I will be building a new gaming computer shortly on a budget around $1500 and i was planning on buying a 4400+ x2, but i've been hearing alot about opterons being a much better value lately. Any suggestions? If I did go for an Opteron i would probably get a 175, assuming that it is compatible with an Asus A8n-Sli.
The Opteron is going to OC better, but is gonna cost you more (and Im not talking bout a few bucks).
And dont get the A8N-SLI, Id HIGHLY recommend a DFI board.
My 2 cents, get an Opteron 165 or maybe 170 at the most. They are all the same core just higher starting speeds but they all can OC to near 3.0Ghz on air. The only difference between the 165 and 170 aside from starting speeds is 165 has a 9x multiplier and the 170 has a 10x but they will both reach about the exact same speeds OC just one is cheaper
And like others said Opterons run cooler and take less power. My Opty 165 on stock speeds gets just 500 less score in 3Dmark03 than my roommates A64 4000+ San Diego and that's only because he has that Asus mobo with the NF4 SLI x16 chipset. In 3DMark06 I beat his by 1100pts on stock speeds so far. Can't wait till I go OC it to 2.6Ghz or higher!
I'd agree with Prozac, and he knows his stuff too. With the Opteron 165 you can overclock upto a 4400 x2 with out spending as much as a 4400 x2. It would also keep cooler overall because when it hits that speed, its takes less voltage to get there. But its your money, glad your doing your research first.
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