Can You Unlock a Phenom II X2 545.. to a Quadcore - pre order jitters

[cigbunt]

hi all

i just about to place an order for a multimedia system/gaming/hub/ableton.

im on a tight budget..

i was gonna get a

Phenom II X2 550
asus am3 board

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169532

then i thought to my self i wanna save some money

i was planning to try to unlock the x2 550 to a quad..

my question is can i do this with the x2 545???

i have also opted for the cheaper way more Basic..
msi board
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438

just choosing these to components saves me about 50 notes

any help would be great

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You are not guaranteed an unlock but the X2 545 can be unlocked too if you are lucky. The X2 550 will be easier to overclock since it has an unlocked multiplier though. Regarding the motherboard if you do unlock the processor to a quad core I would not overclock it with additional voltage. This is because the motherboard has 4+1 phase power regulation and an overclocked quad core would put a big strain on it.

[cigbunt]

i mite just get the asus.. cuz its got VGA (plus loads of ports), so i wont need to rush out and buy a video card... which is a saving lol

mite get matx version arrrrgh so many factors with little cost difference!!

coolmaster case matx

or a antec 300 both are appealing with £10 cost difference grr

1 more thing is this ram ok?
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I would go for this motherboard:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167782

It has 8+2 phase power regulation for the CPU and has had many good reviews.

I would also look to get some 1600MHZ RAM like this set for example:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/177345

Here is some cheaper RAM which will do the job:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...L9D-4GBRL.html

I would then run the RAM at 1333MHZ using lower latencies for optimal performance:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ddr3,2319.html

Edit!!

Quidco also do cashback on purchases from Novatech:

http://www2.quidco.com/novatech/

[aidanjt]

Normally, the two cores are shut off because they failed QA and got X2 binned. Occasionally the cores are only disabled to meet market demand for that particular model. As usual, your mileage will vary. But I'd be very careful when doing so, and thoughly test the CPU in every imaginable way (particularly, with heavy prime calculations) before considering the machine stable and fit for semi-serious work.

[cigbunt]

have taken you advice aboard cat, tho im not a fan of gigabyte from previous builds.
ram looks great tho!

1 more factor a video card.. i have a maxium a budget of £60 - £100. i want the best bang for my buck card vs price! but i also like the idea of getting the lastest range of ati.. i was lookinga t a 5750 for £85 @ scan (via hotdealuk)

there some many choices here its confussing me..

[Biscuit]

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Pr...00Mhz-Cas7-Kit

1600 with low latency for similar price... this is what i got a few weeks ago

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

have taken you advice aboard cat, tho im not a fan of gigabyte from previous builds.
ram looks great tho!

1 more factor a video card.. i have a maxium a budget of £60 - £100. i want the best bang for my buck card vs price! but i also like the idea of getting the lastest range of ati.. i was lookinga t a 5750 for £85 @ scan (via hotdealuk)

there some many choices here its confussing me..

In raw performance an HD4870 512MB would be a better choice and Ebuyer have the 512MB version for around £90 IIRC. OTH,the HD5750 has much lower power consumption and DX11. The HD4870 requires two PCI-E power connectors as opposed to the single one in the HD5750 and HD5770. TBH, I would look at a cheap HD5770 if possible:

http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pr...imit=10&page=1

http://www.cclonline.com/product-cat...tegory_id=1034