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AMD PHENOM II X2 555 AM3 BLACK EDITION

yeh, and when the new AM3+ mobos come out then that will be my next upgrade, ready for a bulldozer when money allows :P dont get that with intel
 
unlocking cores will lower the max potential overclock because two more cores are producing more heat, and more heat = instability. however, this usually only translates into 100-200mhz lost. For example my 555 will top out at 4.0Ghz as a quad, but i can push that upto 4.15ghz as a dual (turning off the extra cores is just as easy as turning them on by the way)

in terms of price, the 560 aint really worth the extra 11 quid or whatever it is. The dies are exactly the same and are likely to be from similar batches, so both will overclock more or less the same as they both have unlocked multipliers
 
thingemajib said:
unlocking cores will lower the max potential overclock because two more cores are producing more heat, and more heat = instability. however, this usually only translates into 100-200mhz lost. For example my 555 will top out at 4.0Ghz as a quad, but i can push that upto 4.15ghz as a dual (turning off the extra cores is just as easy as turning them on by the way)

in terms of price, the 560 aint really worth the extra 11 quid or whatever it is. The dies are exactly the same and are likely to be from similar batches, so both will overclock more or less the same as they both have unlocked multipliers
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thanks for that, so if i got a decent cooler then i might be able to break the 4GHz on quad, or are the faulty cores prone to hitting the wall whatever you do to them?
4GHz i more than i expected at quad, though i would be down nearer the 3.4GHz-3.6GHz, so if this can be achieved will be well happy.
 
How good are they at overclocking?

Well, my 555BE unlocked to a Tri Core (can't get the last core into windows, at least not at voltages sustainable by the stock cooler anyway) will do 4GHz with just a minimal voltage boost. 3.8GHz is do-able on stock volts as well.

In terms of out right performance I have seen a 41% improvement in the Bit-Tech CPU bench (tests image editing, video encoding and multi tasking in a real world use scenario).

Once I get it strapped under a after market cooler (I was on a strict budget so the cooler had to wait) I will see just how far this little cpu will go.

I am hoping for around 4.2-4.4 GHz without stupid volts and/or unlocking the 4th core.

EDIT: If you get a cpu like mine where the 4th core will not unlock (at least not below 1.4v) you would be better off leaving it as a Tri core and clocking it as high as it will go. A 4GHz + Tri core running on low volts would be better than a 3.2GHz Quad core that requires a heck of a voltage jump to get the 4th core stable.
 
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paradisiac said:
damn these chips seem to be pretty good value for money :)
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They are excellent although you do take the chance of it not unlocking at all.

I did a lot of research before getting mine and it looks like they have a ~75% unlock rate to at least a tri core.

EDIT: When overclocking also take the time to increase both the HT multiplier and the HT link multiplier. Gains similar to overclocking the CPU alone can be seen by pushing both of these multipliers higher than stock.
 
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oweneades said:
They are excellent although you do take the chance of it not unlocking at all.

I did a lot of research before getting mine and it looks like they have a ~75% unlock rate to at least a tri core.
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unlocking aint a major thing, would be nice, but if i could even get to 4GHz on dual core will be better than what i have now, and that does everything i want, but if i can do things a bit quiker then bonus.
 
all ordered so will be here tomorrow :) am i best resetting my bios before i take out the 250 or will it know there is a different cpu and reset it itself?
 
paradisiac said:
well its arrived, thing that concerns me is the HSF looks smaller than the one i got with my X2 250 :(
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The HSF is tiny (I had assumed you would get the same HSF that the quad core Phenoms get) but it seems fine with my Tri core 555 (x3 B55) at 4GHz.

I will be changing it shortly for a decent aftermarket cooler but it will do its job for now.
 
im at work, how come the days im in everything arrives in the morning, yet my days off its like 5 before they turn up :( oh well, got the rest of the week off :)
 
If you want a X4/X6 stock cooler, one of these:

sw8gte.jpg



I've got a couple spare, so if you want one for the cost of postage just let me know. :)

Put you on until you get a beefy cooler.
 
might take you up on that, will see how i do over the next few days (sooo eager to get it in and play, i hate work :() if temps are high or stopping me pushing on.
 
well its in, all 4 cores unlocked and its loaded into windows both times of asking, but now CoreTemp is showing as 0c so trying to resolve that before any testing.
 
The individual core temp sensors won't work when cores are unlocked. You should still get a reading for the whole cpu though.
 
paradisiac said:
well its in, all 4 cores unlocked and its loaded into windows both times of asking, but now CoreTemp is showing as 0c so trying to resolve that before any testing.
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This is a known issue. I think there is a big thread about this over at overclock.net.

Unfortunately I have an external temperature gauge so I can't really help here.
 
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