AMD Sempron Processor 3100+ & ECS NFORCE3-A Motherboard for $80 at Outpost.com

[CuriousMike]

Other than SSE3, what else makes the Sempron 3400+ Palermo different (performance wise) than the 3100Paris ?

Is it apples to apples mostly? i.e., 2.6ghz on the 3400+ would give similar results to 2.6ghz on a 3100 ?

 

[furballi]

Both are virtually identical (MHz dependent) except for the internal die size. The 3400 may come with a better memory controller, but that's a mute point with only two slots of Dimm in the ECS NF3 board. SSE3 should not affect real-world performance.

You may want to search xbitlabs for another review that may compare the performance of an A64 3500 to an overclocked Sempron 3100.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/sempron-3100e.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/sempron-3100-oc.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/sempron-3100-oc_7.html

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/sempron-3100e_7.html

 

[Netopia]

Originally posted by: furballi
Both are virtually identical (MHz dependent) except for the internal die size. The 3400 may come with a better memory controller, but that's a mute point with only two slots of Dimm in the ECS NF3 board. SSE3 should not affect real-world performance.

moot...Moot.... MOOT!!!

Sorry... pet peave about people using the wrong term.

Joe
who HATES it when people say MUTE point

 

[thetxstang]

Originally posted by: Netopia

Originally posted by: furballi
Both are virtually identical (MHz dependent) except for the internal die size. The 3400 may come with a better memory controller, but that's a mute point with only two slots of Dimm in the ECS NF3 board. SSE3 should not affect real-world performance.

moot...Moot.... MOOT!!!

Sorry... pet peave about people using the wrong term.

Joe
who HATES it when people say MUTE point

peeve...Peeve...PEEVE!!!

 

[CuriousMike]

I installed the Cool n Quiet driver from AMD, and it seems to work without issue.

Are there reasons NOT to use CnQ ? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[psykohog]

Just ran SuperPi 1.5XS got 26.46 with 1.5 gigs of ram
cpu at 2249 of course I am running 1T. I had 30
processes runnin in task manager.

 

[thetxstang]

Originally posted by: CuriousMike
I installed the Cool n Quiet driver from AMD, and it seems to work without issue.

Are there reasons NOT to use CnQ ? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I have read in a number of online tech forums that Cool n Quiet should never be used in OC situations. That said, it seems a lot of people are using it anyhow without incident.

 

[Zap]

OMG the spelling Nazi have shown up in force. :roll:

Originally posted by: CuriousMike
Other than SSE3, what else makes the Sempron 3400+ Palermo different (performance wise) than the 3100Paris ?

Is it apples to apples mostly? i.e., 2.6ghz on the 3400+ would give similar results to 2.6ghz on a 3100 ?

That's it in a nutshell... kinda. The 3400+ Palermo is guaranteed to have 64 bit; though pretty much everybody here has gotten a 64 bit Paris, not guaranteed. Anything that can use SSE3 will possibly run faster. It possibly has better memory controller so perhaps higher memory clocks with lower timings? All 3400+ Palermo are E6 revision which is the "newest" and the most likely to hit highest clock speeds.

All the above are "perhaps" and "maybe." There is one thing that is guaranteed with Palermo versus Paris. With both at the same MHz and voltage, the Palermo runs cooler. It may not make much difference at default clocks since the Paris doesn't get too hot, but once you start crankin' on it...

 

[thetxstang]

Originally posted by: thetxstang

Originally posted by: CuriousMike
I installed the Cool n Quiet driver from AMD, and it seems to work without issue.

Are there reasons NOT to use CnQ ? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

I have read in a number of online tech forums that Cool n Quiet should never be used in OC situations. That said, it seems a lot of people are using it anyhow without incident.

Here's an excerpt describing why Cool 'n' Quiet should NOT be used when OC'ing:

"Cool ?n' Quiet is another interesting feature that AMD has incorporated into its latest platforms. It essentially throttles down the processor to a fraction of its operating frequency by using lower multipliers and decreasing the core voltage when idle. This equates to much lower temperatures and power consumption. When the CPU load increases so does the clock speed and vcore. Cool ?n' Quiet is a feature that most overclockers disable. Having the processor automatically decrease voltage when running clock speeds out of spec can cause instant instabilities and other issues."

Link to the above info.

 

[Netopia]

Originally posted by: thetxstang

Originally posted by: Netopia

Originally posted by: furballi
Both are virtually identical (MHz dependent) except for the internal die size. The 3400 may come with a better memory controller, but that's a mute point with only two slots of Dimm in the ECS NF3 board. SSE3 should not affect real-world performance.

moot...Moot.... MOOT!!!

Sorry... pet peave about people using the wrong term.

Joe
who HATES it when people say MUTE point

peeve...Peeve...PEEVE!!!

LOL.... a most EXCELENT response... and one well deserved!

Oh what a hypocrite am I!

Joe

 

[RaiderJ]

I have a RAID 5 file server that I'm currently running on a PIII 550, so obviously performance isn't much of an concern. I'm considering getting an EPIA board to run my server, but this board/CPU combo caught my eye. Obviously this setup would require more space, but would be much more expandable than an EPIA board.

Any thoughts on this for power efficiency? Would running this setup 24/7 using the Cool 'n Quiet be a reasonable option instead of the EPIA board?

 

[robertk2012]

Originally posted by: voodoo3
I ordered this combo on 3 Apr via ground and received it on 5 Apr. Outpost is trying to give Newegg a run for it's money on shipping times!

Same here.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
Any thoughts on this for power efficiency? Would running this setup 24/7 using the Cool 'n Quiet be a reasonable option instead of the EPIA board?

It would likely still use more power but as you said will be more expandable. Also, my belief is that even file serving needs a "fast enough" setup. Not talking about a killer rig, but one that is reasonable speed. Now, I can't be 100% certain but seemed to me file servers I had in the past that were using low performance parts didn't seem to be able to sustain really high network transfer rates. In the past I had used a VIA C3 866MHz chip and also an Intel Celeron 1.1A (Tualatin). I even used 3Com PCI network cards to try offloading the CPU, but my transfer rates in Windows would not go over 50% and usually was about 35-40%. Same drives but with a faster CPU gets me sustained 60-80% network usage.

For really low power usage consider using some software like RMClock to manually lower voltage and multiplier, so you can set it on lowest setting possible that is still stable. Also, a Palermo may be able to use lower voltages than Paris (though I'm not 100% sure).

My HTPC system currently uses a Palermo D0 core 2600+ running at stock MHz on a Biostar Tforce6100 board with the CPU undervolted to around 1.2v or so. Works great and feels snappier than my overclocked mobile Celeron running around 2.4GHz that I had in there previously.

 

[MintBoy]

Damn this is so tempting...

 

[furballi]

There's no issue with C n Q when used properly. Note that the CPU core speed can bounce up and down by about 30MHz with C n Q enabled (same multiplier). Therefore, you should find the failure point of your rig, then back-off the FSB by at least 5MHz.

The system runs 1.52Vcore at full load (2.44GHz). With C n Q ON, the voltage drops to 1.18Vcore (1.35GHz).

As for power draw at idle, the system is pulling 96 watts from the wall with C n Q ON, and 108 watts with C n Q OFF. Full load power is 183 watts. Measurements taken with Fluke ammeter connected in series with the circuit (AC line).

 

[shearo]

furballi, this is just what I want to know, except I'd like to know stock watts and watts at max FSB without Voltage increase (2.25 ghz?)... I'm running a HTPC and want to get the most speed without the high wattage the vcore increase will result in.

Thanks in advance!

 

[furballi]

You may not be able to achieve stability with stock voltage at 2.25GHz. I only raised Vcore from 1.41 to 1.52V. Therefore, the increase in power is only about 6 watts at full load. Simply deduct 6 watts from the results. Note that these readings also include a DVD burner, a HDD, and a floppy disc drive.

I may run some more tests later if time permits.

 

[furballi]

The Antec SmartPower 350 2.0 works great with this setup. PCI-E, SATA, rpm fan monitor, and good efficiency. Also runs cool n quiet. 12V rail is very stable...+/-0.06VDC with my sample at full load. Only $18 AR (Fry's/Outpost #473339).

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: furballi
The Antec SmartPower 350 2.0 works great with this setup. PCI-E, SATA, rpm fan monitor, and good efficiency. Also runs cool n quiet. 12V rail is very stable...+/-0.06VDC with my sample at full load. Only $18 AR (Fry's/Outpost #473339).

Can you get that PSU for $18 from the online store? I'm in Alaska and don't have a B&M here!

I have an old Sparkle 350W PSU that I don't believe has the 4-pin motherboard power adapter - do you need that to run the board?

 

[furballi]

Nope. However, this PSU has 20+4 connector. I don't see the $25 rebate at Outpost but you should call to confirm.

Try outpost at 1877OUTPOST and give item #4733339

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4733339?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


Also try the rebate center for this PSU...877-776-1280

 

[KenSr]

Originally posted by: furballi
Nope. However, this PSU has 20+4 connector. I don't see the $25 rebate at Outpost but you should call to confirm.

Try outpost at 1877OUTPOST and give item #4733339

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4733339?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


Also try the rebate center for this PSU...877-776-1280

The rebate for this PSU ended 4/4/06,
I have one on the way, along with one more combo.

Ken

 

[furballi]

OK...recheck. Rebate expired two days ago. My bad. Watch for another repeat.

 

[CuriousMike]

FYI, against my belief, I tried 1T last night and lo-and-behold it booted and ran fine at 2.405 ghz and was prime stable for 15 minutes before I cut it off and played BF2 for a few hours.

It trimmed my SuperPi 1M almost 1 whole second ( from 41.9 down to 41.0)

 

[RaiderJ]

Would a 300W PSU work for this combo along with a 4 drive RAID 5 array, optical drive and 3 case fans? There is a 300W Antec Smartpower for sale on the forums that looked like it would work, if a little on the lean side.

 

[furballi]

I have no experience with the cheaper Antec. I'd wait for another sale on the 350 SmartPower 2.0.