alright. The E3 stepping was a better overclocker than E6 or E4, but the 3000+ may be hard(er) to find now that it has been discontinued. If you are looking for the ultimate overclocking experience, look no further than the socket 939 Opteron. The 1.8ghz, 9x multiplier model 144 is in stock in a few places. The more sought after 146 model that runs at 2ghz with a 10x multiplier is practically sold out everywhere. If your Epox can handle 300HTT, which I think it should be capable of, or at least be able to come close to, you should be able to get a good 2.7ghz overclock out of a 144. They typically cost around $150.

As for a HSF...the XP-90 is a good budget HSF, but it doesn't always come with a fan. I personally use the SI-120(also doesn't come with a fan typically(, which is arguably the best air cooling for the AMD platform. Also compared favourably is the Thermaltake Big Typhoon. That one will come with a fan, which is a nice bonus. One more consideration is the Scythe Ninja, which also does not come with a fan. All of these will run you about $40-$50, maybe $5 more if you need to add a good fan. The XP-90 should be cheaper, though, and I'm pretty sure all of those units can fit your motherboard.

 

[crazylegs]

Depending what u plan to use it for an A64 3000+ should do you well - I use mine for a range of windows apps (but nothing majorly intensive such as graphics rendering...) and gaming and luv it to bits... great 'bang for your buck!!!'

However, when it came to OCing i feel i was slightly hampered by the x9 mulit rather than a x10 with the A64 3200+ although i am still running at a decent 2450mhz on stock HSF (36% OC...)

 

[Rotax]

thanks guys. looks like the opty's are hard to find "in stock" . .
i mainly 'game' on this system. the diff between an a64 and opty is the l2 cache? 512k on a64 1mb on opty? is that what i'm seeing?
the prices between the 2 are close, but like i said, opty's seem to be out of stock..

would it be in my best interest to wait for the opty?