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

 

[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

 

[nheather]

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

Cheers,

Nigel