Considering Opteron 165 for gaming... should I?

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dbaldus

Gawd
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
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So I just sold my 3500+ and I need a new processor for gaming, preferably one that will overclock well because my 3500+ did not. I've been considering the Opteron 165 that is on sale at Monarch right now.

Does anyone think that that sounds like a good idea, or what would you recommend for me? Will the Opty 165 be too much power or not good for gaming, should I stick with a single core proc, or what should I do if I'm mainly looking for good gaming and potentially nice overclocking speeds? I like the idea of a 2 x 1Mb cache on the Opties as opposed to the 2 x 512Kb on the X2's, but I haven't had much experience in the difference between the two so I'm not entirely sure which one would be best.

Thanks in advance!
 
Also, I'm not opposed to spending less then $160 (would actually LOVE to not spend that much money) if there are other suggestions that would work great for gaming, both now and in the near future.

Is dual core the right way to go for gaming or should I stick with single core?
 
just do it. you'll be happy you did ;)

btw...Monarch SUCKS ASS. I ordered my Opty 165 from them last thursday...know when it shipped? Today...when I complained. Had I not complained it prolly still wouldn't have shipped. Hell, when I ordered, newegg had been out of stock. They were back in stock on Monday. Had I waited until Newegg had them back in stock, I still would have gotten it sooner.

:EDIT: btw...I have a 3800 x2 right now and it's beautiful for gaming. However, I couldn't resist the Opteron so I'm upgrading my HTPC with whatever overclocks the least :p
 
My opty 165 games great, but I think Im limited by my vanilla 6800 AGP, but Im too cheap to upgrade - I rarely game, and when I do it's just source engine type games and they run fine @ 1400x900
 
I upgraded from a 3500+ to a 165. It was worth because I can run more things at the same time while gaming. Did I notice a big performance difference in the games? No. Mostly because I had my 3500+ @ 2.915ghz and my current 165 @ 2.924ghz.
 
160 bucks , definitely worth it ,

get the denmark from newegg , depending on your gear , you should be able to get at least 2.7ghz out of it ,

im runing it @ 3gz
 
Peter949 said:
I upgraded from a 3500+ to a 165. It was worth because I can run more things at the same time while gaming. Did I notice a big performance difference in the games? No. Mostly because I had my 3500+ @ 2.915ghz and my current 165 @ 2.924ghz.
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I'm surprised that doubling the cache size did nothing for the games... makes me think I should just upgrade to a Venice core 3500+ since I'm currently using a Newcastle core and overclock the hell out of it instead of spending twice the money for an Opty...

Also, considering that my 3500+ is currently at 2.442 ghz, what do you think? Think I'll notice more of a performance increase while gaming? Check out my sig for specs...
 
nst6563 said:
just do it. you'll be happy you did ;)

btw...Monarch SUCKS ASS. I ordered my Opty 165 from them last thursday...know when it shipped? Today...when I complained. Had I not complained it prolly still wouldn't have shipped. Hell, when I ordered, newegg had been out of stock. They were back in stock on Monday. Had I waited until Newegg had them back in stock, I still would have gotten it sooner.

:EDIT: btw...I have a 3800 x2 right now and it's beautiful for gaming. However, I couldn't resist the Opteron so I'm upgrading my HTPC with whatever overclocks the least :p
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Is the Opty from Monarch the Denmark core as well?

Also, I see that you can get a 3 year warranty on the chip for an extra $15 (I would want that). Is that through AMD or Monarch? If its from Monarch, could I trust them??
 
sumofatguy said:
i would do it... i went from an opty 146 to 165 @ 3ghz, and its amazing for gaming
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What was your 146 running at before? Also, explain how "amazing" it is. I'm trying to be sold here, but don't give me any bullshit, I just want to know what differences you've noticed, such as do things just generally load faster, play smoother, etc. or do you just notice that it plays just as good when you have ten other things open in the background while you're playing the game?

If its the case that it games without any performance hit while you're doing other things on the computer, I don't really care about that so much as just how it games in general...
 
A lot of you guys are getting good overclocks on your Opterons. I only got to a crappy 2.2ghz :(. O well.
 
dbaldus said:
Is the Opty from Monarch the Denmark core as well?

Also, I see that you can get a 3 year warranty on the chip for an extra $15 (I would want that). Is that through AMD or Monarch? If its from Monarch, could I trust them??
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dunno about the core, I'll find out when it gets here. I called them and they couldn't tell me either, so I just took a chance. I may end up sending it back and getting one from newegg anyway....just because they pissed me off with the crappy service.

as for the warranty, it depends. If you chose the retail box processor that comes with the hsf (which I did), the warranty is for 3 years through AMD. Not sure about Monarch's warranty though, although I do think when I saw the option it was more expensive than just going with the AMD retail box.
 
dbaldus said:
What was your 146 running at before? Also, explain how "amazing" it is. I'm trying to be sold here, but don't give me any bullshit, I just want to know what differences you've noticed, such as do things just generally load faster, play smoother, etc. or do you just notice that it plays just as good when you have ten other things open in the background while you're playing the game?

If its the case that it games without any performance hit while you're doing other things on the computer, I don't really care about that so much as just how it games in general...
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I say get a ccbbe or ccb1e opteron 165 that will overclock 2.8ghz+ easily. You'll won't be disappointed. Are you going to see 25fps+ changes? Probably not. Maybe in the range of 5-15fps from your old cpu. Keep in mind some games are multithreaded and future games will be. Going 2gb is probably a good upgrade also.
 
nst6563 said:
dunno about the core, I'll find out when it gets here. I called them and they couldn't tell me either, so I just took a chance. I may end up sending it back and getting one from newegg anyway....just because they pissed me off with the crappy service.

as for the warranty, it depends. If you chose the retail box processor that comes with the hsf (which I did), the warranty is for 3 years through AMD. Not sure about Monarch's warranty though, although I do think when I saw the option it was more expensive than just going with the AMD retail box.
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What was your total then? I wouldn't really be interested in getting the HSF too but I would want the retail one through with a 3 year warranty though AMD...
 
Whitebread said:
A lot of you guys are getting good overclocks on your Opterons. I only got to a crappy 2.2ghz :(. O well.
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Do you have one of these steppings (I believe thats what they are called...): ccbbe or ccb1e?

Seems odd to me that everyone else gets so high but you get 2.2ghz. I'd be pissed!
 
Peter949 said:
I say get a ccbbe or ccb1e opteron 165 that will overclock 2.8ghz+ easily. You'll won't be disappointed. Are you going to see 25fps+ changes? Probably not. Maybe in the range of 5-15fps from your old cpu. Keep in mind some games are multithreaded and future games will be. Going 2gb is probably a good upgrade also.
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How would I be able to tell what it is?

For example, is this a ccbbe or a ccb1e Opteron?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588

And do all of those two steppings (is that what you're referring to, seems like I've heard that term tossed around quite a bit) overclock well?
 
dbaldus said:
Do you have one of these steppings (I believe thats what they are called...): ccbbe or ccb1e?

Seems odd to me that everyone else gets so high but you get 2.2ghz. I'd be pissed!
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Pissed about what? That your opteron ONLY performed 400mhz faster than you paid for? That being said, I can't get my opty above 2.6, but that probably b/c of my nforce 3 board ;)
 
dbaldus said:
What was your total then? I wouldn't really be interested in getting the HSF too but I would want the retail one through with a 3 year warranty though AMD...
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my total was about $172 with 2-day fedex. However, 2-day has turned into 2-week becuase of Monarch's lathargic customer service and shipping dept. I won't have my chip until next week. Had I waited until Newegg had it in stock (like they do now), I would have paid LESS AND HAD IT BY NOW! Newegg *had* them for 169 + free 3-day shipping.
 
yea monarch shipping does suck, I ordered it on thursday shipped yesterday. Only good thing was I paid for regular shipping but for some reason the gave me 2 day. so it'll be here 2moro, hopefully before the post office closes.
 
dbaldus said:
How would I be able to tell what it is?

For example, is this a ccbbe or a ccb1e Opteron?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588

And do all of those two steppings (is that what you're referring to, seems like I've heard that term tossed around quite a bit) overclock well?
Click to expand...


When buying from Newegg you won't know your stepping until you recieve it. The for sale forums here have some ccbbe for around $160. I got my ccbbe from Newegg and lots of others, BUT I've read some have recieved ccbwe, which you really want to avoid.
 
i have a opty 148 at 2.6ghz. Is it worth going with a 165 just for the dual core? I know that dual is not really mainstream yet. Not that much games that use it
 
kingdomwinds said:
i have a opty 148 at 2.6ghz. Is it worth going with a 165 just for the dual core? I know that dual is not really mainstream yet. Not that much games that use it
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Are you planing a complete system upgrade in the next half year? If no, then it's worth it.
 
Peter949 said:
When buying from Newegg you won't know your stepping until you recieve it. The for sale forums here have some ccbbe for around $160. I got my ccbbe from Newegg and lots of others, BUT I've read some have recieved ccbwe, which you really want to avoid.
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Strange, my ccbwe manages 2.55 ghz pretty easily ([email protected]). It boots at 2.7 w/ stock volts, but fails prime and I've not had chance to play with the voltage to see if I can get it stable. Sure, I'm not hitting the 3ghz mark but I'm still happy with a 40% oc.
 
This might sound (and probably is) ridiculous, but if I were to receive a ccbwe or something that I am supposed to avoid, could I return it to Newegg for a new one?

Also, could I call Newegg and ask them for one that you recommended?

And just so everyone knows... I'm in the market for an Opty 165 with the "good" steppings mentioned, so shoot me a PM if you have one for sale! Thanks!
 
Better to visit the for sale forums and buy one there. I saw a ccbbe for $160 I think.
 
dbaldus said:
What was your 146 running at before? Also, explain how "amazing" it is. I'm trying to be sold here, but don't give me any bullshit, I just want to know what differences you've noticed, such as do things just generally load faster, play smoother, etc. or do you just notice that it plays just as good when you have ten other things open in the background while you're playing the game?

If its the case that it games without any performance hit while you're doing other things on the computer, I don't really care about that so much as just how it games in general...
Click to expand...

well my 146 was running at 2.9ghz I think, but overall loading times have decreased since I no longer close other programs that are running while I play (virus scanner, speedfan etc.)... If you only really do one thing at a time or have one thing running, a single core should be fine, but I did notice quicker load times with 165. as for gaming in general without other programs running, I dont think you will notice a difference between 146@3ghz and 165@3ghz
 
Ya...if your single core is around 3ghz and your 165 at 3ghz won't see that much increase. Lots of factors but dual core is the route to go especially when you can get the 165 for less then $200 and get whatever you can for you single core in a sale.
 
Peter949 said:
Ya...if your single core is around 3ghz and your 165 at 3ghz won't see that much increase. Lots of factors but dual core is the route to go especially when you can get the 165 for less then $200 and get whatever you can for you single core in a sale.
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Well, considering my best OC with my 3500+ is about 2.4Ghz, I should expect much better performance with a dual core Opty at, say, 2.6+Ghz?

Also, why did you ask Mikey for the "complete" stepping in the other thread?
 
dbaldus said:
Well, considering my best OC with my 3500+ is about 2.4Ghz, I should expect much better performance with a dual core Opty at, say, 2.6+Ghz?

Also, why did you ask Mikey for the "complete" stepping in the other thread?
Click to expand...

Well the ccbbe will get you to 2.8-2.9ghz no problem. Will that make a difference yes. A major difference like going to a oced conroe, no. Do I believe it's worth for you, yes. Ultimately, do you want to pay $160 for a dual core that will clock to 2.8-2.9ghz no problem. I ask about the full stepping to better advise you about what you getting. If it's a 610 it does 3ghz on air. 615 are great also.
 
As far as the full stepping goes, the guy says that he does not know because it is boxed up. However, he said that he was able to get it up to 3 Ghz, it is definitely CCBBE, it is OEM but is has a few months left on warranty. Sound like a good deal or should I go to newegg and get one with a 3 year warranty for an extra $30?

He guarantees non-DOA by the way...
 
last OEM chip i had was a 30-day warranty....and that was from Newegg, monarch, and ZZF. Unless the OEM warranties have changed through the MFR though... Monarch lists the Opty 165 OEM with a 30 or 60 day warranty.
 
nst6563 said:
last OEM chip i had was a 30-day warranty....and that was from Newegg, monarch, and ZZF. Unless the OEM warranties have changed through the MFR though... Monarch lists the Opty 165 OEM with a 30 or 60 day warranty.
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Yes, I am also confused about that. Waiting to hear back from him.
 
That processor, with the right stepping, tends to overclock to around 2.8GHz (sometimes on stock volts) If you're very luck you can see speeds past 3.0GHz. On air.
 
Sovereign said:
That processor, with the right stepping, tends to overclock to around 2.8GHz (sometimes on stock volts) If you're very luck you can see speeds past 3.0GHz. On air.
Click to expand...

Its a CCBBE
 
So what I've been gathering from this discussion is that the 165 is a great processor, but not really needed if I typically just run one major application at once, which I do. So to me, it seems like I'm just buying this processor because of the 1 mb cache and the overclockability.

Would something like a single core Opteron be better suited for me? I'm just wondering about something like that that would overclock great but save me $75-$100 and give me similar performance.

Also to be taken into account, I probably will not be upgrading my system in the next 2 years or so since I just got a new videocard, case, and now a processor. Only thing I might do is get 2 x 1gb RAM to replace my 2 x 512mb right now. Is the dual core really going to have the edge for gaming in the next year or two, or will it still only have the edge when I'm running more than one major task?
 
well i think that you should go for the dual core cpu. cos you will start to see in the near future that more and more programs and games are gonna start to take advantige of dual core
chips and then you really start to see the difference between single and dual core prosessors.
and they are really not that expencive anymore.
go for the the dual core shangri la, you wont regret it.
 
if you're not going to upgrade for about another 2 years....get the dual core. In 2 years time cpu's will get a good bit faster and apps will start to get more multithreaded now that dual cores are out the flood gates from both Intel and AMD. You *may* not need it, but if there's that chance that you might want that extra performance there then it's more like a peace of mind that you already have it instead of wishing you did.
 
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