Socket 939 upgrade question - in the face of being obsolete...

[onebluemcm]

Hey all. I'm not yet through with my Asus mobo with 939 - I have been running an FX-55 for about one year with no major complaints. Now that socket 939 CPUs are really dropping in price, my question is what would make a good, final CPU upgrade for my setup? Was looking at Opteron 185 at Newegg - would I see a substantial difference with it (I assume so - single core 2.6GHz vs dual core 2.6GHz...)? Any other options to consider for a final processor upgrade?

 

[double_helix]

I did a final upgrade from a s939 AMD64 3000+ (1.8Ghz stock) to an Opteron 180 (2.4Ghz Stock) and overclocked it to 2.8Ghz easy...

For the money, sure, its worth it. Might also look at getting 2 gigs of RAM... The only thing that's of a concern to me at this time is my 7900GS.

 

[w153r]

How comfortable are you with overclocking? I have an Opteron 165 @ 2.7ghz:

Mobo: MSI NF4
Opteron 165: 300 FSB x 9 CPU Multiplier = 2.7ghz (1.8 stock 200 x 9)
CPU Volt aka VCORE: 1.40 (1.35 stock)
RAM: G. Skill DDR500 300 x 333 (166mhz) = approximately 500mhz (2.7v)
HTT Multiplier: 300 FSB x 3 HTT = 900 / 1800 HTT
Video Card: 8800GTS @ 600/1000
600 Watt PowerSupply

One thing about the optys however, the multipliers are locked as follows: (stock 200 FSB)
165: 9x = 1.8ghz
170: 10x = 2.0ghz
175: 11x = 2.2ghz
180: 12x = 2.4ghz
185: 13x = 2.6ghz

The opteron 165 worked out for me, my mobo can handle 300+ FSB so only have a 9x multiplier wasn't a problem for me. However, if you want to "plug n play" (and you got the money to spend) I'd get the 185. however, the 165 is less than 100 dollars, and the 185 is $235.

Either choice you make you will not be dissapointed.

 

[onebluemcm]

thanks fellas - helpful thoughts

Was looking at pricegrabber.com - I can't believe what FX-55s are still going for - and I KNOW I didn't pay anywhere near that much for mine.

Any thoughts on whether or not I should just wait for the AMD quad-core processors and let what I currently have be?

Also, how is the FX-55 for overclocking? I'm admitting my ignorance here - though I follow computer building and have clearly built a few myself, I have never dabbled with OCing much at all. Maybe the best thing would be to work with my FX-55......just not sure where to start, what can I say - I haven't done OCing before. Oh yeah, already have a nice copper cooler for the processor - a Zalman unit.

I want to start doing more gaming on the PC so that is what is pushing my interest in maybe a final CPU upgrade or not. Plan is to get an 8800GTS VGA card and go from 2-3 GB memory; already running with a raptor drive with OS and programs installed on it and a separate RAID5 for data storage (runs off a Silicon Image controller on the mobo, that is why I am REALLY happy with the board).

With that info, any further thoughts? I'm not a chicken with OCing, just want to do it right and until now, haven't had enough time to get into it the way I would want to.

 

[ethel]

Another 165@2.7GHz here.

Definitely worth going from single to multi-core, but I would recommend getting a 170 if you can as they have the higher multiplier so you've more chance of getting them to 3GHz.

The FX-55 won't overclock much either - FX chips are all pretty much top of the range and therefore pretty close to the ceiling of possibility.

 

[caamsa]

Just wait and do a complete upgrade............save your money unless you plan on keeping your current system for another year. If you really must get this...........

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103053

 

[w153r]

Eew the Toledo 4200 only has 2 x 512 L2 cache, atleast the opty 165 has 2 x 1MB. So for twenty bucks more, you can get twice the L2 cache, and from what I've heard the Toledo cores don't OC well. If I were you, I'd keep that FX-55 (I had one prior to my opty) and get a 8800 GTS. If you overclock your FX-55 it should not bottleneck a GTS. However, again, <100$ for a dual core opty 165 with 2 X 1MB L2 cache is one SWEET deal. I paid 150-ish for mine, and not even two weeks later they slash the prices! :/

 

[w153r]

Forget To Mention: That toledo 4200 is OEM, no HSF, and the HSF on the Opty's are TOP notch.

 

[caamsa]

You will see very little difference between 512 cache and 1mb. Why pay more when you can get just as good cheaper....how about this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103541

While supplies last!!!!!!!!!!

 

[choirbass]

opterons are known for OCing well. also, agreeing with the above poster, the additional 512k of cache per core has minimal impact in most situations, and only a minor impact in other situations.

its worth going from single to dual core as most people can tell you. s939 is still a very viable platform overall, emphasized that much moreso by the low price to upgrade to keep a current s939 system around for at least a few more years, particularly if you are going to OC. the only worthwhile step up from this, is a whole platform replacement, 2GB ram minimum, and at least a quad core too, anything less is only a fairly minor step up from what youre considering upgrading already.

 

[onebluemcm]

Just three more questions then -

first - if I go with the 4200 and don't OC, will I still see a gain over my current FX-55?

Second, I'm noticing that from the Opty 165 to 170, 170 to 175, and 175 to 180, at least at NewEgg, there is about a $25 jump from one to the next; from the 180 to 185 the jump is much bigger - about $60. So, I think the 180 might be the best way to go. So, question is, again, if I went with the Opty 180 and didn't OC it, would I see a gain over my FX-55?

Third - one person mentioned going with an Opty 170 so that 3.0GHz would be more achievable. Question here is with the Opty 180 and some conservative OCing, what might I anticipate getting to? Any guidance you all could mention on OCing for beginners, surely would be helpful too.

If I haven't said so, thanks all - very helpful and appreciated!

 

[w153r]

Here's a better way to narrow your question, WHAT are you using your computer for: Gaming? What is your current setup, MOBO, PROC, RAM, Video Card, OS. Are you running everything stock? Do you understand FSB, RAM dividers, HTT, vcore?

Performance wise between your FX-55 and an Opteron you will see little in terms of frames per second in games. Now if you have a 939 AGP board, then you're basically toast! IF you have a PCI-e board, then the perfect compliment for that proc would be a 8800GTS in either flavor 320/640. And if you don't have good RAM, you're pretty much toast their as well. DDR supplies dried up fast, however, I have seen the same RAM i have in my machine on ebay, which is G. SKILL PC4000 DDR500.


edit: grammatical errors.

 

[onebluemcm]

Asus A8N-SLI Premuim
FX-55 with Zalman 9500 cooler
Ram - 4 sticks Kingston KVR400X64C3A/512 for 2 GB total
Video card - Current 6600GT but 8800GTS is on the way
OS - currently XP, going to Vista shortly - don't ask why, good opportunity arose...
Oh, and good solid 550w power supply in an Antec P180 tower and like I said before, have a WD Raptor HD for OS and programs, and RAID5 setup for data storage and an external HD for backup.

Everything is currently stock, no adjustments
I do understand FSB, but vcore, HTT, RAM dividers - well, I can say that I have read about these but am not as familiar with them.

Would like to do more gaming; I also do medical imaging so some apps are quite challenging on the video side of things, also on memory; light on the networking side; image and photo manipulation should become bigger and bigger issues for the machine.

Help at all?

 

[w153r]

8800GTS FTW, that should extend the life of your 939 machine for atleast a year. I'd get the 165 if you wanted to upgrade your proc for the simple fact that its CHEAP. Good luck, BTW, which GTS did you get? I have the EVGA version.

 

[Newf]

Onebluemcm: Forget OC for beginners. You have value ram which is very reliable but will not take much OC. There is also just not much to be gained by an OC anyway. The 8800GTS will go a LONG way for gaming purposes, and you can continue to use it when you switch to a more modern socket system. Try out the new videocard and watch you system temps for the first few days. A solid psu should handle things quite well, even if a few years old.
I try to think about upgrades in terms of generations. Yes a dual core will make your system run smoother, especially with multitasking. Not much faster though. When more $$$ are available, a much faster system (either socket 775 or F) will make a bigger difference than trying to use benchmarks to justify a new 939 Opteron.

 

[w153r]

I agree, pop the 8800GTS in and call it a day until DDR3 / PCIe 2.0 / Quad core becomes the standard.