Difference in Phenoms

[Recin]

If I do not over clock, will I notice any difference in gaming performance between the Phenom II X4 955, 965, and 970?

 

[Recin]

Haven't got my hands on a 975 yet but on the 965 and 955 I did.

Ok the 955 and 965 are almost the same chip. Well it appears to be the same chip but if you start tweaking both of them when you oc them you'll find the small amount of differences.

The 965 leaks more which means at the same clock as a 955 it will be hotter than the 955: The IMC AND the northbridge are a little bit better on the 965 aswell which results to better performances in benchmarks. You can use tighter timings with it.

But for overclocking on air the 955 would be the better choice as its a bit cooler than the 965. The 965 are more for beyond aircooling but it will be able to reach a higher clock than the 955 but not with conventional cooling

Thanks, Dadiggle. If I decide to not over clock ever, does it matter which CPU I select when considering performance?

 

[Recin]

Sorry just to add. If you take the 955 you can overclock it easy to the 965 frequency and have the same performance.

I can do this on stock cooling?

 

[amk09]

lol dadiggle you have yet to answer his question. All you talk about is OC'ing when he said specifically in the original post "IF I DO NOT OVERCLOCK..."

That being said, Recin, there will be a small difference in gaming performance between those chips, however, you WILL NOT notice it. Might as well save some money and get the 955.

 

[Recin]

lol dadiggle you have yet to answer his question. All you talk about is OC'ing when he said specifically in the original post "IF I DO NOT OVERCLOCK..."

That being said, Recin, there will be a small difference in gaming performance between those chips, however, you WILL NOT notice it. Might as well save some money and get the 955.

Thanks, amk09! I ended up getting the 965 last night. I figured it was a good middle ground anyway.

I used to be a hardcore gamer, but now I have backed off of it since college. My systems don't need to be nearly as aggressive as they were and its hard to cut through the tech talk to figure out the basics. But I love Tom's to much to stray!