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?

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.

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

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.

Thank you!
 

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

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.

Ordered!
 

$153.99 Newegg, free 3-day shipping. WooT!!!:p

That sounds good!