what s939 cpu?

[skanky]

i have an a64 3000+ venice cpu, abit an8 ultra mobo, 1gb ram, geforce 6600gt pci-e. so its not the most recent spec machine but thats alright as i am thinking of turning this machine into a poorman's htpc slash fileserver.

at the moment i am able to play h264 media fairly comfortably with WMP11 but with 100% cpu usage all the time, i think thats more a limitation of my cpu as my core duo/x1400 ati gfx card laptop can play these files with nowhere near 100% uage.

however, this machine will also be used to share files off its hard drives to other machines via a 100mb network and also to enable my 360 to stream HD .ts files off its hdds (using MCE2005 as a OS) but i dont think the 360 streaming is that intensive as i am able to currently do that with a PM1.4/512mb laptop.

so, am i better off going for an X2 of some sort or a cheaper A64? i dont really want to upgrade to a c2d (e4300?) as its likely to mean a new mobo plus ram.

 

[skanky]

im really trying (!) not to spend heaps on this pc, i think if i lean towards the cheap c2d upgrade, im going to want to spend more and more to make it my main pc which i need to avoid.

what is an operton 165? is that just another name for the X2 cpu?

 

[skanky]

it's AMD's Server processor but it overclocks like anything.

interesting, what advantages does it have (being a "server processor") over the X2? a quick glance suggests that the X2 has 512kb L2 cache whereas the 165 has 2mb? any disadvantages in things like media playing (not encoding), gaming, general usage for the cpus? ..or a link to a good comparision/review would be appreciated.

any incompatibilities with my an8 ultra mobo?

i think im definately leaning towards just upgrading the cpu rather than c2d, quick google shows that the prices for the 2 AMD cpus are about the same, will see what the members market has when i get in.

edit: i have an enermax psu, 430w i think, will it have problems with either cpu?

 

[skanky]

thanks for all your advice.

 

[skanky]

what is more value for money, a 165 at roughly £105 or a 170 at about £130, from my limited o/c knowledge from way back (celeron 300a days), higher multipliers were not good because it was harder to get a decent o/c because on some processors the multipliers were locked and the fsb wasnt.

is that still the same case with the opty 170 being 10x and the 165 being 9x?

 

[skanky]

To skanky: a higher multi makes it a little easier to get high overclocks on slightly more budget mobo's but that's about it.

ah right, totally the other way around to how i remembered it, man i've been out of the game for a while!

 

[skanky]

if i run at stock speeds, is there any real difference between getting a X2 3800 and a 165? both are rated at 1.8ghz right?

not entirely sure if i'll need to be overclocking it as it will be a server i'll need stability more than speed.

 

[skanky]

yep having a poke through the MM atm

having narrowed it down to those 2 cpus (x2 3800/opty 165) and given that its going to be used as a media center pc/fileserver, what is more desierable, less cache but slightly faster clock speed (X2) or vice versa (opty).

i can see it being about aish £20 price difference between the two.

what will more cache get me that 200mhz extra (woo!) wont?

 

[skanky]

Exactly! As they stand they'll both perform about the same at stock - The general rule i've heard on the forums is that the extra 512k of cache per core works out the same as a 200mhz gain in clock speed.

If i were you i'd just go for the cheapest!

gt

i've settled on getting a X2 3800 now, mainly because its cheaper than the 165.
thanks for the advice.

 

[skanky]

Good choice! Let us know how you get on!

gt

looked around for ages and couldnt find a x2 3800 at a decent price so i did what any impulsive person would do, got a e4300/asus p5b/2gb of corsair pc2-6400 ram instead. saves me a future upgrade and it means i can play c&c3 and make it look nice.

im lucky i removed the 8800gts from the order ..must wait till the new nvidia cards are out this month and hope the 8800's go down in price!