1MB L2 cache or 512Kb L2 cache, is it worth the extra

[paulbaker]

Hello,
I was thinking of upgrading to AMD x2, I know conroe is just artound the corner, but I would like to know what exactley is better about 1mb cache as opposed to 512k cache, on the AMD x 2 chips.
Thanks in advance

 

[sablabra]

Not really worth it, IMO. Get the x2 3800+, but personally I would wait for am2 and maybe conroe. am2 is only weeks away from release

 

[SiriusB]

Hello,
I was thinking of upgrading to AMD x2, I know conroe is just artound the corner, but I would like to know what exactley is better about 1mb cache as opposed to 512k cache, on the AMD x 2 chips.
Thanks in advance

Larger cache means the CPU can store more instructions in its own registers - which is waaaay fast. The more instructions you can hold in your caches, the better as the CPU spends less clock cycles getting the instructions from RAM.

Bigger cache is generally better, so if you can afford it you should go 1mb cache.

SiriusB

 

[Stelly]

Larger cache means the CPU can store more instructions in its own registers - which is waaaay fast. The more instructions you can hold in your caches, the better as the CPU spends less clock cycles getting the instructions from RAM.

Bigger cache is generally better, so if you can afford it you should go 1mb cache.

SiriusB

I agree

Stelly

 

[Cyanide]

The 1MB cache gives about a 200mhz advantage over the 512MB, but the 3800+ clocks insanely well from what I've seen... doesn't seem worth it to spend all the extra on the 4400+ tbh.

 

[paulbaker]

Cheers

This is excactly the info I wanted, thanks

 

[Thing]

An Opteron dual-core would be good for price. I know a decent 165 is only stopped from breaking 2.8 by it's crummy multiplier.

 

[2StepSteve]

personally I would wait for am2 and maybe conroe. am2 is only weeks away from release

depends if u got the money for it and are that willing to have the best me thinks... I take it these chips arent exactly gonna be cheap when they get released...... Dunno the way I see it is its never worth getting the cutting edge tech as more likely than not you will get ripped off and regret it in only a handful of months time. But depends what u want and what budget u have... any idea how much roughly the conroe's will be?

 

[.DevastatioN]

depends if u got the money for it and are that willing to have the best me thinks... I take it these chips arent exactly gonna be cheap when they get released...... Dunno the way I see it is its never worth getting the cutting edge tech as more likely than not you will get ripped off and regret it in only a handful of months time. But depends what u want and what budget u have... any idea how much roughly the conroe's will be?

There are conroe's with 4mb l2 cache so, but the price's? idk. However, I found this:

 

[keef]

There are conroe's with 4mb l2 cache so, but the price's? idk. However, I found this:

omg, 4mb cache, that must be insanely fast! i think it might be time to try intel again! last one i had was a p3 1ghz conroe looks waaay fast!!

 

[paulbaker]

New board, new chip, dead wallet, again!

 

[Cyanide]

omg, 4mb cache, that must be insanely fast! i think it might be time to try intel again! last one i had was a p3 1ghz conroe looks waaay fast!!

There are a number of Pentium's out already with a 4MB l2 Cache, and they get slapped around all over the place by the AMD x2's which have much smaller L2's. It's about how efficiently a processor can handle data, not about the amount of data it can hold.

But saying that Conroe's going to kill everything else on the market when it's released

 

[GuruJockStrap]

You have an AMD 64 3500. Why on earth upgrade?

 

[Defcon5]

You have an AMD 64 3500. Why on earth upgrade?

so i can buy the ram that hes gonna sell!