AMD Processor Upgrade

[beartooth91]

Folks,

Would like to upgrade my cpu in the next couple of weeks. Its a socket 939 motherboard (a Biostar), so, my choices are limited. Currently running an Athlon 64 3200 Venice. I'm looking at 1) another Athlon 64 4000 (Clawhammer) or 2) the Athlon 64 X2 3800 (Manchester). Both are in the $49 to $59 price range at Newegg or Tigerdirect.
The X2 really interests me, though, the performance rating is lower than the Clawhammer. Also, I've heard of a few problems with certain games on the dual core Athlons.
Is anyone here playing SH4 with an Athlon 64 X2 on a S939 board ?

Thanks,

beartooth91

[LZ_Baker]

I have a dual core, but its the newer socket (am2?). If you get a dual core, you need to download the daul core drivers from AMD. You are diffinatly better off with the dual core. It may be rated lower, but remember its two cores at 3800. For comparison, one of my old roommates had a better video card than me (7800gt to 7900gtx) but I had the dual core (x2 4200+ to Athlon 64 4200) and I could play games like stalker and oblivion alot better than he could (they are made to use dual cores)

[JREX53]

I agree with LZ_Baker.
Dual Core is the way to go. Just make sure your motherboard can do dual core. It should, but you need to check and make sure.

[Rockin Robbins]

You just helped me make up my mind. I'm running an Athlon 64 3700+. I've been happy with the game but wondering how to evaluate possible improvements in microprocessor. I might just go for that X2 5200+! Thanks for the info.:up:

[DrBeast]

Keeping in mind that:

1. The Socket 939 is a dying species,
2. The AM2 socket will be around for quite a while, since the new AMD quad-core processors are AM2-compatible,
3. AM2 motherboards are quite cheap, and
4. DDR2 RAM is a dime a dozen these days

I'd say you're better off taking the leap from the antiquated S939 system to a brand new AM2 counterpart. Just start saving up those bucks ;)

[beartooth91]

The board is a Biostar Tforce 6100-939. It supports the Athlon 64 X2. It runs SH4 well just as it is. I'm just noticing that socket 939 processors are a dieing breed, so, I'd like to do 1 final cpu upgrade for it. In the last couple of months, I've purchased a new video card and brought the RAM up to 2 GB. I built it 14 months ago, so, I'm not ready to switch over to a socket AM2 board just yet.

[Rockin Robbins]

Just looking to stretch the 939 for another year. The crazy thing is AMD switched from 939 to AM2 for no detectable performance gain. I'm clueless why they bothered.

Would the x2 3600+ (all that NewEgg has right now and it's likely to get worse) be an improvement over my Athlon 64 3700+? If so, how much? In any event, I'm committed to getting 2 years out of this motherboard and checking out the opportunities then for mb improvement. I figure $50 to $75 is a good investment to accomplish that.

[-Pv-]

I have zero problems running many older and new games on AM2 DC. ASUS MBs are the best match up for AMD DC I have seen. Feature packed, robust, and very upgradable. AMD's on chip memory manager is superlative.
-Pv-

[DrBeast]

Just looking to stretch the 939 for another year. The crazy thing is AMD switched from 939 to AM2 for no detectable performance gain. I'm clueless why they bothered.

For one reason, mainly: DDR2 RAM support.

Would the x2 3600+ (all that NewEgg has right now and it's likely to get worse) be an improvement over my Athlon 64 3700+? If so, how much?

Yes. Dunno by how much, but don't forget one great asset of those mid-range X2s: they overclock like crazy! :yep:

[Rockin Robbins]

Just looking to stretch the 939 for another year. The crazy thing is AMD switched from 939 to AM2 for no detectable performance gain. I'm clueless why they bothered.
For one reason, mainly: DDR2 RAM support.

Would the x2 3600+ (all that NewEgg has right now and it's likely to get worse) be an improvement over my Athlon 64 3700+? If so, how much?
Yes. Dunno by how much, but don't forget one great asset of those mid-range X2s: they overclock like crazy! :yep:
That sounds great! My Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe was made to overclock, the go-fast OCZ memory overclocks great too and I haven't tried it at all. And if I nuke the whole shebang, that'll be the signal to upgrade to AM2.:fff:

[DrBeast]

That sounds great! My Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe was made to overclock, the go-fast OCZ memory overclocks great too and I haven't tried it at all. And if I nuke the whole shebang, that'll be the signal to upgrade to AM2.:fff:

Ok...If I see a BFBVFOS* I'll know it's your rig turned into fireworks :rotfl:

*=Big Fiery Ball Visible From Outer Space

[CaptainHaplo]

I am running an x2 4200+ and let me tell ya - definately go dual core. There are a couple of reasons - but figure - the 4200 is a 2.2 Ghz cpu - so if you dont have a program optimized for multicore - then your only going to run at maybe the equal of 3.5 or so - but if your using the dual core driver (though its an exe really) and your running an app that is set to take advantage of a multicore cpu - your running at 4.4 (or better due to pipelining and predictions). For the money - you can't go wrong!

[Wilcke]

Folks,

Would like to upgrade my cpu in the next couple of weeks. Its a socket 939 motherboard (a Biostar), so, my choices are limited. Currently running an Athlon 64 3200 Venice. I'm looking at 1) another Athlon 64 4000 (Clawhammer) or 2) the Athlon 64 X2 3800 (Manchester). Both are in the $49 to $59 price range at Newegg or Tigerdirect.
The X2 really interests me, though, the performance rating is lower than the Clawhammer. Also, I've heard of a few problems with certain games on the dual core Athlons.
Is anyone here playing SH4 with an Athlon 64 X2 on a S939 board ?

Thanks,

beartooth91

Yes, I run an Athlon 64 X2 4800, the last of the 939 socket chips. Its the end of the road for my rig. Along with 4 gigs of fast Corsair memory and a BFG 7950 GT OC, SH4 and SH3 run as fast as you want with all settings to MAX. No slow downs below 30FPS.

If you go to the AMD web page support there are two small utilities that will optimize the AMD dual core for a WinXP install. At those prices why not upgrade...:up:

[irish1958]

I have an Athlon 4000+ and it can't run SHIV at all
The problem is the video card not the processor.

[codeseven]

Ya, I hear ya about the upgrade dilemma. I spent a pretty penny when I built my 'top o the line' puter a couple of years ago (or maybe longer now). I too have a 939 Athlon 64 3700+, and a BFG 7800GTX, big stuff at the time and now costs a fraction of what I paid for it back then. It is really hard to scrap it when it all still works 'ok'. I've been chomping at the bit to at least buy an Athlon X2 939 whatever for awhile now but the longer I wait instead of cheaper the 939 cores are getting scarcer. I was looking for a X2 4800 or an Opti 185 but the prices never came down enough to justify the expense (and trashing my 3700). I should just grab a X2 4200 before their gone I suppose.

[Rockin Robbins]

Where can you get an x2 4200? The best I can find is an X2 3800 and I think I'll strike at that one.

[Wilcke]

RR,

You know I just realized that the X2 4800 (939) Socket chips are long gone. Thats why I snagged mine last year in order to avoid this and extend the life of my rig another 18 months.

Maybe Ebay, but that can be scary. I have sold CPUs on Ebay but never bought. I recently purchased to videcards on Ebay and they are both still running!

Good luck!

[Rockin Robbins]

RR,

You know I just realized that the X2 4800 (939) Socket chips are long gone. Thats why I snagged mine last year in order to avoid this and extend the life of my rig another 18 months.

Maybe Ebay, but that can be scary. I have sold CPUs on Ebay but never bought. I recently purchased to videcards on Ebay and they are both still running!

Good luck!
Looks like you can buy an X2 3600+. You MIGHT find a 3800+ lurking out there, but the sites are crawling with Opteron 175's, which would be a very good choice. I hate to spend over $100 on a processor (cheep! cheep!) but I'm going to.

[Wilcke]

RR,

Try Tiger Direct for the X2 3800 and yes the Opterons are very capable! Amazing that in AMD's line they do not have any processors over $300! I usually check out www.sharkeyextreme.com (http://www.sharkeyextreme.com) for the latest prices.

Intel is still pretty pricey for their Extreme processors.

[gruntington]

I run a S939 as well with an Opteron 185 2.6ghz Dual Core CPU w/ 2GB RAM. I run SH4 maxed out and play Crysis at 1280x1024 32bbp with XP SP2.

I got my Opteron 185 from Newegg for less then $250. The Opteron 185 has some features that make it slightly faster then the X2 4800+. Plus, the 4800+ is virtually impossible to find anymore.

With minor tweaks, I have taken this CPU to 2.8+ghz and I have read that they can hit 3.0ghz with decent cooling. I dont bother that much with CPU overclocking because most games are GPU limited, not CPU limited.

Crysis does have Dual Core optimization and my G-15 Keyboard LCD reports my CPU never gets above 75% usage. I plan to pick up a second 8800GTS at the end of the month and I am sure I will finish out the year with this system and have no problems at all.

Hope this helps.

[codeseven]

Are the Opti's generally superior to the Athlon x2's? In other words, would an Opti 170-185 be just as good as an Athlon x2 42-4800?

[Wilcke]

Don't know if superior but just as capable...the Opteron is a good option if you are at a dead end with a 939 socket Mobo.

[beartooth91]

Yes, I run an Athlon 64 X2 4800, the last of the 939 socket chips. Its the end of the road for my rig. Along with 4 gigs of fast Corsair memory and a BFG 7950 GT OC, SH4 and SH3 run as fast as you want with all settings to MAX. No slow downs below 30FPS.

If you go to the AMD web page support there are two small utilities that will optimize the AMD dual core for a WinXP install. At those prices why not upgrade...:up:
Well, looks like both Tiger Direct and Newegg have seen the last of the X2 3800's in the last week. The best they have are the X2 3600's with a smaller cache. I went ahead and sprung for a X2 3800+ Retail box on eBay yesterday. With my 8600GT, I'll get good performance and I'll probably upgrade in a year or so.
With regard to the dual drivers; I see a list of different stuff on AMD's dual core utilities page, but, am not sure which one(s) I'll need. One is called the "AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor Driver Version 1.3.2.0053 for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (x86 and x64)" and from the description it looks like it adjusts the cpu speed, voltage, etc based on loading. Does this mean if you don't install it; it runs full out ? Do I really need this one ?
The other one is called the "AMD Dual-Core Optimizer" and it appears to be for gaming.
What AMD drivers are you dual-core users running ?

beartooth91

[gruntington]

As far as Opteron vs X2, the Opteron is designed as a server CPU. Thus, it gets more comprehensive testing at the fab plant and is likely to be more robust. Also, and dont quote me on this because I lost the link, the Opteron has a more streamlined built-in memory controller. All things being equal, for example a 4800+ running at 2.6ghz and an Opteron 185 running at 2.6ghz, Id pick the Opty...and I did.

I use all AMD Dual Core Optimizer and other related drivers, including the Microsoft one. All I know is, Crysis is Dual Core coded and does indeed use both cores when running. If you see any patches, AMD or otherwise, Id grab them and install them. If there were any conflicts, as opposed to simple redundancy, Im sure we would know about it by now.

[Rockin Robbins]

@grungington: looks like an Opteron 175 for me! Whew! I almost waited too long to upgrade this motherboard.

[gruntington]

Opty 175, good choice! From what I understand, the late stepping Opterons (165 to 185) are all cut from the same wafers. If you decide to overclock, you should get the same gains as you would with a 185. Just be carefull with the Hypertransport speeds. Good luck.

[Rockin Robbins]

Opty 175, good choice! From what I understand, the late stepping Opterons (165 to 185) are all cut from the same wafers. If you decide to overclock, you should get the same gains as you would with a 185. Just be carefull with the Hypertransport speeds. Good luck.
$153.99 Newegg, free 3-day shipping. WooT!!!:p

[codeseven]

That sounds good!