Phenom II 720 and 955

[nheather]

I intend to buy a new CPU soon and was originally thinking of a 955.

But some initial research suggests that 3 cores is a sweet spot and I wouldn't notice much from the extra core so I've started thinking of the 720 which is upto £60 cheaper.

My question is the relative overclcoking potential on AIR.

I've heard that getting a 955 to 4GHz is very rare and that 3.6-3.8 is more normal.

So for a 955 I would be aiming at 3.6GHz.

If I went for a 720 would I be looking at the same or does it fall off earlier because is nominal clock is 2.8 (rather than 3.2 of the 955)?

Thanks for the help.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[BigBruiserAl]

O/c vary from chip to chip but you will find in real world 24/7 these chip will both be approx 3.6-4.0ghz depending on temps cpu batch etc.

 

[Cooper]

well the 720 comes of the same 'production line' so to speak as the 955 then 1 of 2 things will happen.

1. the 4th core is no good, so gets sold as 720

2. AMD needs to satisfy demand for a 720 order, so disables a perfectly good 4th core, and the chip goes out as 720...of course with a bit of luck, this is the chip you will get and be able to turn the 4th core back on, and get a quad core!!

Each chip will slightly vary in its overclocking , a good 955 will go to 3.8 to 3.9, an exceptional chip can break the 4ghz barrier., but will need lots of volts and very good cooling to remain stable and within safe temperatures.

A good 720 will go up to 3.8, its very rare for one to not reach at least 3.6.

 

[nheather]

Many thanks for the replies.

3 cores @ 3.6 is more than enough for me so I think I'll take the £60 saving and go for the 720.

Not bothered about unlocking the 4th core but I will probably get the appropriate chipset to leave that option open.

With my proposed upgrade I will have a spare Arctic Freezer 64. Will that be good enough for the 720 or should I be looking for a new cooler aswell?

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[Cooper]

Many thanks for the replies.

3 cores @ 3.6 is more than enough for me so I think I'll take the £60 saving and go for the 720.

A wise choice, i really dont notice any meaningful difference when running my chip as 3 core, rather than a 4 core.

With my proposed upgrade I will have a spare Arctic Freezer 64. Will that be good enough for the 720 or should I be looking for a new cooler aswell?

Well i run mine at 3.6 on a cheap Akasa 876 cooler, and temps are always within safe margin, max ive seen it go to is 55c, and that was under severe stress testing to check stability, and under normal cirumstances such as apps/gaming i've never seen it go above 50c when on full load.

Of course other factors come into play such as your case, and how well airflow is inside it, is your case in a well ventillated area or tucked inside a tight space with little air flow, ambient room temps.

I think you would be fine, with your cooler.

 

[nheather]

Many thanks, looks like a 720 and try my Arctic 64 out first.

Cheers,

Nigel