165 opteron

[bigKr33]

I've been thinking about buying an opteron for quite some time, but is it really worth it. Yes i would overclock the hell out of it so i would really be getting my money's worth, but would it really be a benefit in the long run.

I hear that alot of people get the 165 eaisly up to 2.6+ with very little voltage change.

 

[Avalon]

Depends what you are going to do with your system.
Ask yourself this: Do you run or plan to run more than one program at a time, where each of those programs can take up to 100% CPU utilization?

And do you do it on a somewhat occassional basis?

If yes, then you will likely find a dual core setup worth your while.
If you're primarily a gamer, it may not make sense now, but Quake 4 seems to really get a nice boost from SMP. It may make sense to get ready for it now than later, if other games come out this year and have similar benefits that Q4 does.

 

[bigKr33]

Yeah i am a gamer, so i guess i shouldn't get one . I just really wanted to get one because i know they stopped production, and by the time i'm really ready to get one (q4) it will be too late and they'll all be sold out.

Theres a lot of games by the end of the year that support dual core, and thats why i kind of wanted to get it now so i can start overclocking it and just be ready for future reference.

 

[Avalon]

Well, if you're not going to purchase one until the fourth quarter of this year, you will probably have more powerful choices by then to pick from. AMD's AM2 platform will be out, and so will Intel's Conroe line.

Then again, I could see why you might want to keep your old board and memory. You'd just have to plunk in an Opteron and not worry about upgrading anything else. By that time, I'm sure there will be used dual core Opty's by the plenty, if you don't mind picking up a used one.

Myself, I'm a gamer. Like I said, Quake 4's performance boost due to dual core impresses me, and I'm not sure what future games will hold in store for dual core systems. It's hard to decide. If you can afford it, and think that games coming out this year will benefit like Quake 4 has, maybe you should go for it.

 

[firewolfsm]

If you're waiting that long, stick to conroe

 

[bigKr33]

Yeah am2 is an option, but that means i would have to get a new board and ram which would really defeat the purpose. Like you said though all i have to do is pop the opty right in then i'm set.

If it does give a huge performance gain in Quake 4 then i might consider it because that game is awesome, played the demo and loved, but haven't bought it yet.

 

[bigKr33]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
If you're waiting that long, stick to conroe

I'm sorry, but i'm anti-intel/

 

[starwars7]

Hey everyone, I recently purchased a retail Opty 165 and was under the impression that the stock cooling would perform well enough to OC. Can anyone confirm this or deny it?

I was also wondering how the stock cooling compares to a Thermalright XP-90.

Thanks!

 

[robertk2012]

Stock cooling on the opty is a little loud but pretty solid.

 

[starwars7]

EDIT: Started a separate thread

 

[bigKr33]

what cooling are you using for that opteron, because thats a pretty high oc.

 

[bigKr33]

Also i heard that to get the most out of an opteron you have to have it at 1:1 because the lack of a memory contoller, is this true.

 

[robertk2012]

no thats not true. You get very little benifit from increased ram speeds. Who told you that? Why dont you read the overclocking guide in this forum and my opteron vs. x2 post. It might give a better idea of what you need to do.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: bigKr33
Also i heard that to get the most out of an opteron you have to have it at 1:1 because the lack of a memory contoller, is this true.

No, that's not true. The Opteron has a memory controller, and is almost exactly like it's Athlon64 brother but with added L2 cache. There's no need to go 1:1 all the way. I use dividers on my Optys.

Also, I wouldn't rule out Intel later on this year. If their product performs significantly better than AMDs for the money, then why not? Don't limit your options just because of personal dislike, or whatever it may be that's holding you back. Get what's the best for you for the money, regardless of the brand name.

 

[Centoros]

I game ALOT on my opty 165 and it does a nice job. Dual core is the way to go IMO

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: Centoros
I game ALOT on my opty 165 and it does a nice job. Dual core is the way to go IMO

If you do somewhat CPU intensive things in the background of your game, or play Quake 4, both of which I mentioned. However, if neither apply, like myself, getting a $130 Opteron 144 and overclocking it might be a better option, especially if budget is concerned.

And when something besides Quake 4 comes out this year that is built for SMP that I'll actually play, I'll gladly pick up a cheap Conroe/AM2 X2

 

[5t3v0]

Is that true, AMD have stopped making the Opteron 165? What else have they stopped making? I am in the same situation as bigKr33 in that I'm considering upgrading to dual core but am reluctant to move away from 939 just now cause I dont want to have to replace mobo & ram just yet. I was hoping on more price cuts before buying. The 165 is still £260 ($450) here in UK. Is there anyone who ships internationally from the US?

 

[starwars7]

DavidGram (sp??) who posts here ships internationally. He should be able to hook you up.

 

[5t3v0]

Dave Graham from Flickerdown? The price guide page on his site isnt working just now. I see he has 165 0551 WPMW, are they are good batch?

 

[davegraham]

lordy...gotta update the price page to link it straight into the forum where most of this stuff is.

we're doing a SLOW transition to the storefront, so...it's taking a wee bit of time.

right now, no 165s but definitely have some hot LDBHE 3800+'s which can be had for much cheaper.

dave

 

[Puffnstuff]

Newegg has them right now so I'd go on over and snag it while it's still available.

 

[davegraham]

i can grab a few by wednesday, so not really worried about "getting" them. it's the delivery time frame that i'm worried about to the end user.

dave

 

[5t3v0]

Dave, what's special about the LDBHE 3800s?

Edit: Are they oem or retail?

 

[davegraham]

retail, man....the memory controller is the special bit. they can clock higher (usually) than some of the other ones.

dave