Opteron (939) Upgrade Thoughts

Thought I'd chuck this query out to the forum.

With Vista up and coming (and having tested it since Beta 2 and looking to move) I think it's about time for me to switch to something Dual Core, but not wanting to change out my entire mobo, CPU and RAM I was thinking of a (relatively) cheap and cheerful upgrade to a Dual Core Opteron.

I've been running an overclocked Opteron 148 for about.. 8 months or so now and it's been perfectly happy and rock solid stable at 3GHz all the time, so as I noticed that Scan have started stocking the Opteron 165-180's for pretty cheap I thought it may be a good time to take the plunge.

I ideally want to change to something that'll get me a lil bit more performance due to the Dual Core but I don't want to lose out over my current chip as it's still got a fair bit of grunt in it.

Worth it, not worth it?

Cheers :)

Just to throw in to the mix, you could probably (if you shop around) get an E6300+Asrock 775DUAL-VSTA allowing you to use your existing DDR ram, bits...etc for around the price of a dualcore Opteron.

Curly

***I've been running an overclocked Opteron 148 for about.. 8 months or so now and it's been perfectly happy and rock solid stable at 3GHz all the time***

Why waste your money (erm well unless you have plenty) on a possible small overall performance increase.....keep your system for another 18 months and go quad core, or spend your money on the new generation of graphic cards.

Mm. Core 2 is definitely in the back of my mind. But if I went through with that I'd make sure it was a proper upgrade.

I think you're right (and pretty much confirmed what I was thinking), if there would be no noticeable performance gain then I'll probably just wait a while, see what ATI have to offer in the DX10 race and then do a full proper upgrade.

Cheers for the input people :)

I'd just save the money and go for Core 2 in a few months. the difference between your opty and a dual core one wont be massive, unless you're doing something that has dual core support like high end 3D etc.

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Originally Posted by The Codfather

Mm. Core 2 is definitely in the back of my mind. But if I went through with that I'd make sure it was a proper upgrade.

Tbh, if there would be no noticeable performance gain then I'll probably just wait a while, see what ATI have to offer in the DX10 race and then do a full proper upgrade.

Cheers for the input though :)

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Well if your computer is a hobby, or you have the upgrade bug, loadsa money, or need to upgrade for a specific reason, then why do it if you already have a decent system.
Even some of the guys here have said their new dual core systems don't seem much faster in quite a few applications.

For me I'm upgrading cos I have an xp1600 overclocked to xp2000 and have a knackered AGP circuit on the motherboard...........I don't think many members here would say don't upgrade.

I recently got lucky (read: borrowed of DR) enough to try a twin core A64, and it WAS worth trying.

My Opteron runs at 2.5 rock solid, and going to a 4800+ cpu was a superb move.

The reason I didn't keep it was simple and sad :( the game I play most (Lineage2) uses an Unreal Engine and the cpu messes with the game clock and crashes it :(

But in stuff like Q4 and IL-2 it DID make a difference AND on stuff when you Alt/Tab out, having all that horse power waiting to boot skype, or run Paintshop Pro (for screen shots etc) made it lovely.

I's say "get a twin core A64 of some sort, it's a helluva an upgrade for little dough"

:)

If you have the money then get a Dual core cpu as you will see an improvement :thumbsup:

oh and don't listen to the people that say go for C2D just for the sake of it :mrgreen:

Am in a similar boat - frustrating to know what to do. I wish the dual core 939 chips were cheaper... anyone spot any great bargains?

So the showdown of the Dual Core 939's then..

It'd be a choice between the Opteron 180 and the X2 4800+, I notice they're both 2.4GHz, with 2MB cache each, but the Opteron runs a different core (Denmark) compared to the X2 4800+ (Toledo)

Does anyone know how the core's fair overclocking wise? there's only £10 between the two chips, but if the Opty will clock higher then it may be worth the extra £10 in the long run.

I had the same opteron for around 13 months. must admit i was tempted by the cheap dual core option. But u can see my decision in my siggy :D If u do decide to go 939 dual core i'd stick with the Opteron & denmark. Try serching on xtreme systems site for oc results.

Luck:)

I went from an AMD64 3700+ at 2.8GHz to an Opteron 170 at 2.65GHz (will be at least 2.8GHz by the end of next week, I have a cunning plan...) and I can say there was certainly a noticeable improvement from single to dual core. As Zak33's explained, general to-and-froing is a lot nippier, I'd recommend it.

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Originally Posted by NightshadowUK

general to-and-froing is a lot nippier, I'd recommend it.

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perfect description :)

to-ing-and-froing is uber faster.

plus its a cheap upgrade, AND the old cpu will sell ok

Dont fret about getting Opteron. A standard 4800 will make you smile.

BUT...what heatsink you got? I gotta say, the vanilla heatsink from AMD for the Retail version of a 4800 is very nice, and very quiet.

There's not a lot of need for overclocking it either. Trust me, it's like taking a high revving Honda engine out and dumping a bleedin great V8 truck engine in.....it's got torque, forget the revs ;)

Info's all in my profile.

Running Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro, so I hope it'd be able to handle a Dual Core just as nicely as it's doing with my current Opty 148. It's not let me down yet though :)

I think all signs are pointing to the Opty 175 here.

When it came to it, it's a question of price.
I bought an Athlon X2 4200 (2.2Ghz, 512 cache each core) to replace my current Opteron 146 (which only ever ran stably at 2.5 Ghz on this motherboard - stupid motherboard).
Cost - £92 inc Vat and delivery from overclockers (yeah yeah, they are not scan and stuff but i have used them and it's a question of price).
I am hoping that i can easily get 2.5Ghz with this new chip, and of course now have the 'to-ing and fro-ing' improvements :)

The major issue for me is not having to re-install windows etc, partly due to having an overly complicated partition setup with games, apps, docs, video and music each with their own partition :O_o1:
Also the cost of going C2D (which, let's face it, would be the number 1 choice in an ideal world) would be prohibitive - new chip, new motherboard and new RAM isn't going to cost me much less than £400. This new Athlon was £92, and i can sell my Opteron (any takers :)?)

I'll post back my thoughts when it arrives & installed

Ok, it's all been up & running for about a week, so here are my thoughts:

First of all, i like the fact that i'm running dual core. It makes me feel, well, up-to-date, even if it's on a 939.

Windows? Yeah, kind of snappier, although not 100% as much as i thought. To be honest, although of the general lag in windows isnt to do with CPU's, its accessing hard drives etc.
I'm dual core, 2 Gig of RAM, but still if i open Outlook and iTunes together they each take a few seconds, iTunes particularly (but my library is pretty big) which comes up with a 'loading' box.

Games all work ok, but they were never an issue.
And i havent actually done any editing stuff yet...

There is one thing however, that is definitely better. For some wierd reason, streaming Xvids over to my wifi netgear doo-dad works better, the picture is displayed smoother on my TV than when i was single core. Oddly, my PC was never hard worked when it was doing it though (CPU idled at around 4%)!!! Very strange.

So, do i regret it? No.
Did I need it? No.