Decisions, to buy an x2 4800 or not.....

[sharken]

Hey all, been reading here a while, to buy an x2 4800 or not, I have asus A8n SLI deluxe Mobo and gig of Corsair XMS ram, 7900 GT and athlon 64 processor, experiencing upgrade withdrawal, fastest chip this board will take with current setup is Fx 60, at 349.00 USD, too much so x2 is best alternative it seems, will build new core 2 system soon but need some extra power now, just need a few other opinions to close the deal on buying the x2, also, if anyone has any solid good advice as to the simpliest and easiest overclock for the 4800 also and how to do it easiest also (path of least resistance) to get alittle more out of it til I buy new core 2 setup, that is if i actually get the 4800, your thoughts please, any suggestions, am open to all, Thanks, S

 

[ajfink]

What processor do you have now?

 

[darious00777]

If you've got the money now, might as well. Core2 is nice, but an X2 is still a good alternative.

 

[sharken]

Have two actually but using an fx55, more importantly, if I do decide to get the s939 toledo x2 4800, whats the cheapest and best HS and Fan for this? cause I would oc it a little say 2.7 and how to go about this exactly, simple instructions are always the easiest to understand hehe, really do want more information specifically..... I will buy a core 2 6600, 2 gig mem and mobo in a month or so, so even if I spent 250 for x2 no biggee, your thoughts.... S

 

[ajfink]

The stock HSF is a good one, if it's the one with heatpipes. Should hit your target speed.

 

[CompuTronix]

Buy the Opteron 170, as it's the best 939 overclocker at 2.8 ~ 3.0 Ghz. My former rig was an Opty 170 OC'd to 3.0, and it was the best AMD processor I ever owned. Absolutely excellent. 8)

Model: OSA170DAA6CD
Stepping: CCBBE 0610DPMW
Serial: 1430261C60932
Core: Toledo

Hope this helps. 8)

 

[Athalus_nubie]

I can definatly say that my opty 175 is the best and fastest AMD cpu i have ever owned ;p
you could always get a 185

 

[misry]

I'm with the Opty crowd, duh. I'm getting 30% OC, idle 32c load 45c on stock cooling.

 

[gOJDO]

Buy the Opteron 170, as it's the best 939 overclocker at 2.8 ~ 3.0 Ghz. My former rig was an Opty 170 OC'd to 3.0, and it was the best AMD processor I ever owned. Absolutely excellent. 8)

Model: OSA170DAA6CD
Stepping: CCBBE 0610DPMW
Serial: 1430261C60932
Core: Toledo

Hope this helps. 8)

I second this 8)

 

[BaronMatrix]

Hey all, been reading here a while, to buy an x2 4800 or not, I have asus A8n SLI deluxe Mobo and gig of Corsair XMS ram, 7900 GT and athlon 64 processor, experiencing upgrade withdrawal, fastest chip this board will take with current setup is Fx 60, at 349.00 USD, too much so x2 is best alternative it seems, will build new core 2 system soon but need some extra power now, just need a few other opinions to close the deal on buying the x2, also, if anyone has any solid good advice as to the simpliest and easiest overclock for the 4800 also and how to do it easiest also (path of least resistance) to get alittle more out of it til I buy new core 2 setup, that is if i actually get the 4800, your thoughts please, any suggestions, am open to all, Thanks, S

I would look at some of the Opteron 1xx series. They are usually cheaper (right now) than the X2s and OC better. A 185 is only $335 and will run at 3GHz without too much trouble.

 

[GherkinPekul]

I love my Arctic Cooling, and it was cheaper than most. I'm a believer in the power of Opteron.

 

[Eviltwin17]

i have a 4800+ that i bought not too long ago and i tell you it is worth it. getting a higher end processor for socket 939/am2 right now is completely worthless because of overclocking and the 3ghz limit. I have my 4800+ running at 2.9ghz easy but i cant go too much higher than that because the architecture of athlon 64 is getting old and cant handle much more. But i say go for it. If you plan on overclocking set the ram to 333mhz instead of 400mhz. Set the voltage to 1.35 (thats what i have it at) after that you should be good to kick up the fsb until your computer cant handle it anymore. You might also want to buy a better heat sink fan and some arctic silver 5 to keep temps down. I run idle at around 35-38C depending on how warm it is in here.

 

[sailer]

With the various Opterons suggested, I'd say to look at the prices and buy either the 4800+ or an Opty 170 depending on the price. I have 4400+ in a second computer, which is the same as a 4800+ except for the multiplier, and I can hit 2860 mhz with it pretty easy. Raise the voltage to 1.4V and use a good aftermarket cooler. I have the factory cooler from my FX60 on the 4400+ and it does a good job, but if you're buying a new one, I'd suggest a Sythe Ninja or similar.

 

[cmptrdude79]

I have to agree with all the above posters: a 939 Opteron is definitely the way to go. I just upgraded, did a little fiddling in the BIOS, and voila: sweet, creamy OC'd dual core goodness.

-J

 

[sailer]

Hey Tacos, I finally fixed the problem with my FX60. Wasn't the cpu at all, but the ram. I can get up to 3136 mhz now without problem and still keep temps under 55c. It was all sorting out the cause of the problem. Normally run it slower, but when I want it, its there. Might try a bit faster, but right now, at least in 3DMark06, it seems my video card is the limiting factor for getting higher scores.

 

[Athalus_nubie]

Just out of interest, what v-core voltages are you guys having to put into your 939 optys to hit 3Ghz plus? im stuck at 2.7 on my 175, but im cautious of pushing my v-core over 1.55...

 

[Rall]

Just use what you have and hold your money for a new computer. I just upgraded mine. I had a X2 3800 and now have a E6600 at 3.2 at 1.4v
It was well worth the upgrade.

 

[snap85]

Save your $$ by getting a well-priced CPU for your socket. Den when the prices for 8800 go down, get one and it'll probably last you another 2-3 years b4 your next complete upgrade.

 

[Athalus_nubie]

most people can get it there with 1.48vcore or so to around 2.8, and then from there and up you apply as much as needed, but what type of cooling do you have? That will help me understand better what your situation is

Running a zalman 9500 in a NZXT Nemisis case with side fan plus intake fan
idle temps are @ 32-38 load is about 40-45

I cant get past about 2.7, and to do 2.7 i have v-core up to 1.55 allready, im guessing i simply have a bad stepping cpu, though i havent tried going over 1.55 so maybe i just need to let lose on the voltage.

 

[sailer]

how'd you fix it then? Was it the bios or something else,

A ram problem. The Corsair ram was failing as the speed went faster. I suspect it has the promos chips in it and it couldn't stand up to the heat. I put in some new stuff that checked out good and viola!, high speeds were there. So easy to get stuck looking at the cpu and forget the rest of the system.

 

[sailer]

That surprises me, corsair's ddr xms was good quality stuff back in the day (can't say the same about xms2 :? ), but then again, ddr wasn't mean for extreme speeds, just tight timings

Surprized me too. Went through four sticks of the stuff and still couldn't get anything that would hold up. Corsair is trying to say its a bad motherboard, but I replaced the motherboard, all other hardware checks out, and the ram keeps failing its tests. OCZ is working fine, and that's good with me.

 

[Athalus_nubie]

That surprises me, corsair's ddr xms was good quality stuff back in the day (can't say the same about xms2 :? ), but then again, ddr wasn't mean for extreme speeds, just tight timings

Crucial made some pretty dam speedy DDR ram, my 2gig kit is currently running DDR-560, others have got the same ram to over 600 ;p