Sempron64 2800+ or sempron64 3000+

[jdangber]

I'm torn between these two. $10 more for cool and quiet sounds like a deal, but only 128 kb of L2 vs the 256 of the 2800 leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Plus, it looks like the 2800 may o'c better, as all I've seen for the 3000+ is around 2.2 to 2.3 Ghz, and I'd need at least a 2.5 Ghz o'c to actually consider this an upgrade over my current setup.

Thoughts anyone? can I clock the 3000 high enough to get 2.5 ghz? Or am I destined to be without Cool and Quiet if I want that kind of speed? I'm also under the assumption that these two cpus are of the same core technology, correct?

Just figured I'd mention I'm going to be using the Biostar Tforce 6100 matx board w/this.

thanks.

 

[rmed64]

the 2800+, you already said it, it has twice the cache and it overclocks like mad. Im sure mine would go farther, but my max HTT on my board (biostar 6100 M7) is 300x8 which equals 2.4GHz, which is where im at. Its already a very cool chip (idle is ~27C)

 

[A554SS1N]

If you need at least 2.5GHz overclock for it to be considered an upgrade, then you're asking too much - while a lot of CPU's can get that, you may get one that does less if you're unlucky, so bear that in mind. Tbh, If you manage 2.2Ghz on the 2800+ Sempron 64, that'll be the same as the 3200+ Newcastle Ahtlon 64, so base it around that.

What is your current processor then?

 

[tbike06]

Yea I am using almost the same setup. 2.5 Ghz is a stretch. I can hit 2.4 but i cant get it Prime stable so I just backed it down to 2 Ghz.

 

[PingSpike]

I got my sempron 2800+ 256k paleremo to ~2.33 on stock vcore, prime 12hrs. And the thing probably still has more in it, I don't think I touched its ceiling. That doesn't mean yours will, just an example. Forget cool and quiet, most people recommend you disable that when overclocking anyway.

What is your current setup?

 

[jdangber]

My current setup is a Celeron D 310 @ 3.6 Ghz (900 fsb, mobo limited oc). This rig is mainly used for video encoding. That being the case, the Sempy needs to be around 2.5 ghz to equal the performance (currently my cpu rivals an AMD 64 3400+ 939 in Divx) in that area. My reason for switching has to do with the overall better system performance the AMD platform and cpu has to offer, not to mention the future-proof 64 bit capability (if that every really comes to fruition). I would also like to do a bit of casual gaming. As we all know, the AMD platform will definately afford me the opportunity for this, as even the sempron at stock speed will likely outperform my oc'ed celeron in this area. Since gaming is NOT the primary power use of this computer though, I could care less about the cpu gaming performance if it can't achieve at least close to equal performance in the multimedia arena. I could simply purchase a video card for my current setup if gaming was top priority and save myself the hassle. After sale of my current mobo/cpu combo, the cost of upgrade will be around $50, which was the price point I was looking at for purchase of a video card anyway, I so figure if I can get the same video performance with the igp of the Biostar, plus 64 bit capability, cool operation temps, pci-e upgrade path, better gaming performance from the cpu, and not lose out on the encoding performance of my current setup, all for the same price as an AGP card, why not? Now all I need to know is which cpu to couple the mobo with (since I'm a K8 novice). Looks like I'll be getting the 2800 then. Thanks!

 

[PingSpike]

I think 2.5ghz with a modest voltage increase is a reasonable goal from the sempy. Get the one with more cache, but consider cpu clock/htt/fsb capability of your motherboard selection. You're going to need it to be able to hit greater then 300 to achieve your goal.

 

[Avalon]

I had a 2800+ Palermo back when they were first released, and hit 2.7 prime stable with mine on a DFI NF3. I had some really sweet silicon...I'd say 2.4 is a more reasonable target for you, 2.5 if you have a pretty darn good chip.

 

[jdangber]

I hear the Tforce 6100 has some outrageous overclock functionality (fsb settings up to 350?). That's one of the reasons I'm going with that board.

Thanks

 

[mindwreck]

The 3000+ should be able to hit the same the overclocks but the lower cache will force you to have to overclock the 3000+ more to get equivalent performace of the 2800+ runing at a lower speed. I would give up CnQ and get het 2800+ the extra cache helps. The semprons run cool enough anyways.

I've heard good thing about the 6100s. they seem to overclock well for their low end price.

 

[jdangber]

Just figured I'd update this. I went with the sempy 2800, and am currently running it at 2.5 ghz.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: jdangber
Just figured I'd update this. I went with the sempy 2800, and am currently running it at 2.5 ghz.

Awesome!
So how is the Tforce? I've heard it was a tremendous overclocker, which is why I recommended it to my friend when he put together a PCI-e s754 Sempron system with a 2800+. Whenever I go over to visit him, I'm going to help him overclock his chip. I'm hoping 2.2 should be a no brainer for that chip.

 

[tbike06]

Is it prime stable?

 

[PingSpike]

What kind of voltage did you need?

 

[jdangber]

Yes, prime stable. Volts are 1.55v. It will do 2.3 GHz on stock volts, 2.4 GHz on 1.45 volts, and 2.5 at 1.55 volts, but that's pretty much the wall right now. I'm using the stock HSF. I may end up getting an aftermakret heatsink and pop the top of this cpu. That should allow me to lower the voltage a bit, or sqeeze a few more MHz out of it. I'm pretty happy the way it is right now. The T-Force is running 313 fsb. The computer will boot with the cpu all the way up to 2.7 GHz, but it requies WAY TOO MUCH voltage to make it run (1.7-1.8 volts). It will run at the stock 1.6 GHz with as little as 1 volt.

About the Biostar: I has the most overclocking options I've ever seen on a board, especially one this cheap! The biggest pitfalls I've found were the heatsinks and the auto detect ram timings. the IGP simply needs a fan on it, b/c it gets pretty damn hot. The 410 chip (um.."southbrige?") has a pussy heatsink on it as well, and that thing will get up to 47 C in a close case. That is even after I put AS5 on them. I would actively cool that chip as well, but my video capture card is in the way to prevent the mounting of a fan. The ram timings need to be set to manual for everything, even if you change nothing, otherwise it will tighten up the timings on your ram if you knock it from the 1:1 to another divider, causing the sytem to fail to boot and other probs once you clock the frequency back up.

I found the software o'cing and monitering utilities to be crap. The vcore settings in the bios dont match the actual vcore, sometimes by as much as .5 volts! The Biostare software System Moniter temps look too low. When idling in the bios, the temp is around 36 C. In windows it reports it as 29 C. To "fix" this, I simply set the alarm to 46 C (which would be 52 C, if the bios/windows discrepancy be linear). The disturbing thing I've found so far is the bios updating. I attempted to flash the bios through windows and through the biose utility program. Both tell me they were successful, but the bios date on the post screen never changed. Add the fact that the T-force bios update webpage has been FUBAR for the last 3 weeks, and the situation gets a bit more annoying.

Overall though, I am happy with the system. I achieved the goals I wanted. I just wish I didn't have to feel like I am beta testing this board.

If anyone is wondering about the 6100 IGP, it scores a bit more than 10K in AquaMarK3. I did the test with stock cpu settings and max o'c settings...the score was pretty much the same. So, it'll beat an FX 5200, but not an FX 5200 ultra. 2D graphics are of course exceptional.