Why Opteron?

DeathSlayer

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Jun 13, 2005
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Why would people prefer Opteron than an X2? What makes them better?
I can barely find any benchmarks that compare the Opteron with a X2...
The AT and Hardocp forums are the only places where alot of people have "Opterowns"... if they are better, why are they?

I was going to get a 3800+ X2 and OC it to around 2.6ghz (many people are successful at doing so), but people say that Opterowns OC alot better...
 

Maximilian

Lifer
Feb 8, 2004
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Opterons are the same CPU basically, but they ALL come with 1mb cache, as opposed to th x2 3800's 512kb, also yes the opterons overclock better. At stock speeds an opteron 165 vs an x2 3800, i believe the 3800 is 200 mhz faster at stock speeds, meaning it would win benchmarks by a small number. People dont buy opterons to run them at stock though, the only reason to go for an opteron is to overclock, or if you really care about having 1mb of cache.
 

harobikes333

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Sep 18, 2005
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Opterons are server quality CPUs so they are made of better Silicon. They also have a better OC potential I think. But you can't get a retail Opteron very resonable....

 

IeraseU

Senior member
Aug 25, 2004
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They perform the same at equivalent clockspeeds, however the feeling was that opteron's are better overclockers. Also all the DC opterons have 1mb of L2 cache per core, while some X2 processors have 512k. My personal opinion is that at the time of introduction both were extraordinary overclockers, but as the fabrication process matured, they were better able to be rated less conservatively, therefore overlcocks are becoming less substantial. In other words, when a CPU is first released (rushed out the door ) it's clockspeed is rated very conservatively (for example a chip that might do 2.8 might be rated at 2.2) in order to avoid the problems and bad publicity associated with a new product overheating/locking up. As time goes on, and more testing is possible, then a chip can be rated less and less conservatively (now for example now a chip that does 2.4 can be rated at 2.2). Chips are always given at least some 'leeway' as far as clock speed ratings because they have to perform well in a variety of situations such as small form factor cases with very little cooling, or in places with high ambient temperatures, ect..........so keeping this in mind with good cooling and a good motherboard you will always get *some* overclock....although you are more likely to get a better overclock early in the fabrication process rather then later (imo of course).
 

DrMrLordX

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
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For awhile there, the Opteron 165 was the cheapest way to get a dual-core AMD processor. Those days are now gone.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
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Personally, i think the X2 3800+ is the best CPU you can buy.

Beats any single core CPU into the dirt at 2.6 ghz and many will clock that high since they run cooler than the 2 MB cache dually's.. And they feel much nicer than any simgle core CPU. And are cheap.. as low as $310 I've seen.


When 165's were around for $300 it was more dabatable between 165/3800 - but after having used both I'd still pick 3800+ due to thermal issues and associated noise.

(actually I did'nt use both I have a 4200+ which is just an overclocked 3800+..but same thing.. sold my 165)
 

Zebo

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Jul 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: harobikes333
so an opteron 170 is NOT worth the extra money:D?

it is if you find the stepping of CCBWE 0530TPMW ;)

As found here on ebay :D

Maybe true.. those clock as high as 3Ghz with that steppiing.. but I've also seen plenty of 2.7's out of 3800's right here in these forums... Is 300Mhz more worth 30% more money? Not in my opinion since it will only be about 10-15% faster.
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: harobikes333
but......seeing that I won't probably win that auction... otherwise its not worth it...? If you don't OC...

If you don't OC you're an idiot to buy 170 with 3800 for $100 less! They are same speed. I'll go as far as to say - Cache make no difference, nothing you notice anyway. This has been shown in countless reviews comparing 512 vs 1024 chips at the single core level which we can extrapolate to duals since they act like single cores on each thread.
 

RichUK

Lifer
Feb 14, 2005
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Originally posted by: Zebo
Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: harobikes333
so an opteron 170 is NOT worth the extra money:D?

it is if you find the stepping of CCBWE 0530TPMW ;)

As found here on ebay :D

Maybe true.. those clock as high as 3Ghz with that steppiing.. but I've also seen plenty of 2.7's out of 3800's right here in these forums... Is 300Mhz more worth 30% more money? Not in my opinion since it will only be about 10-15% faster.

Thats true i very much agree, im just going to go with the flow, meaning im just gonna by middle market CPU's, then OC them and try and get the best bang for the buck, and also the same applies to if and when i convert to M2. At the end of the day he was very lucky to get that stepping (the guy on ebay), there?s no point in paying a premium for little gain.
 

harobikes333

Platinum Member
Sep 18, 2005
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Alrighy since I'm not OCing past stock voltage if I even ever do I'm definity getting the 3800 X2:D

Edit: Congratz Zebo on your 21K post!:) Hope to see more from ya too:D
 

Zebo

Elite Member
Jul 29, 2001
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Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: Zebo
Originally posted by: RichUK
Originally posted by: harobikes333
so an opteron 170 is NOT worth the extra money:D?

it is if you find the stepping of CCBWE 0530TPMW ;)

As found here on ebay :D

Maybe true.. those clock as high as 3Ghz with that steppiing.. but I've also seen plenty of 2.7's out of 3800's right here in these forums... Is 300Mhz more worth 30% more money? Not in my opinion since it will only be about 10-15% faster.

Thats true i very much agree, im just going to go with the flow, meaning im just gonna by middle market CPU's, then OC them and try and get the best bang for the buck, and also the same applies to if and when i convert to M2. At the end of the day he was very lucky to get that stepping (the guy on ebay), there?s no point in paying a premium for little gain.

Yeah it's really hard to say - All these CPU's have value just some better than others and there is a factor of how much value you place on reaching a certain plateau. For example - those 170s stepped right are almost guaranteed 2.8 and that watermark is imporatant to some people so it may be well worth it to pay premium. Not me which is why I stated it as an opinion. I find I save more money looking at percentages than absolutle values with are arbitrary and capricious anyway.. almost a psycological choice more than anything. Because the absolute performance is hardy ever justified in buying anything other than the lowest end, runing stock or not, you'll never see comparable performance gains to price as you scale up the ladder.

(PS: only reason I have 4200 is a 3800+ did'nt exist when i purchased it.. if it did, I'd have a 3800+)
 

RichUK

Lifer
Feb 14, 2005
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Exactly, take the soon to be released FX60 for one. Sheesh that is going to be a killer, as in its not worth it for the price premium!! Also I don?t think have seen one person purchase an FX57 on here (most people are sensible). I believe this type of CPU is for through and through enthusiasts, basically people that just go for the highest OC on phase and LN2 (and have copious amounts of cash :p) , and not for actual somewhat normal PC use.

I'll enjoy looking at the numbers people receive from heavily OCed FX60's though, and also relish in the thought that i have not wasted my money.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
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Zebo, how far did your 4200+ and 165 go clock-wise, respectively?
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
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I just put my Opteron 148 on eBay but still can't decide whether to keep it or not. (No one has bid on yet so I can close the auction) I personally think single-cores' time is over, but then again this thing is quite exceptional... (2.9GHz on stock VCore) Should I keep it or just let it go?
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
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Yeah I have a second rig - mostly for dirty works and testing. I use it for downloading/installing *unsafe* stuff, and testing new hardware. I try to keep my main rig as clean/efficient as possible.