Opteron vs X2 question #2,014,068

dstyle347

I know, I know...

I'll make this quick and painless so we can drop this thread off the page in time for Opteron vs X2 question #2,014,069. I need an opinion here. What are the pro's and con's of the 4200+ x2 and the Opteron 170. I can't tell from the specs (because I don't completely know what I'm looking at ) and all the opinions out there seem to waiver in both directions. There seems to be a $40 - $50 increase with the 170, is it really worth it? I've tried to figure this out but I just had to ask..

Thanks fella's

muddocktor

The cores on the X2 4200 only have 512 kb of L2 cache each. The Opty 170 has 1 MB L2 cache for each core. That's the main difference and IMO, the extra L2 cache is worth the extra money.

dstyle347

What about the L1 cache difference? Does the L2 fill the L1 in the event of a cache miss? If so does that make the amount of L1 irrelevant?

Thrax

I disagree. I do not believe the percentage points warrant $50.

dstyle347

There is also the question of clock speed, the x2 with 2200 x 2 and the opty with 2000 x 2. Though many people seem to be confident in the opty when it comes to oc'ing, even claiming fx-60 numbers. Whats are the thoughts there?

muddocktor

If I was going to buy a X2 with 512k of L2 cache, I would buy the X2 3800 and save quite a bit more money myself. If I were in the market for a DC AMD proc right now, it would be either the Opti 165 or 170. The 170 gives you a 10 instead of a 9 multi and maybe a little more overclocking headroom than a 165, since the 165's stand a greater chance of being a binned part that was rejected from a higher clocked part.

Performance-wise, I just like the extra L2 cache myself. You get a bit of performance increase (which varies quite a bit from app to app though) and the cost difference isn't prohibitive going with the extra L2 cache. As far as overclocking goes, as always, YMMV. Some overclock a lot better than others. To give a recent example I had with 2 Sonoma P-M procs, I have a 730 (1.6/533) proc that overclocks stably to over 2800 MHz. I just built a P-M desktop system for my brother and bought him a 740 (1.73/533) and it only will overclock reliably to a little over 2600 MHz. Now I really didn't try to see how high his proc would absolutely go, but it started needing more vcore a lot sooner than my 730.

Mt_Goat

I have noticed that my Opty 170 runs much smoother with lees of the "switching effect" than my X2 3800 did. The Opty's are also made from a higher grade silicon which is why so many get better OC's than the X2's. In all honesty, I don't see buying anymore X2 CPU's as I will be buying all Opteron dual cores because of my experiences so far. I am already getting ready to order a 165 instead of an X2 3800 and have no reservations what so ever about the extra $30.

Omega65

All Athlon 64, X2s, Opterons and Semprons (S754, S939) have 128K L1 Cache
All Opterons have 1MB L2 Cache. Athlon 64 & X2 have either 512K or 1MB L2 cache & Semprons have either 128K or 256K L2 Cache.

1MB cache DualCore CPUs fold faster than 512K cache DC CPUs and IMO feel smoother wihen multitasking & running multiple programs.

Opterons are a higher quality die than regular Athlon X2s or 64s. Clock for Clock, Opterons will run cooler and use less power than an X2 or 64. Because of this, they will also have more overclocking headroom than an equivalent X2 or 64.

IMO - You will get a better bang for your buck from a Opty 170 (or 165) than from any X2. You're virtually guaranteed 2.5+ghz using just the stock heatpipe cooler

XbitLabs Opteron 165 review - Overclocking the Opty 165: pg8

Qeldroma

This is a little off this thread, but I thought it wasn't worth its own-

Why does an OEM Opteron cost more than a retail at Newegg?

Retail Opteron ($499 at time of this post)

OEM Opteron ($504 at time of this post)

You don't get the HSF or retail support with the OEM. Is there something I'm not seeing besides "If they can get you to pay for it ... "?

It isn't just Newegg, but Monarch ... etc. :?

lemonlime

Qeldroma wrote:

This is a little off this thread, but I thought it wasn't worth its own-

Why does an OEM Opteron cost more than a retail at Newegg?

Retail Opteron ($499 at time of this post)

OEM Opteron ($504 at time of this post)

You don't get the HSF or retail support with the OEM. Is there something I'm not seeing besides "If they can get you to pay for it ... "?

It isn't just Newegg, but Monarch ... etc. :?

I noticed that as well, it seems to be a fairly regular pattern. Most stores in Canada have the OEM for about 5% more than the retail version, or the same price at best. Makes no sense to me

Omega65

Newegg's system automatically changes prices in response to Demand. Demand for the OEM CPU is higher than that for the retail versions. OEM CPUs tend to be of a more current manufacture date than retail CPUs which can be of a very old manufacture date sometimes.