Phenom 9500 2.2Ghz for Gaming (!)

[pr2thej]

Yup...i know this was probably a bad move but hear me out....i picked up the damn thing for $74 on eBay!! (Im in UK as well so you can add a premium to our R.R.P's as well)

I know there are not many multithread games out there, and i would have probably been better off getting a Brisbane x2 or something.

But...well i love picking up bargains so im going to try and game with the Phenom.

My question is - How far can you OC it and what sort of cooling will this require?


If its of any help the chip will be in a Biostar Tforce 790fx with xfire, and a HD4850, 4gb Ram and 500w OCZ PSU running Vista 64-bit.

Sorta games i would play would be the latest online FPS, and MMO's so your WAR's and UT3's

 

[epsilon84]

It has a locked multi so don't expect a huge overclock, but 2.6GHz should be achievable, maybe more depending on how far you can push the HTT bus on your mobo. Standard air cooling is sufficient provided you don't go crazy on the voltages.

Overclocked it should be just as fast as any X2 in games so you're not really 'losing out' except perhaps in power consumption, but other than that, you scored a nice deal.

 

[emp]

You will need an SB750 board in order to reach the phenom's maximum overclocking potential. I would recommend something along the lines of a Zerotherm Zen or Zerotherm Nirvana to cool it effectively. Not a bad choice if you consider getting a deneb down the road.

 

[kassler]

But...well i love picking up bargains so im going to try and game with the Phenom.

My question is - How far can you OC it and what sort of cooling will this require?

You don't need to OC

I have 9500 @ 2,2 GHz and have never had any problems. Videocard is 4870X2

Here is crysis warhead, don't reach 50% most of the time, sometimes just above

 

[pr2thej]

You will need an SB750 board in order to reach the phenom's maximum overclocking potential.

Just check my brand spanking new Mobo coz i didnt really understand this

Biostar TA790GX A2+

790GX = SB750 ?

So does this mean ive managed to get a Quad and the best Mobo for it for....$176 !

Thanks for the replies, ill definitly check out those coolers.

 

[Reynod]

Who is the tosser who rated down epsilon's post?

There was nothing wrong with what he said ... so I rated him back up.

OP ... the reviews suggest yes.

 

[zenmaster]

That is a good mobo for the quads.
Just don't expect at of OCing out of that chip.

I would mostly consider it a "hold-over" chip until the Denab comes out.
Since you got it for a low price, it's not too bad.

 

[Wisecracker]

Just check my brand spanking new Mobo coz i didnt really understand this

Biostar TA790GX A2+

790GX = SB750 ?

So does this mean ive managed to get a Quad and the best Mobo for it for....$176 !

Thanks for the replies, ill definitly check out those coolers.

Since you've saved so much money a MOSFET cooler might be a good idea for the Biostar 790gx.

Some folks may prefer the Foxconn 790gx as the best 'bang for your pound' mobo ...

 

[yipsl]

Here are the motherboard specs at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138128

You have the SB 750. No problem there.

A 9500 is B2. If you have the TLB errata fixed through the bios it will slow down a bit. You can get by without enabling it because it's rarely encountered. Ideally, a 9950 would be better, but what you got isn't bad. Your's cost $74 and the 9550 is $129.

Research good aftermarket coolers if you're going to overclock. The stock cooler isn't that great beyond stock. That's held me off overclocking the 8750.

Who is the tosser who rated down epsilon's post?

There was nothing wrong with what he said ... so I rated him back up.

OP ... the reviews suggest yes.

I voted his post back up. I hate fanboyism that rates reasonable posts down and flames up based on an obsession for or against a particular company.