amd processors

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Peter

Is it wise to buy a socket 939 processor now before they become scarce.
I heard even the am2 are getting hard to get and whats comming out next? Ty
 
Peter said:
Is it wise to buy a socket 939 processor now before they become scarce.
I heard even the am2 are getting hard to get and whats comming out next? Ty
Click to expand...
Hi Peter,

Imo the answer is different for everyone. For those that run on the
bleeding edge of everything and want the newest models, the 939 would
not be their choice.

In my case I got a 939 ywo years ago and if I were buying today I'd buy
another for the next few years before making a change. Only b/c I can
put a AMD FX-55 Clawhammer 2.6 GHz in my mobo (which is my next upgrade)
which I happen to know for myself will keep me happy for the next 3-5
years. I don't want a dual core yet. I usually wait awhile until the
technology has been out and perfected. A fast single-core CPU meets and
exceeds my personal needs for now.

I'll probably only make an upgrade with socket and CPU when I can obtain
significantly faster speeds than the Clawhammer can deliver.
(Incrementally faster speeds aren't an issue for me. Milliseconds look
good on benchmarks but they don't have real-world value for most people
unless there is a significant change in architecture and speed.)

So if you are the kind of person that doesn't want to pay a jillion
dollars to get the newest, most expensive thing the second it becomes
available, but instead will feel comfortable with the products that this
939 mobo will support, (still very good quality and performance), then
the 939 might be a good choice for you. Only you can answer.

Good luck,
Kate
 
P.S. If you plan on getting MS Vista in the near future, it is made to
utilize dual core chips. Most sftw these days uses it somewhat or not at
all, and dual core chips are no faster than a fast single core in that
case. That's why I'm sticking with a single core Clawhammer for now.

I happen to know I won't upgrade to Vista for about 5 years. That's when
I'll switch to dual core. By then more sftw will support it and the
prices will have also dropped. And that's when I'll change sockets as
well.

If you are a gamer, games also don't utilize dual core chips that well.

IAC my mobo and even the Clawhammer are VISTA-ready. They just won't
perform as well as a fast dual core chip in the VISTA OS.

Kate
 
hi kate,
I have a socket 754 AMD newcastle but i see the 939 fx chips are about $200.
I dont want to spend max $.
I like games and afraid my processor will be to slow but its been good for
about a year and several video card upgrades. Peter
 
John Doe said:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80104-R
Click to expand...

The link J. Doe gave above is a great price for a 2.6 GHz Opty ($169).
It's exactly like the FX-55 San Diego core, except the Opty does HT @
1000mhz while the San Diego FX-55 does HT @ 2000mhz. Again though, how
many programs do we use that use hyperthreading?

OTOH, the Newegg deal comes with a free 250GB drive you can sell, so the
price will end up cheaper than the Opty, if you can sell the drive for
$65 (like in the local paper/recycler).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103527
(and for anyone who wants to buy this deal, you have to scroll down on
this page and click the "Add to cart" that's under the bundle deal --
not the one on top that's just for the CPU.)


There's also this deal for the ClawHammer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103492
It's $189 + free shipping AND if you enter AMDROCKS as a promo code, you
get $40 off. But the ClawHammer is .13 nm vs .09 of San Deigo and Opty,
AND the ClawHammer doesn't support the new(er) Intel SSE3 instructions.

If you wanna stay around $100, I think the fastest AMD 939 in that price
range is 2.2 GHz. If your current CPU is 1.3GHz or 1.4, jumping to 2.2
would be a nice, noticable diff. for a relatively low price.
 
Kate said:
The link J. Doe gave above is a great price for a 2.6 GHz Opty ($169).
It's exactly like the FX-55 San Diego core, except the Opty does HT @
1000mhz while the San Diego FX-55 does HT @ 2000mhz. Again though, how
many programs do we use that use hyperthreading?
Click to expand...

How are you going to hyperthread an OPty?? I though hyperthreading was
Pentium4 and Ds only???
That HT might be HyperTransport...
OTOH, the Newegg deal comes with a free 250GB drive you can sell, so
the price will end up cheaper than the Opty, if you can sell the
drive for $65 (like in the local paper/recycler).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103527
(and for anyone who wants to buy this deal, you have to scroll down on
this page and click the "Add to cart" that's under the bundle deal --
not the one on top that's just for the CPU.)


There's also this deal for the ClawHammer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103492
It's $189 + free shipping AND if you enter AMDROCKS as a promo code,
you get $40 off. But the ClawHammer is .13 nm vs .09 of San Deigo and
Opty, AND the ClawHammer doesn't support the new(er) Intel SSE3
instructions.

If you wanna stay around $100, I think the fastest AMD 939 in that
price range is 2.2 GHz. If your current CPU is 1.3GHz or 1.4, jumping
to 2.2 would be a nice, noticable diff. for a relatively low price.
Click to expand...

--
Tumppi
=================================
A lot learned from these newsgroups
Helsinki, FINLAND
(translations from/to FI not always accurate
=================================
 
Conor said:
You will. You just don't know the reasons why yet.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I do... when I start to see programs are no longer being offered
as backwards compatible to XP, and are running better in VISTA (able to
use Vista's hyperthreading in ways that makes a noticeable difference),
and after all the initial kinks, security loopholes and other crap has
been sorted out on the GP... that's when I upgrade my OS. <g>

Kate
 
John Doe said:
And you don't get the heat pipe heatsink/fan.
Click to expand...

Right! I forgot to mention that. The San Diego & Opty come with fan/heat
sink which saves a few more bucks. (But if it's loud, I'm replacing it!)
;)
 
Thomas Wendell said:
How are you going to hyperthread an OPty?? I though hyperthreading was
Pentium4 and Ds only???
That HT might be HyperTransport...
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right. My mistake. I always confuse the two. :)
 
John Doe said:
I said:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80104-R
Click to expand...

Or, as Kate pointed out in a recent post, if you need a 250 GB hard
drive too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103527

That's $30 more, for a 250 GB hard drive and a CPU that is perhaps
slightly less reliable according to AMD.[...]
Click to expand...


Really? The San Diego core is less reliable? I'm not challenging you, I
just want to read the link since I just ordered the SD. Depending on
what is says I might change my mind and get the Opty...

I thought all Opty's were DCs until I saw this one. I know they are a
very good core, but I thought the SD was also highly rated.
 
Kate said:
Really? The San Diego core is less reliable?
Click to expand...

This is what AMD says about the Opteron 100 series versus the Athlon
64/FX in their Frequently Asked Questions.

AMD wrote:
AMD Opteron 100 Series processors with ECC unbuffered memory are
produced on AMD Opteron processor die material and follow the same AMD
Opteron processor manufacturing process as do the 800 Series and 200
Series.
AMD Opteron 100 Series processors with ECC unbuffered memory undergo
the same AMD Opteron processor-level testing and validation as do the
800 Series and 200 Series.
 
Kate said:
Yeah, I do... when I start to see programs are no longer being
offered as backwards compatible to XP, and are running better in
VISTA (able to use Vista's hyperthreading in ways that makes a
noticeable difference), and after all the initial kinks, security
loopholes and other crap has been sorted out on the GP... that's
when I upgrade my OS. <g>
Click to expand...

Same here. People who buy a new computer and don't have a choice
will be our beta testers. Starting with Windows 3.1, I enjoyed
messing with Windows. Then in subsequent versions of Windows
Microsoft made clear that it has no interest in efficiency.
Microsoft began installing a mass of files that in part were not
intended to serve me the user, but were intended to serve
Microsoft's purposes. With that in mind, I realized that there was
no help coming from Microsoft in my quest to prune unnecessary files
from Windows and make Windows more efficient.

Except for registry cleaning, I have given up playing with the
operating system. Windows is a blob on my hard drive now. If it
messes up, I just replace it with a hidden copy, while keeping any
important files on removable media.

Maybe I could add System Requirements to your list. Like a new game,
Microsoft's newest operating system requires growing into.

Have fun.
 
John Doe said:
This is what AMD says about the Opteron 100 series versus the Athlon
64/FX in their Frequently Asked Questions.

AMD wrote:
AMD Opteron 100 Series processors with ECC unbuffered memory are
produced on AMD Opteron processor die material and follow the same AMD
Opteron processor manufacturing process as do the 800 Series and 200
Series.
AMD Opteron 100 Series processors with ECC unbuffered memory undergo
the same AMD Opteron processor-level testing and validation as do the
800 Series and 200 Series.
Click to expand...

I saw someone else on a techy board say that the main diff between the
two (aside from the HT 1000 vs 2000 spec -- which they didn't believe
and thought both were probably 2000) was the the FX CPU is unlocked for
greater overclocking. I don't overclock, so that meant nothing to me.
But when I went to AMD, it stresses that the FX series is for 3-D
gaming, while the Opteron is marketed as a server/client CPU. I can see
how the latter would stress reliability then. But since I am buying this
for Second Life, I'll stick with the FX. :)
 
Kate said:
I saw someone else on a techy board say that the main diff between
the two (aside from the HT 1000 vs 2000 spec -- which they didn't
believe and thought both were probably 2000) was the the FX CPU is
unlocked for greater overclocking.
Click to expand...

Whatever "greater" means, I don't believe that. Greater reliability
means greater overclocking potential. And apparently you can
overclock the CPU by increasing FSB speed without increasing the CPU
multiplier.
 
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