Phenom II X4 955 BE and 965 BE

yannickhk

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Hi everyone,

First of all I would like to point out that I am a complete n00b when it gets to assembling and techno-savvy terms. i just bought most of the components for my first built.

I went for AMD for the obvious cost difference compare to the intel i7 (yes I know intel is better, faster .... i7 920 can be OCed to no end... yadda yadda ... :sarcastic: ). I'd rather invest in some solid HDD (2 X velociraptors 300GB in raid0 and 1 X 2TB ???, don't know yet) and a kick-a$$ graphic card (HIS HD5970 :sol: ) than spend 200euros more for a intel cpu and motherboard. But hey, that's just me so no flaming please.

So here is my dilemma, as I stated I am really new at this stuff. I already have the motherboard (ASUS Crosshair III, chosen after much reading all over the internet) and there appears to be some problems with the BIOS as the motherboard doesn't recognize the PII 965. I should find an older compatible CPU to flash the BIOS ... oy, N00b here lol Besides, I am an expat living in China ... how the heck am I going to find another CPU when I don't even speak Chinese (I should learn though ..)

So here is my question: there are many discussions about the PII965 and 955, some state that the 2 CPU are exactly the same except for the multipliers (whatever that is :??: ) and others state that the 965 is better than the 955 ?? (if I understand them correctly of course ...). So what's the deal? are they the same or is there a difference that i should know about? If there is none, i would rather buy a PII 955 as this one is recognized by earlier version of the BIOS (no flashing stuff lol).

Thanks for reading and any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh, btw, I am talking about the PII 965 BE 125W (not the 140W.. not sure if it makes a difference)

Here is my future built (that's what it's called right ;)
ASUS Crosshair III formula
AMD Phenom II X4 965/955 black edition
G-skill ripjaws serie 4 X 2GB DDR3 1600
HIS HD5970 Hemlock 2GB
2 X Velociraptor 300GB raid0 (well that's the plan if it works!! there seems to be problems with win7 64 and the raid drivers ... we'll see)
1 X seagate barracuda 2TB 7200rpm (not sure yet, but it will be a 2TB HDD 7200 RPM)
Thermaltake armor+ VH6000BWS (Huge!! And the sliding panel with the motherboard and everything on it is really cool for a n00B :) )
PSU Kingwin mach 1 1220Watt (yeah, I know, over the top but I plan on buying a second video card in the near future so...)
Koolance liquid cooling PC4-1000 with a 3 fans radiator (CPU, GPU, NB, SB)

Alright, that's it. Tell me what you think. Your opinions are very welcome. I already have the case, motherboard, 2 HDD (the raptors), the graphic card, the liquid cooling kit and the PSU. Just the CPU, memories and the third HDD are missing. i plan on buying them together after i get some of your answers regarding the CPU (that is if I get some :??: )

PS: i googled the question, ended up reading this thread http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265758-28-phenom-intel-core-e8600 .... you guys crack me up lol what an argument :eek:

Nick
 
Solution
Stick to the 955 and save some money. They are the same chip, so if you plan on doing any overclocking, you should be similar results.

VR's are outdated. If you need all the space, consider getting a 2 TB WD caviar black and/or a x25-m (or just a SSD in general):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456&cm_re=caviar_black-_-22-136-456-_-Product

Also, I wouldn't trust any other brand other than the well-established ones for your psu, corsair being one of them:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007&Tpk=corsair%201000w


EDIT: Now that I look at what you're spending, there wouldn't be much of a "cost difference" if you changed some things around and went with an i5/p55 platform. Also, I...

vznoobie12

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Stick to the 955 and save some money. They are the same chip, so if you plan on doing any overclocking, you should be similar results.

VR's are outdated. If you need all the space, consider getting a 2 TB WD caviar black and/or a x25-m (or just a SSD in general):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456&cm_re=caviar_black-_-22-136-456-_-Product

Also, I wouldn't trust any other brand other than the well-established ones for your psu, corsair being one of them:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007&Tpk=corsair%201000w


EDIT: Now that I look at what you're spending, there wouldn't be much of a "cost difference" if you changed some things around and went with an i5/p55 platform. Also, I could see how you would put this in the cpu section, but there's also a "Homebuilt System" forums, where you would probably find more responses concerning your overall build.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html
 
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carlhenry

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i thought the 965 has a higher multiplier, lower TDP, i dunno what other factors are changed but i read reviews that the price difference and the feature difference are not worth it. so its your call. do some credible research first before buying. good luck!
 

loneninja

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955(125W) and 965(140W) are the same exact processor both built on the same C2 stepping. The only difference is one ships with a multiplier of 16 and the other has a multiplier of 17, overclocking results will be the same.

The new 965(125W) is on the new C3 stepping which all AMD chips will migrate to eventually, but it was designed with power efficiency in mind and has lowere voltage requirements. It has also been proven to overclock slightly better due to this, and it's rare not to reach 4.0Ghz on one.

Personally with current prices I would just grab the 955, the premium for the new 965 isn't worth it to me.
 

logitic

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C3 stepping also has better RAM control features.

Will tell you if you decide to get the 965 c3 and the Asus Crosshair you may run into trouble. I was lucky I had a 955 chip to put into the board so I could get the latest drivers for the 965 c3. Some people are getting boards with the latest drivers so you will not have to worry about that. But I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I had to pull the battery, put in 955 and then flash the BIOS. If I didn't have another chip handy it would have sucked! Good luck!
 
Pretty much as loneninja said. The new 965 is actually a new revision with a new stepping, so it needs updated BIOS support. Anyway, the 965 can over clock to a slightly higher speed while running a little cooler. Personally though I just ordered a 955 since it's significantly cheaper :D. I don't feel that the extra money for the 965 is worth the slight increase in OC capability. Also, if you get the 955 you won't have to worry about having to flash the BIOS :D
 

yannifb

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You ordered a 955? Well thats a large step up from that old Athlon 64 :D congrats!
 

yannickhk

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I checked a few benchmarks with the VR in RAID0 and they're close to what an SSD is doing (except for the intel X25-E of course). So I went for them because of the gain in capacity and the reliability. I was tempted by buying 2 intel X25-M for raid0, but only 160GB for 500 bucks stopped me cold. And there are a few guys on other forums who told me that SSD technology is far from being ready and that I should wait a year to upgrade my system with them (not that I believe them over you of course, it's just that I tend to agree with them, it is pretty new after all ...). Anyway I already purchased the VRs, can't throw them away now, can I :p Thanks for the advice though, I will most than likely buy a caviar black as a third drive like you're suggesting and plan on upgrading my system with a SSD when the price goes down a little and that the drives have proven themselves (mainly regarding the longevity..).
Also, I wouldn't trust any other brand other than the well-established ones for your psu, corsair being one of them:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139007&Tpk=corsair%201000w
Duly noted, you are not the first person telling me this. I must comply (darn, i am a hopeless geek, just had a flash of seven of nine in Star trek voyager - you must comply - lol). There goes the Kingwin blue led :cry:
EDIT: Now that I look at what you're spending, there wouldn't be much of a "cost difference" if you changed some things around and went with an i5/p55 platform. Also, I could see how you would put this in the cpu section, but there's also a "Homebuilt System" forums, where you would probably find more responses concerning your overall build.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/forum-31.html
Yeah, i thought about that, but i am gonna pass on Intel for this one. I am gonna stick with AMD. Do you think that I could just copy paste the message to the other thread or are the admins gonna be pissed by it? I am new here, don't want to get kicked out or anything ....
You wouldn't require more than a 750watt psu to run that setup with 2 cards.
Really?? I used the power calculator at newegg and when I upgrade the memory and graphic cards it gives me 993Watts ... Wouldn't I need a 1200W PSU then? I mean the efficiency of most PSU is at around 90%, doesn't it mean that a 1200W PSU is only gonna give 1080W? Like I said, I am really new at this so I am most certainly wrong but that's how I understood it.
i thought the 965 has a higher multiplier, lower TDP, i dunno what other factors are changed but i read reviews that the price difference and the feature difference are not worth it. so its your call. do some credible research first before buying. good luck!
Yeah, that's what I heard too for the 955 and the 965 140W.
955(125W) and 965(140W) are the same exact processor both built on the same C2 stepping. The only difference is one ships with a multiplier of 16 and the other has a multiplier of 17, overclocking results will be the same.

The new 965(125W) is on the new C3 stepping which all AMD chips will migrate to eventually, but it was designed with power efficiency in mind and has lowere voltage requirements. It has also been proven to overclock slightly better due to this, and it's rare not to reach 4.0Ghz on one.
Ah, finally an answer that i can understand :) So there is a difference between those two and the 965 125w is slightly better if i understand correctly. Thanks for this, I really appreciate it.
Personally with current prices I would just grab the 955, the premium for the new 965 isn't worth it to me.
OK, but I think that I am going to buy the 965 125w if it can be OCed at a higher frequency (liquid cooling kiddies woot woot lol). I mean i have already spent 4.5Gs or so, so 50 bucks more or less ... Not that you shouldn't look for the cost, it's just me.
C3 stepping also has better RAM control features.

Will tell you if you decide to get the 965 c3 and the Asus Crosshair you may run into trouble. I was lucky I had a 955 chip to put into the board so I could get the latest drivers for the 965 c3. Some people are getting boards with the latest drivers so you will not have to worry about that. But I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I had to pull the battery, put in 955 and then flash the BIOS. If I didn't have another chip handy it would have sucked! Good luck!
So definitely the 965 125w. And here goes that word again *flash*. You know that feeling down in your throat when you get really anxious about something, I got it since I first heard that word 5 weeks ago when i started doing research for my computer parts. I got nightmares, every time my wife uses the camera, i think about flashing the Bios, when my phones ringing, it flashes and there it goes again, headaches flashes BIOS crashes ... ughh, darn lol Thanks for pointing the memory stuff out though, I really appreciate it.
Pretty much as loneninja said. The new 965 is actually a new revision with a new stepping, so it needs updated BIOS support. Anyway, the 965 can over clock to a slightly higher speed while running a little cooler. Personally though I just ordered a 955 since it's significantly cheaper :D. I don't feel that the extra money for the 965 is worth the slight increase in OC capability. Also, if you get the 955 you won't have to worry about having to flash the BIOS :D
FLASHES BIOS HEADACHES ONE FRY SHORT OF A HAPPY MEAL LALALALALA :heink: :ouch: :pt1cable: :eek: :??: lol
You ordered a 955? Well thats a large step up from that old Athlon 64 :D congrats!
Indeed


Thanks all of you guys, i really appreciate the help and advices. Did you get as anxious as I am before starting your first build? I am literally wetting my pants lol

Nick
 

yannifb

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I was really anxious when i got my first gaming build (which is what im using now, lol). Everyday I kept checking the shipping status on Newegg and was ridiculously eager for my parts to arrive.
 

yannickhk

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How did it work out? I mean did you have any faulty parts or such?