AMD Phenom 965/970 just an overclocked 955?

[pkhamidar2com]

Hey, is the amd phenom 965 just an overclocked 955, same goes for 970.

Does that mean the amd phenom 955 is just an overclocked 945?

im asking this because i heard this somewhere else that the 965 or something was an overclocked 955.

 

[beenthere]

Not necessarily. They are the same CPU but when tested they will run at faster speeds at the default voltages. Often you can OC a slower CPU to match a faster CPU's default speed. If the slower CPU is significantly cheaper then it can be a good OC option. The 955, 965 and 970 are also unlocked where as many of the slower CPUs are locked, which can limit OC'ing.

 

[lunyone]

No it's generally not an OC 955. It is usually a better binned CPU (works better than a 955/945). This isn't always the case, but the OEM (AMD) certifies that the CPU will work at given speed for at least 3 yrs. The 965/955/945 were all originally 970's, but some were downgraded to their respective speeds for one reason or another (don't run well at 970 speeds, need more 965's/955's/945's for sale, etc.). Intel does the same thing. All of their CPU's start out at the highest level possible when they start to fabricate them. When imperfections occur they will be downgraded to the best possible speed (outcome).

So a 965 might OC better than a 955, but most reviews that I've read, a 955 OC's about as well as a 965. Now I haven't read any reviews on the 970, so I can't comment on them, but I'm willing to suspect that they might be about the same when OC'd. The only difference is that with die shrinks, the newer CPU's (945/955/965) will OC a bit better than their predecessors.

 

[pkhamidar2com]

ok thanks everyone for your comments. This has really helped.

 

[lunyone]

Right now the 955 BE is the best buy, IMHO, if your looking at AMD quad cores.

 

[pkhamidar2com]

I already have a phenom 955 and it is beastly i frikkin love this cpu, and i got it quite cheap too.