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What is the point of CPU modification for you??
It seems many people on Hexus don't have an issue with Intel removing overclocking on their sub £140 processors. However,they don't seem to mind paying Intel over £140 for the ability to overclock their processors.
CPU modding for most people has traditionally been about improving performance of cheap CPUs to match more expensive CPUs.
An early example is the Celeron 300.
Ignoring the financial implications to the companies involved what is the point of CPU modification for YOU??
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Simply to extend the use of an already purchased chip that would otherwise be limiting. If the chip isn't limiting or there are non-limiting chips available affordably then there's no need other than e-preening.
In the case of Sandy Bridge I think Intel have played it perfectly - you can now buy exactly the right chip for your purposes across the range.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I don't care, I don't over clock, everything I run it run at stock speeds. Most machines I buy have a 5+ year lifecycle as they are moved around various roles in my house. When i buy a machine I always give some thought to what I might do with it next. I never say just upgrade a process, as that will leave me with a processor which without a board is useless. OK I could ebay things but I just cannot be bothered. If I do have spares I often give away to friends/family.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Added poll.
Poll is rubbish. Neither, and I don't appreciate being 'forced' into one of two biased catagorisations :p
I'm saying I buy a CPU to perform how I want it to at the time of purchase. I don't consider modification to enable me to buy a cheaper or more expensive system, nor would I say £100 is expensive - it's all relative and determined by your usage. In my example, OCing is much more important on an expensive system (my definition, so >£200 CPU perhaps), as you don't want to be replacing them as often.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I used to buy cheap processors (durons and semperons) and I OC'ed my E6600 but now I just buy the quickest processor I can't and can be doing with all the faffing
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
The days of easy overclocking are long gone.
Some examples from the past.
486sx 25 - a few jumpers later and you have a 486sx33
Cyrix 68x6 100 - all worked at 2x60 and most at 2x66
Celeron 2 533 - run at 100mhz instead of 66 for instant 800mhz
It's all too complex now with special coolers, mobos etc. Why bother.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Things seem to have changed in the last couple of years, I havent found any of the stuff I do on my rig to be limited by a cheap CPU run at stock. In the past I tended to go for a CPU that could be easily over clocked or in some way unlocked. Despite only spending £50 on my current CPU and around the same on the MOBO, I haven't found any games or applications that need any more oomph. I don't tend to do anything with video, and the photo editing software I use works fast enough for me.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
i bought a i5 because its the fastest / decently priced thing at the time. And the over clocked it because i can. and it can be done with out a fuss. I got it to 4.2 and it was fine. Decided i dont need that power yet and clocked it back to 3.8. When i will need a upgrade instead of upgrading right away, i can push it to 4.2 to give it a bit more life time
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
abaxas
The days of easy overclocking are long gone.
Some examples from the past.
486sx 25 - a few jumpers later and you have a 486sx33
Cyrix 68x6 100 - all worked at 2x60 and most at 2x66
Celeron 2 533 - run at 100mhz instead of 66 for instant 800mhz
It's all too complex now with special coolers, mobos etc. Why bother.
Really??
It seems the e-peen overclockers have been sending out too much fud sadly.
Overclocking has gotten progressively easier over the years.
You don't need an expensive motherboard,CPU and cooler to overclock.
My 2.2GHZ E4500 which cost £90 in 2007 could be overclocked to 3.1GHZ with generic 800MHZ DDR2, a £50 motherboard and a £10 cooler. I still use an E4300 at the same speed in another computer now.
My mate unlocked a £60 Athlon II X3 440 to a Phenom II X4 with a £70 motherboard. The motherboard has USB3.0 and SATA3.0 and he had to press a button or two on the motherboard to unlock the processor. He wanted USB3.0 and SATA3.0 otherwise a £50 motherboard would have done the job.
I have had mates with £45 P31 motherboards,E5000 series processors and cheap coolers get decent overclocks.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
It is almost like people are making excuses for Intel to make more money.
Intel has not limited overclocking on their low end CPUs in the last 10 years and it has not affected their bottom line either.
They could have easily have added a few extra multipliers on top of the new Core i3 processors and it would have not cost them that much TBH.
At this rate what is the whole point of computer modding of any sort??
A Dell would probably be cheaper and do the job anyway! ;)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Poll is a bit crap. I don't purposely buy cheap or expensive. I set a budget. Then I work within that budget.
Then whatever I have I look at it's OC possibility, and decide if it is worth it to invest my time to get a stable OC. Got my Q9450 @ 2.6 GHz stock, now running at 3.6 GHz. Worth it? Absolutely.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I overclock because its a free performance boost. I would never rely on it or take it into account when budgeting for a new build (e.g. saying 'I can spend more on Gfx because I can buy this cheaper CPU and overclock it').
So if intel makes it difficult for me, then I won't overclock. Depending on the price difference I could be persuaded to spend a little more on a 'k' model, but only 10-15% more, not 30-50%.
Intel won't get significantly more money from me from this move, but it won't be a factor in deciding between intel and AMD for my next build either.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
So basically some people on Hexus are willing to pay for something which was free before. Very interesting.
Having said that that it seems many of the people who are against budget overclocking have quite expensive computers in the first place! ;)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I feel a bit limited by the poll. The need to overclock has been blown out of all proportion by the proliforation of review sites and interent forums.
I know what you mean that intel should not be in a postion to effectively set out to block the ability to OC their chips. Unfortunately this is down to AMD not really being able to keep up. I think that no matter how good Bulldozer is going to be the replacement for the LGA1366 will allow for intel to again take control of the market.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I said a few years ago that imo, overclocking will come built in. Intels lock out is just another enthusiast targeted buck, albeit with serious implications for the bang for buck overclocker, myself included. I have been voting with my feet for quite a while, the only new Intel cpu I bought in the past few years have been a E4300/Q6600. I have 3x1055T 2x95w/1x125w all hit 4.0ghz and with a total cost of about £460, I know where my money is going in the next 6 months or so.
cheers
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
So basically some people on Hexus are willing to pay for something which was free before. Very interesting.
Having said that that it seems many of the people who are against budget overclocking have quite expensive computers in the first place! ;)
For me, you answer your own question/issue with this post.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, what are the performance differences between an overclocked processor and un-overclocked one, in real terms? This is before you get to offer of Turbo Boost, not to mention the prices of component X,Y, & Z to ensure you have a stable overclock.
It was never free in any sense either AFAIK and I'm with the others in that you should buy performance you need.
I really don't see your grudge with Intel on this one! :p
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
What is the normal overclock percentage these days?
Last time I did it was the Celeron 300 to 450, a 50% increase and the different between a £100 and a £400 CPU. That made a massive difference in those days, I could be wrong, but I doubt I would ever get the kind of increases from overclocking that would make it worth the effort these days.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
For me, you answer your own question/issue with this post.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, what are the performance differences between an overclocked processor and un-overclocked one, in real terms? This is before you get to offer of Turbo Boost, not to mention the prices of component X,Y, & Z to ensure you have a stable overclock.
It was never free in any sense either AFAIK and I'm with the others in that you should buy performance you need.
The Intel CPUs under £100 don't have Turbo so it is a moot point.
It seems many on Hexus have very short memories.
The E4000 and E5000 series processors were quite cheap and could use a £50 motherboard to be overclocked with. My E4300 is still running overclocked at 3.1GHZ(from 1.8GHZ) using a £10 heatsink and a £50 motherboard.
It basically had better performance than a £200 E6600 at around half the price.
Plenty of people bought the E5000 series processors and got large overclocks on them using cheap motherboards.
I know people who have unlocked Athlon II X3 processors to Athlon II X4 and Phenom II X4 processors by using relatively cheap motherboards.
It seems budget overclocking and CPU modding is only dead in the eyes of people in this thread who all have expensive computers! ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
I really don't see your grudge with Intel on this one! :p
I am still an Intel user BTW! ;)
Regarding the grudge I don't have,Intel raised the prices of the socket 1156 motherboards over the socket 775 ones, has a monopoly on chipsets for Intel processors by locking out Nvidia and are charging extra for a CPU which can overclock.
Of course this excludes all the anti-competitive crap they have done in the last 5 years too.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Funkstar
What is the normal overclock percentage these days?
Last time I did it was the Celeron 300 to 450, a 50% increase and the different between a £100 and a £400 CPU. That made a massive difference in those days, I could be wrong, but I doubt I would ever get the kind of increases from overclocking that would make it worth the effort these days.
I'm not sure I agree, I bought a 2.9Ghz X3, now running at 3.2Ghz after 5mins in the BIOS & little effort. My last CPU just required an
FSB bump & I've no idea what HT is but it was still simple, to me that is worth it :)
I've always bought CPUs with some expectations of an overclock even if it be 100-200mhz, if it's free then why not eek a little more out of it for 0 cost? Whether anything I do actually needs or uses that extra 300mhz is another question though!
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
It seems many on Hexus have very short memories.
The E4000 and E5000 series processors were quite cheap and could use a £50 motherboard to be overclocked with. I should know since I am one of those people. My E4300 is still running overclocked at 3.1GHZ(from 1.8GHZ) using a £10 heatsink and a £50 motherboard.
It basically had better performance than a £200 E6600 at around half the price.
Plenty of people bought the E5000 series processors and got large overclocks on them using cheap motherboards.
I know people who have unlocked Athlon II X3 processors to Phenom II X4 processors by using relatively cheap motherboards.
It seems budget overclocking and CPU modding is only dead in the eyes of people in this thread who all have expensive computers! ;)
Many of the socket 775 processors could be overclocked a large amount and were under £100. Socket 1156 inflated the price of the lower end motherboards.
So there is still an extra cost incurred for overclocking then - as i mentioned be it down to the prices of other components. I have to ask, how long was it before the extra performance actually became of some use given the prominence of the Conroe's ? I'm would wager about the time a few new series of faster, more efficient CPU's came out that can be overclocked past 4GHz with the stock cooler for about £20 more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Well,Intel raised the prices of the socket 1156 motherboards over the socket 775 ones, has a monopoly on chipsets for Intel processors by locking out Nvidia and are charging extra for a CPU which can overclock.
But thats nothing new is it?
Edit: And we've known this would be the case in terms of O/C on SB for a few months anyway, its not like they've dropped a bombshell at launch.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
So there is still an extra cost incurred for overclocking then - as i mentioned be it down to the prices of other components. I have to ask, how long was it before the extra performance actually became of some use given the prominence of the Conroe's ? I'm would wager about the time a few new series of faster, more efficient CPU's came out that can be overclocked past 4GHz with the stock cooler for about £20 more.
Extra costs?? The £50 motherboard I got had a P35 chipset which was midrange. There were P31 based motherboards for £40 to £50 which were pretty much at the low end of socket 775 anyway and could be used to overclock too. Even with the stock cooler you could get away with a smaller overclock.
Also,the E4300 came out in early 2007 and the E5000 series in 2008.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
But thats nothing new is it?
??? Not really.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Theres another point were all missing here. Your all looking at it in the way "intel removed over clocking and charged extra for it". Now consider looking at it from this way. When manufacturing cpus the yield rates are not 100%. So intel are making a mass of those CPUs. Those that pass the quality test are sold as "k" series at 100% of the price.
Where as those that failed the test for w/e reason are sold at lower price because they do work but wont over clock. And instead of being thrown away can be sold to people who wont bother over clocking anyway at cheaper price.
Looking at the i5 750 / 760 cpus. They were all sold at 2.66 / 2.88 but is there anyone who bought one with the intention of keeping it on stock? Intel just guaranteed them selves that they worked at 2.66 and sold it at that, but as the quality allowed nearly everyone got them to run faster.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, what are the performance differences between an overclocked processor and un-overclocked one, in real terms?
On a 1055t@4.0ghz compared to stock crunching world community grid help conquer cancer between 30/40mins per wu
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
not to mention the prices of component X,Y, & Z to ensure you have a stable overclock.
I would argue that the MSI P55-GD65 that your running only got made to it spec because of overclocking and the enthusiasts that needed that particular type of board. Furthermore there has always been great boards for the budget minded overclocker, epox was a real champion back in the 939 days, my Abit - NF7-S v2.0 cost me £63 new, and biostar have been producing budget minded oc friendly boards since the TForce 6100, and some crackers since then tf 550 £53, tf560 £43, TF8200 A2+ £51(bought new june 08). There are still budget AMD board out there and the Asus M4A785D-M PRO(£56) that is in my server with a 1055t@3.8 albeit it with added heatsink to the pwr fets(I am a enthusiast after all and they were pennies) shows what can be done for a low budget.
Good quality components can be carried over from various builds my corsair hx620 has been through countless and is still in my main rig today over and will be 4 yrs old in april this year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
It was never free in any sense either AFAIK and I'm with the others in that you should buy performance you need.
I never see it as free, I see it as a skill and a shared knowledge with fellow overclockers to ring out the best performance that ones budget allows
cheers
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
You can't say they gaurantee any overclock at all. The only gaurantee is you get an unlocked multi.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Georgy291
Theres another point were all missing here. Your all looking at it in the way "intel removed over clocking and charged extra for it". Now consider looking at it from this way. When manufacturing cpus the yield rates are not 100%. So intel are making a mass of those CPUs. Those that pass the quality test are sold as "k" series at 100% of the price.
Where as those that failed the test for w/e reason are sold at lower price because they do work but wont over clock. And instead of being thrown away can be sold to people who wont bother over clocking anyway at cheaper price.
Looking at the i5 750 / 760 cpus. They were all sold at 2.66 / 2.88 but is there anyone who bought one with the intention of keeping it on stock? Intel just guaranteed them selves that they worked at 2.66 and sold it at that, but as the quality allowed nearly everyone got them to run faster.
The Core i5 processors are not cheap processors as they are over £125.
It is the sub £100 to £120 processors like the Core i3 which are being sold from the start fully locked. Like I said before enabling a few extra multipliers(like with the Core i5 2400 which is semi-locked) would not cost Intel much money TBH.
These use a different die than the Core i5 processors. If you look at the previous socket 1156 Core i3 processors many people got decent overclocks with them AFAIK.
On top of this the H67 chipsets are meant not to have any overclocking options whereas the H55 chipset had this functionality. Intel has created the Z68 chipset for this purpose.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Extra costs?? The £50 motherboard I got had a P35 chipset which was midrange. There were P31 based motherboards for £40 to £50
Absolutely, I had the Gigabyte - GA-EP31-DS3L Scan Aug 2008 £41incl, rock solid with the e4300@3.2
edit
I also had the MSI - P35 Neo2 - FR Bought new from scan Jan 2008 £67.67 clocked my Q6600 Core 2 Quad 2.4GHz SLACR GO, Scan June 2008, £126 tp 3.4ghz
The question is, where is Intels 2011 equivalent
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I like the ability to be able to overclock and/or unlock cores. For me it gives that bit extra to the whole PC experience.
I may not overclock straight away but as time goes on I like the option of giving things a bit more life. Not sure I would pay the extra Intel price for this though, I would go for AMD.
Right now I'm trying to decide whether to risk bying a Phenom II x 2 in the hope I can unlock it to a Phenom II x 4 and save quite a bit of cash! I've read alot of people have had success with the MB I'm planning to buy (ASUS M4A78LT-M LE) but do I take the risk?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I have highly overclockable parts. In my main rig at the moment, a Q9550 with a TRUE. It can easily do 3.4GHz, and at a push 3.6GHz, up from standard 2.83GHz.
However, I run them at stock. Why? Because it's a huge pain in the neck. The number of PC components I've bust over the years, the instability, the heat, the noise - I just cannot be bothered.
And in truth, it's largely fast enough as it stands. It's pretty rare that I'm playing a game that's CPU limited, and even if it is, it will always be CPU limited - like Football Manager for instance. So for the sake of each progress snap taking an extra 10 seconds or so, I'll wait it out and just buy a new CPU in a while if I really need to.
In short - not worth the effort. If I was looking at the other end of the market, then I would probably take it much more seriously, trying to get the best I can for £50, but when my budget for my CPU was £200 it's really not the same issue it was.
As for the matter as a whole, I think it's typical abuse of position by Intel. With a bit of luck, AMD can exploit the gap to some extent, providing the only good quality cheap overclockable parts. In the long run however, I'm positive that Intel will be the winners, because they always are.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Extra costs?? The £50 motherboard I got had a P35 chipset which was midrange. There were P31 based motherboards for £40 to £50 which were pretty much at the low end of socket 775 anyway and could be used to overclock too. Even with the stock cooler you could get away with a smaller overclock.
Also,the E4300 came out in early 2007 and the E5000 series in 2008.
Am i missing something here? Any (AFAIK) P67 board will let you take a 'K' chip up to x50 something or another. Lets say £250 (CPU&MB) for a possibility of near 5GHz isn't too bad IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Max Tractor
On a 1055t@4.0ghz compared to stock crunching world community grid help conquer cancer between 30/40mins per wu
I would argue that the MSI P55-GD65 that your running only got made to it spec because of overclocking and the enthusiasts that needed that particular type of board. Furthermore there has always been great boards for the budget minded overclocker...
See above about K chips and P67 boards. Also, i wouldn't personally qualify 'crunching' as realistic/ daily usage usage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Max Tractor
Good quality components can be carried over from various builds my corsair hx620 has been through countless and is still in my main rig today over and will be 4 yrs old in april this year.
And your point is what, exactly? You wouldn't plan on going for a decent speed with crap RAM, PSU and so on hence your HX620.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Max Tractor
I never see it as free, I see it as a skill and a shared knowledge with fellow overclockers to ring out the best performance that ones budget allows
Erm, maybe they can go AM3/+ and read some stuff on Wikipedia instead?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Max Tractor
cheers
No problem, you had a somewhat riveting tale yourself, chap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Domestic_Ginger
You can't say they gaurantee any overclock at all. The only gaurantee is you get an unlocked multi.
Turbo Boost?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snootyjim
I have highly overclockable parts. In my main rig at the moment, a Q9550 with a TRUE. It can easily do 3.4GHz, and at a push 3.6GHz, up from standard 2.83GHz.
However, I run them at stock. Why? Because it's a huge pain in the neck. The number of PC components I've bust over the years, the instability, the heat, the noise - I just cannot be bothered.
And in truth, it's largely fast enough as it stands. It's pretty rare that I'm playing a game that's CPU limited, and even if it is, it will always be CPU limited - like Football Manager for instance. So for the sake of each progress snap taking an extra 10 seconds or so, I'll wait it out and just buy a new CPU in a while if I really need to.
<snip>
If it easily hits 3.4 then why not set it to 3.2? it WILL improve performance to some extent & is not likely to heat up too much (assuming no V increase to hit that speed) or die any earlier - ok maybe 6months off the life but by that time we'll be sitting with 10Ghx octo-core CPUs - you get what I mean :)
I've never had trouble unless I REALLY pushed something which is why I'm sitting at a comfortable 10% overclock right now, to me it's madness to NOT do it if you easily/safely can :mrgreen:
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snootyjim
I have highly overclockable parts. In my main rig at the moment, a Q9550 with a TRUE. It can easily do 3.4GHz, and at a push 3.6GHz, up from standard 2.83GHz.
However, I run them at stock. Why? Because it's a huge pain in the neck. The number of PC components I've bust over the years, the instability, the heat, the noise - I just cannot be bothered.
And in truth, it's largely fast enough as it stands. It's pretty rare that I'm playing a game that's CPU limited, and even if it is, it will always be CPU limited - like Football Manager for instance. So for the sake of each progress snap taking an extra 10 seconds or so, I'll wait it out and just buy a new CPU in a while if I really need to.
In short - not worth the effort. If I was looking at the other end of the market, then I would probably take it much more seriously, trying to get the best I can for £50, but when my budget for my CPU was £200 it's really not the same issue it was.
Like I said so many times before on Hexus if you have an expensive CPU it should perform well at stock. OTH, being able to modify a cheaper CPU to get much higher performance is the whole point of overclocking or unlocking a CPU.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snootyjim
As for the matter as a whole, I think it's typical abuse of position by Intel. With a bit of luck, AMD can exploit the gap to some extent, providing the only good quality cheap overclockable parts. In the long run however, I'm positive that Intel will be the winners, because they always are.
Yep. Hopefully AMD will be more competitive in the £100 to £200 market too this year but Intel can spend more R&D anyway. OTH,even if AMD did come up with another revolutionary architecture Intel could still use their clout to force a win.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Rob_B
If it easily hits 3.4 then why not set it to 3.2? it WILL improve performance to some extent & is not likely to heat up too much (assuming no V increase to hit that speed) or die any earlier - ok maybe 6months off the life but by that time we'll be sitting with 10Ghx octo-core CPUs - you get what I mean :)
I've never had trouble unless I REALLY pushed something which is why I'm sitting at a comfortable 10% overclock right now, to me it's madness to NOT do it if you easily/safely can :mrgreen:
Basically, I have 4x2GB sticks of RAM in it at the moment, which stopped it from booting. I had to fiddle around with the NB and DDR2 voltages to get it working nicely, and if I start mucking around with the frequencies, I suspect it will need some more voltage tweaking and if the CMOS gets reset I'll probably have to rip the additional RAM out to make it boot, then keep readjusting until I get everything working. It's not an afternoon I can be bothered to spend!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Like I said so many times before on Hexus if you have an expensive CPU it should perform well at stock. OTH, being able to modify a cheaper CPU to get much higher performance is the whole point of overclocking or unlocking a CPU.
Yep. Hopefully AMD will be more competitive in the £100 to £200 market too this year but Intel can spend more R&D anyway. OTH,even if AMD did come up with another revolutionary architecture they could still use their clout to force a win.
I get the feeling that architecture might be less important with Intel's action - if your choice is between a £50 Intel chip and a £50 AMD chip that's slower at stock, but can be massively overclocked, then the option for low-budget enthusiasts is fairly clear. The fact that it's slower at stock isn't too big a deal. If the i7-920 couldn't be overclocked, then I think more people would have bought the X6 even though it's worse when compared per chip, per GHz to the i7.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snootyjim
I have highly overclockable parts. In my main rig at the moment, a Q9550 with a TRUE. It can easily do 3.4GHz, and at a push 3.6GHz, up from standard 2.83GHz.
However, I run them at stock. Why? Because it's a huge pain in the neck. The number of PC components I've bust over the years, the instability, the heat, the noise - I just cannot be bothered.
I think the main thing for my with my Q9450 was the time involved. It was literally change setting --> 24 hrs bench in P95. Rinse and repeat until I got a higher enough and a stable clock.
As for the damage part I've been quite lucky. My first OC, and no damage done at all.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I have overclocked all my desktop processors from 2004 onwards and they all still work fine. I usually run the tests when I have been doing other stuff any how so TBH the time spent has not been that much.
The most I have spent on a CPU is around £110 and usually I spend below £100 anyway. I have never spent more than £10 to £15 on a CPU cooler too.
The same goes with motherboard. I tend not to spend more than £50 to £60 on a mATX or ATX motherboard anyway. If it is an SFF motherboard then I will spend more but only because I like smaller PCs.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I enjoy getting a dirt cheap cpu and getting the most from it, thats why I like AMD now
as you get to OC and have the chance of unlocking cores as well. Choosing which
parts to buy, putting it together and OCing the pants off it is the best bit, I kind of feel
a bit disappointed when its all finished.
The extra expense of a CPU cooler though I would get anyway as I want it to be quiet.
Over the years the cost of a decent PC has fallen dramatically. Back around 1995
you would have to spend about £1500, around 2000 about £1000, around 2005 £700 and
2010 about £500 if not £400 and that includes windows and a monitor. Although it does
depend on your definition of a decent PC.
A lot of that thanks to overclocking I would say
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
Am i missing something here? Any (AFAIK) P67 board will let you take a 'K' chip up to x50 something or another. Lets say £250 (CPU&MB) for a possibility of near 5GHz isn't too bad IMO.
$317 for the 2600k $217 for the 2500k which has no hyperthreading, with the UK price gouge anything 200/300 pounds, then add a motherboard? So you have a choice of these 2 cpu. One of my setups x6/motherboard £200
from review on hardcop http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/...board_review/6
"Morry's Overclocking
Due to us having limited K series processors, Kyle will chime in below on overclocking those. If you do not have a K series processor, you can kiss meaningful overlooking goodbye. You can scale the bus on these new P67 motherboards, but we have not seen truly solid overclocks beyond 6MHz BCLK. Seeing that all Sandy Bridge processors besides K series are multiplier locked, you are SOL pretty much"
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
See above about K chips and P67 boards. Also, i wouldn't personally qualify 'crunching' as realistic/ daily usage usage.
I had no idea browsing/tube/tweet/email etc was oc relevant. My example is a 24/7 real usage example that you asked for, in the terms of the difference oc/stock.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
And your point is what, exactly? You wouldn't plan on going for a decent speed with crap RAM, PSU and so on hence your HX620.
I already made it, quality components is essentially that, whether it be for daily use@stock or oc
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
Erm, maybe they can go AM3/+ and read some stuff on Wikipedia instead?
Yes shut down all forums and regroup in General Discussion for a non overclocking group hug
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
No problem, you had a somewhat riveting tale yourself, chap.
Its is all in the oc game, I don't want drip fed, off the shelf , huge corporation overclocking, where is the fun in that
cheers
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Our house server is stock with an old Athlon X2 2.9GHz cpu in it, other than that every other machine in the house has a mild overclock. Both my machine and the wife's have AMD BE series processors, so it could be argued that AMD charged us extra for the ability to easily overclock just like Intel are now doing.
For some reason though I can't be bothered to overclock the graphics cards any more. Odd that, but perhaps if I need the extra performance then the time is better spent driving to the shops and buying a card with 4x the shaders and memory bandwidth on it :)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I suppose my voting option would be "I like to tweak stuff".
So I didn't vote.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Max Tractor
$317 for the 2600k $217 for the 2500k which has no hyperthreading, with the UK price gouge anything 200/300 pounds, then add a motherboard? So you have a choice of these 2 cpu. One of my setups x6/motherboard £200
Snip...
I was under the impression its generally accepted the 2500k was going to cost around ~£170. I find it hard to believe you can't get a decent P67 board for the spare £80.
I don't see what the X6 has to do with anything ?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DanceswithUnix
Our house server is stock with an old Athlon X2 2.9GHz cpu in it, other than that every other machine in the house has a mild overclock. Both my machine and the wife's have AMD BE series processors, so it could be argued that AMD charged us extra for the ability to easily overclock just like Intel are now doing.
A non BE CPU can be overclocked still as you can still overclock a current generation AMD processor by not using the multiplier. However,none of the socket 1155 Core i3 processors can be overclocked since the multiplier is fully locked and the base clock can only be increased a small amount. Basically this means the Core i3 processors cannot be overclocked as stated by many reviews. Intel are charging you for the right to overclock and only a Core i5 processor costing over £125 can be overclocked now. On top of this the H67 chipset has no overclocking options unlike the H55 motherboards meaning you will be paying more for the motherboards too.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Is there no way TurboBoost can be forced by the motherboard? Okay, its not 'overclocking' but I'm just thinking if there is some way the multiplier can be set to the TurboBoost levels?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Yes, a clear sign of biased poll.
And Intel just does what it does best - makes money. If they can limit overclocking and charge a premium for it - they will, since their market position lets them. And it's no thing to be upset about - there's no reason they should let anyone get a CPU and make it as fast as their four times more expensive part, it's just not good business.
I think OCing should be regarded as an added bonus and not something that should be provided by the manufacturer.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
Is there no way TurboBoost can be forced by the motherboard? Okay, its not 'overclocking' but I'm just thinking if there is some way the multiplier can be set to the TurboBoost levels?
What you described is how the Core i5 2400 can be overclocked as it has some free multipliers due to Turbo. AFAIK,the Core i3 processors lack Turbo and hence you need to increase the base clock to achieve an overclock. However,you can only increase the base clock by a small amount for any of the current Sandy Bridge processors as it can lead to issues.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
As some have already said, i tend to set a budget and pick parts to fit that. When i last built my rig (jan 2007 or 08) i set my budget and the best cpu out was the e8500/e8400 and ofc the quadcore beast q6600.
The Q6600 wasnt the most powereffcient and that was a factor when i bought my cpu so i went for the dual core in my budget the e8400(i would have gone for a much cheaper one but i have to admit i hadnt been reading up on components in ages), i did assume id overclock it so i knew this would last as it was a gaming rig so the more mhz you get from your cpu the better as hardly any at the time scaled with more cores.
Now for me i poorly researched my motherboard, sure it is a beast at sli and was the first for 2x pci-e 2.0 @16x iirc but it really is terrible at overclocking(stupid nvidia 750i chipset!). If i went for a p35 or something i would have spent less ~£60 instead of the £85 i spent on the board and i would have been able to overclock more successfully!.
I currently have my e8400 sitting at 3.6ghz, will be attempting another overclock tonight as im bored. Im always looking to overclock which is why i have a watercooling loop, it keeps things cool and quiet(another key point for me).
Anyways, i see overclocking as a way to extend the life of components as games will eventually get more demanding so i will end up overclocking more to keep up with this until i upgrade (fortunately i am upgrading to bulldozer this year just for the lols, system is fine but i want to be with AMD again). Intel is milking this position way to much, you shouldnt have the pay just to get an overclock... its fine to lock the multiplyer (they always have havent they?) and provide a version with a multipler unlocked (like AMD BE cpu's) but you must still be able to overclock in some way as its just limiting it to much.
I love AMD just for the ability to try and reuse a 'binned' chip, i.e unlocking an x2 to a x4 even if its say at a lower mhz its still more cores :D
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Queelis
Yes, a clear sign of biased poll.
And Intel just does what it does best - makes money. If they can limit overclocking and charge a premium for it - they will, since their market position lets them. And it's no thing to be upset about - there's no reason they should let anyone get a CPU and make it as fast as their four times more expensive part, it's just not good business.
I think OCing should be regarded as an added bonus and not something that should be provided by the manufacturer.
Apart from the fact they have allowed overclocking of lower end parts for at least 10 years.
In the end you are making the justification for companies to charge what they want in the end.
In the middle of a recession it is the consumer who has the power to dictate prices and features not the companies.
In the end we should all buy a pre-built PC like a Dell or a Mac as this will be better source of stable income for Intel and AMD than assembling your own PC.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
The lock-out on overclocking will affect those who have £x to pay for all the parts for a system (for games) all together, rather than those who have budgeted for a CPU specifically.
When I put together my system the method seemed to be get the cheapest proc and mobo combination for overclocking you could to avoid bottlenecks, then fit as good a GPU as possible in with the rest of the budget. When easy overclocks were possible (eg e5200 - almost guaranteed up to ~3.5ghz from 2.5ghz) then the GPU was the premium part. Now that you cannot create your own performance for free you will either have to raise the total budget or cut down on the GPU, making a CPU as important. Indeed it seemed like overclocking was the only point of CPUs like the e5200 :D
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I'm not really liking how you can't overclock the Sandybridge processors unless they have an unlocked multiplier. At least you'll still be able to undervolt, allowing you to run at the same speed but at a lower voltage. I would like the option to overclock though and even though Queelis said it's a bonus that shouldn't be provided, I think it should be as each processor varies and is binned at a certain speed for a reason. But at the end of the day, if the reason why Sandybridge processors are locked from being overclocked (well after 5% overclocking we'll say it's locked) is due to the new architecture allowing better performance, then it may be worth it, especially for those that run the processors on stock anyway.
It's just a shame as I heard all the i3 5x0 processors manage to hit 4ghz easily, most without even a voltage increase (pretty much the same with mine). I would love to compare how the i3 5x0 at 4ghz does compared to a stock i3 sandybridge locked processor, same with the i5 clarkdales/lynnfields vs the stock i5 locked processors. I'm not sure how easily the i5 lynnfields overclock though but I know the i5 clarkdales go even higher than the i3s with no effort.
In terms of the original topic, in the past I'd like to overclock as far as possible to "increase my e-peen" as well as push for every single bit of performance (even if it was unneeded). Now I realised I don't need the performance so I undervolt whilst trying to overclock it a bit (this is only the processor though, I leave the RAM on 1.65V, graphics on stock etc).
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
You can increase the Turbo slightly on some H55 boards (can't find a link to this) along with a very slight BCKL increase for non-K editions.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=264192
What is great about SB is you are looking to get a new CPU/MB now is that with a 2500k and cheap P67 board (currently ~100 on entry level MSI and Gigabyte boards) it might be more expensive than an X6 + board but for gamers, the advice amongst most the reviews so far is this is a better option now than a similar AMD setup.
It looks like you can OC higher, the chip runs cooler, uses a lot less power and gets you better performance. Whether this is worth the extra cost over an AMD setup is up to the individual of course, depends on your budget and expectations.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Maybe I need to add a compulsive tinkerer option too! ;)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
For me its all about 'free' additional performance, saving money over more expensive chips and going that little bit longer between upgrades...
For eg, my Q6600 is overclocked to a level that at the time (if I didnt overclock) would have cost £800+ (in terms of clocks speeds / performance) for a similar chip. It also means that 3-4 years on im still using the same system and it still does everything I ask of it :p
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Singh400
I think the main thing for my with my Q9450 was the time involved. It was literally change setting --> 24 hrs bench in P95. Rinse and repeat until I got a higher enough and a stable clock.
As for the damage part I've been quite lucky. My first OC, and no damage done at all.
I don't think I've ever damaged anything by OCing to be fair. I've broken a hell of a lot of stuff, but I don't think it was ever my fault.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
snootyjim
I don't think I've ever damaged anything by OCing to be fair. I've broken a hell of a lot of stuff, but I don't think it was ever my fault.
The only time I have damaged anything is when I was being a numpty! :lol:
I remember nearly destroying my HD3870 by dropping a heatsink on it!:embarrassed::stupid:
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I think most components have over-heat protection on them anyway which is everyones worst enemy when overclocking.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vrykyl
For me its all about 'free' additional performance, saving money over more expensive chips and going that little bit longer between upgrades...
For eg, my Q6600 is overclocked to a level that at the time (if I didnt overclock) would have cost £800+ (in terms of clocks speeds / performance) for a similar chip. It also means that 3-4 years on im still using the same system and it still does everything I ask of it :p
For me, the crunch is in there, albeit a bit obliquely.
And that crunch, for me, is .... will the over-clocked system do something I need to do, or at a performance level I need that isn't available at stock speed? If it does, then I'd look at what the cost difference would be to buy a chip that does it at rated speed. If that delta is too big, I'd clock it. But if it's a nominal cost, then I'd just buy the chip I really needed, and if it's a bit more expensive, then, oh well.
In other words, it's a balance between the extra cost of a chip, and the extra capability of the PC.
My current 'main' machine is a decent spec (as in a 3Ghz+ Quad), but it's hardly state of the art and isn't certainly nothing to brag about in the e-peen stakes. It does, however, do everything I throw at it sufficiently well that I can't see the need for extra performance, and the "everything" includes some hefty Photoshop files, and voice recognition for dictation.
So .... have I clocked it? A bit, yeah. If I can turn it up, using the existing cooler, and can do it with a simple BIOS (or clocking prog) change, and can do it with no extra cost, minimal time doing it and NO sacrifice in system stability, especially on demanding tasks, then why not? But if it requires extra expenditure, or faffing about with voltages or liquid cooling, then I can't be bothered, and I'm certainly not about to risk system stability.
This is, of course, a personal solution. For me, I have no interest in getting maximum performance for performance's sake, no interest in benchmarking to see if this setting is a smidgeon faster than that one, because it'll make no real world difference whatever to what I use the machine for. But, for other people, if tweaking or heroic cooling is either a hobby in itself, or gives then PC capabilities they need and can't afford any other way, then fair enough. It just doesn't interest me.
In the early days of clocking, the performance benefit could be significant, not as measured by benchmarks but in real world capabilities, and the CPU cost difference to do it without clocking could be huge. Then, there was a real world benefit and like most of us, I've done my share of voltage tweaking, heatsink lapping, and cutting/making of processor bridges. I've still got some manually unlocked Athlon XPs running.
But these days, for MY purposes and values, I just don't see the point in it.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Maybe I need to add a compulsive tinkerer option too! ;)
That would be the heart of it for me, though with my current rig I bought a 955BE always with the intention of overclocking to a mild degree. I use it to benchmark software I write, so ability to change clock speed and core count does actually get used. The fact that I can clock it up a bit to track CPUs that were not released when I bought it is a bonus, it has been underclocked as well.
I aught to try a decent overclock if only for kicks. I have the motherboard & heatsink for it, I just don't want the machine to get too noisy.
Edit to add: Just changing multiplier is good too as it simulates other CPUs by leaving memory speeds unmolested. Changing bus speed wouldn't represent any other platform.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Can you still change the QPI/VTT ratios on the SB 'K' chips?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Terbinator
Can you still change the QPI/VTT ratios on the SB 'K' chips?
Is that what you mean? QPI/VTT is a voltage setting, I don't think it's something you'd usually have a ratio for.
There's not much point having it adjustable, given the fixed CPU clock. I don't think higher memory multipliers would need additional voltage of the controller, but if they did, it'd only apply to 2600 chips.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I just know its a changeable ratio on my board. I can have either x16/x18 for QPI/VTT so i thought it was basically the un-core and so the cache etc ?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
It's all about getting the best bang for the lowest buck. Currently using a £36 athlon X2 5000+ unlocked to Phenom II X4 and clocked to 3.1 to 3.3 GHz.
Just got a 5200+ to see if I can get the same thing but a bit faster with DDR3 support.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Uriel
It's all about getting the best bang for the lowest buck. Currently using a £36 athlon X2 5000+ unlocked to Phenom II X4 and clocked to 3.1 to 3.3 GHz.
Forgive my ignorance as I'm new to the whole concept of unlocking cores but is it really possible to turn an Athlon x2 into a Phenom II x4?
I thought the lack of L3 cache would stop it being a Phenom II but like I say I'm very new to this concept.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Homeking
... is it really possible to turn an Athlon x2 into a Phenom II x4?
Not generally. The 45nm, AM2+, X2 5000+ was a special case: it was made from binned Phenom II dies with 2 cores and the cache disabled, and clocked at 2.3GHz. However, with ACC active some of them unlocked to full Phenom IIs with 4 cores and 6MB L3 cache.
The same applies to Athlon IIs, incidentally: some are made from Athlon II dies which don't have any L3 cache to begin with, but some are made from Phenom II dies and can be unlocked. What you get in the box is a bit of a lottery, tbh.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Uriel
Just got a 5200+ to see if I can get the same thing but a bit faster with DDR3 support.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-a...-cache-65w-oem
This the cpu you are on about, I have been keeping an eye on this cpu and the thread over at xs, some conflicting reports of lock/unlock
cheers
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
There is one version of the X2 220 which you chaps should read about! :)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
scaryjim
Not generally. The 45nm, AM2+, X2 5000+ was a special case: it was made from binned Phenom II dies with 2 cores and the cache disabled, and clocked at 2.3GHz. However, with ACC active some of them unlocked to full Phenom IIs with 4 cores and 6MB L3 cache.
The same applies to Athlon IIs, incidentally: some are made from Athlon II dies which don't have any L3 cache to begin with, but some are made from Phenom II dies and can be unlocked. What you get in the box is a bit of a lottery, tbh.
That's great. Thanks alot for that.
Learning loads of new stuff here - always been useless with lotteries though but I might be tempted to have a go if I can get something cheap.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I've now read of 3 confirmed cases of the 45nm Athlon X2 5200+ unlocking to Phenom FX5200 with 4 cores and 6mb L3 cache (although not sure about stress testing stability or overclocking). One confirmed unlock was stock from Scan, which prompted me to hit buy as I wanted a spare AM3 cpu for flashing my Dual Memory Dual Bios AM2+/DDR2 and DDR3 motherboard anyway. I should be able to identify whether it's a Deneb from the stepping. If so I'll pop it in the machine and try unlocking it.
Some 45nm 5200+s are Regor (dual core with only extra 512mb per core L2 cache unlock). Some are Deneb. I'll let you know how I get on.
I did email a couple of retailers about Athlon II 220s and Athlon X2 5200+ 45nm asking if they could confirm stepping codes prior to sending. Both stated that they weren't able to.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I just think it's a great loss in terms of education. Generally the younger you are the less money you have, so budget becomes a greater limiting factor. This leads people into tinkering with their boxes in order to maximise the value. This in turn led to a more educated consumer group.
So - Yes, I think it's bad news. My reason being that it will not allow da yoof to tinker with their machines, and accordingly we all lose out.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Does TB work differently on these compared to past chips? The standard 2600 has a ~42x multiplier even though its stock is x34, the Anandtech article seems pretty barren on any specific TB features.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Uriel
I've now read of 3 confirmed cases of the 45nm Athlon X2 5200+ unlocking to Phenom FX5200 with 4 cores and 6mb L3 cache (although not sure about stress testing stability or overclocking). One confirmed unlock was stock from Scan, which prompted me to hit buy as I wanted a spare AM3 cpu for flashing my Dual Memory Dual Bios AM2+/DDR2 and DDR3 motherboard anyway. I should be able to identify whether it's a Deneb from the stepping. If so I'll pop it in the machine and try unlocking it.
Some 45nm 5200+s are Regor (dual core with only extra 512mb per core L2 cache unlock). Some are Deneb. I'll let you know how I get on.
I did email a couple of retailers about Athlon II 220s and Athlon X2 5200+ 45nm asking if they could confirm stepping codes prior to sending. Both stated that they weren't able to.
I have a 45nm X2, but it only unlocks to 3 core which means you need a motherboard that can selectively core unlock or the machine dies on boot trying to use core 4. The motherboard it is in can't do that, so I make do with just a mild overclock. Shame, the 6MB L3 unlocks with the cores and that would be a nice boost.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
http://www.amdzone.com/phpbb3/viewto...?f=52&t=138244
Looks like someone has a 45nm 5200+ from scan unlocked and overclocked to 3.6 GHz on stock volts. They're stress texting it now but no problems so far. Mine should arrive later today. Hoping I get something similar.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I wonder how long it will be until someone comes up with a way to add in a 2nd separate clock so you don't have to overclock the other controlers . . . oh wait intel now has an effective monopoly on chipsets for it's cpu's, so no one can, well not without paying massive license fees to intel and still make a profitable chipset.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Uriel
http://www.amdzone.com/phpbb3/viewto...?f=52&t=138244
Looks like someone has a 45nm 5200+ from scan unlocked and overclocked to 3.6 GHz on stock volts. They're stress texting it now but no problems so far. Mine should arrive later today. Hoping I get something similar.
Good luck, a C3 stepping is awesome!
No big overclocks on the stock fan mind, you will be doubling the 65W TDP of that thing :)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DanceswithUnix
Good luck, a C3 stepping is awesome!
No big overclocks on the stock fan mind, you will be doubling the 65W TDP of that thing :)
Mine's arrived. Just had a quick peek. Stepping starts CACEC AC. Those two ACs mean one thing: there's a Deneb under that heat-spreader :). Probably won't have time to install it until the weekend though.
Heat will hopefully not be a problem. Already using a Scythe Kama Angle on my unlocked 5000+, with modified case airflow. The CPU is over-volted and running up to 3.3 GHz without getting too toasty.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
How do you see the stepping?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
nibbler
How do you see the stepping?
"Revision" in CPU-Z's CPU tab, e.g. RB-C3 (that's mine). Or "Stepping", in which case it should show "3".
Edit: oh, never mind this. That maybe is printed on the CPU heatsink/shield?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I have stepping 3 and revision Bl-C3 so I'm guessing means I have a C3? I should do as I unlocked a core and 6mb of cache?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
nibbler
How do you see the stepping?
Printed on the heat spreader. 3rd line down.
AC in that code I mentioned means the chip is based on Deneb (4 cores, 6mb l3 cache).
AD means Propus - 4 cores, no l3 cache.
AE is Regor - native dual core with no l3 cache
CB is Thuban - 6 core with 6MB l3 cache.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Not gonna bother checking but seeing as I bought an Athlon II x3 and now have a Phenom II B45 It's safe to assume it's an AC I think.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Right - to prevent Cat's thread going off the rails, I'll be moving this to a different thread if it unlocks.
Anyway - there's a possible AM3 Phenom II x4 C3 for just over £30 on the loose. Here's my candidate:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5050/...9e5a7e7a_b.jpg
Just like my current CPU (effectively a 3.3 GHz AM2+ Phenom II x4 C2 for £36), that's exactly why I modify CPUs. There have never been CPUs that give this price to performance ratio before. These things will be legendary in a few years. This is a far bigger difference than the Celeron 300A and Barton 2500M managed back in the day.
Meanwhile, Intel look like they're intent on stopping me have this kind of fun but they have the overall performance advantage.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I'm looking forward to this.
Here's hoping it unlocks and a new thread gets started.
Uriel - will you be able to try this on different motherboards?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Homeking
Uriel - will you be able to try this on different motherboards?
I only have one motherboard that's capable of unlocking CPU cores and cache - A Jetway HA08 Combo (http://www.pro-clockers.com/motherbo...therboard.html). ACC or various manufacturers' unlocking tricks are a required feature.
Plenty of unlocking boards about though. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Biostar, Jetway and ASrock (off the top of my head) all have unlocking models, usually at no increased cost. Worth checking that there are unlocking BIOSes available before purchasing a board (and that they will be kept up to date). AMD have been discouraging manufacturers from including it recently.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
You do have to choose the board carefully though. I didn't get it quite right :(
You want plenty of power available as cheap ones only do 95W and if you manage a quad core unlock with big overclock you are going to need 140W.
You need an SB710 or SB750 southbridge or some special unlocking chip on there to provide ACC support.
Here is where mine went wrong: you need decent BIOS support. For Asus boards that means one of the boards that starts "M4" whereas my "M3" board is pants. In my main machine I get stable 3 cores Phenom at a decent clock.
Still, the economics are quite interesting. You could buy 3 of these chips for the price of a 955BE, and could probably keep the best of them and sell the other 2 on ebay saying how many cores they unlock to at a profit :D
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Thanks guys.
Yes I was looking at the ASUS M4A78LT-M LE until I realised it only supported a CPU up to 95W so I've now started looking at others.
I quite like the look of the Gigabyte GA-MA78LMT-US2H but not many places seem to stock it for some reason - can't find it anywhere on Scan.
I think I maybe need to start a new thread on the best motherboard for unlocking cores at around £50 as this was my budget!
I definitely like the economics and the fun to be had by unlocking cores. It's a shame AMD are discouraging it as this is the reason I'm attracted to them over Intel.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Yep - I deliberately chose a board that supported DDR2, DDR3 and 140w CPUs to be as flexible as possible. Then I found out it supported unlocking when I got it, which was a bonus.
It doesn't support selective unlocking though. That could be handy if you have one really bad core but the other 3 are OK.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Good information, thank you. Also, not to stray from the subject, but I'm new here. Uriel you and I use the same motherboard. How can I get your assistance with core unlocking on it with a Phenom II X2 550? I don't know how to message you. Thanks everyone.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
It's a hobby. I don't want a bastardised hobby >.>
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Overclocking my ancient 6300 system meant I could at least run a few games on it, other than games I have no real need for more power and I hardly give them enough importance nowadays to divert part of my income on a new system (better spend in other activities).
Sure overclocking is a bonus feature but at the end of the day we measure the performance not the model number of a CPU. Actively crippling a product and depriving customers of its real "physical" performance for purely commercial reasons (if that's indeed the case) just comes to show you the company doesn't have the customer's best interests at heart.
Altogether I see it as an arrogant stance by Intel given its dominant position, and even if they achieved it by their own merit its an attitude which tends to prompt strong reactions (rational or otherwise) by the consumer. Personally I don't see the 30£ cost difference (between products with similar performance) as reason enough to buy from a company I dislike.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I fall into both of those categories because of the price of £100 for the CPU.
I bought a Phenom2 720 for £118 which is the cheapest I've ever paid for a CPU and gave it a slight overclock too.
I have no intention of upgrading it anytime soon. Unless something fails it has to last another 4 years at least.
Before this I had a single core AMD 3500+ for 5 years so I don't think I fall into the E-peen category.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
As for not having the consumer's interest at heart, at the end of the day a company has obligations to it's shareholders to maximise it's profit, I work in the industry and that is the slightly disheartening reality, usually it doesn't matter too much as competition drives things forward anyway so if you just cripple your products for profit someone will probably take advantage of it.
However because intel in recent years has been consistently dominant they are able to take a few liberties. This issue is intrinsically tied in with the nature of microelectronic manufacturing though so it's not as though they just underclock their cpus for profits only it's a bit of a mix.
Manufacturers have to cater for a worst case scenario that the yield is not good so the clock speeds are set lower than needed, as a result it means people often get a free lunch if they go looking for it.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Great idea to have a poll,for me it's to restrictive.
If it included:-
Bang for your buck/value for money.
Longevity.
Technological advances (we all love new bits & bobs)
Form & Function.
Choice.
I could happly answer.
More polls for me Ta
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I buy the fastest processor I can afford to at the time, I then proceed to overclock to get maximum performance I can.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I agree with blackmage :)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I got a 1055t and this is my first build, but I plan to overclock when I start to feel my pc slowing down, I dont do anything cpu intensive so I dont need to over clock (not yet).
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Blackmage
I buy the fastest processor I can afford to at the time, I then proceed to overclock to get maximum performance I can.
I buy the cheapest processor that I think will do the job I want, now and in the foreseeable future, and then clock it to a modest level if I ever get around to it.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Saracen
I buy the cheapest processor that I think will do the job I want, now and in the foreseeable future, and then clock it to a modest level if I ever get around to it.
How many years is the future? My CPU's tend to last me around 4 years.
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
What processor did you have before your 2600k blackmage!?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
c.ruel
What processor did you have before your 2600k blackmage!?
A E2180, which i purchased in 2007.
I would of purchased a better processor but I was only a young (19) college student with a part time job then; So I had to make do!
I like my CPU's to last me, by buying the best I can afford to now. Anyway what is the point to your question?
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
I overclock everything I use :) Seems to work for me :)
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
i didnt like the options in the poll as here's my situation:
i'm in the process of upgrading my gaming rig to a 2500k (@4.5ghz, thanks scan!) and a gtx560ti, now the last time i upgraded was 3 maybe 4 years ago from a core2 e4300 @2.7ghz and a 8800gts which has served me quite well seeing as how i've not needed to spend money on it for a good few years.
so whilst i do buy an expensive cpu/mobo to overclock, i dont do it for the willy waving, i genuinely take more time between upgrades because of the extra oomph the overclock gives me.
my thinking is why start with something cheap and clock it to get it to "acceptable" levels when you can start with something good, clock it so "very good" and then not upgrade for a while..
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Re: What is the point of CPU modification for you??
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lanceuppercut
i didnt like the options in the poll as here's my situation:
i'm in the process of upgrading my gaming rig to a 2500k (@4.5ghz, thanks scan!) and a gtx560ti, now the last time i upgraded was 3 maybe 4 years ago from a core2 e4300 @2.7ghz and a 8800gts which has served me quite well seeing as how i've not needed to spend money on it for a good few years.
so whilst i do buy an expensive cpu/mobo to overclock, i dont do it for the willy waving, i genuinely take more time between upgrades because of the extra oomph the overclock gives me.
my thinking is why start with something cheap and clock it to get it to "acceptable" levels when you can start with something good, clock it so "very good" and then not upgrade for a while..
Yep, exactly the point I'm trying to make. The £217 my CPU costs me is very little, if you look at how long I keep my CPU's.