New
#11
What Processor Should I Go With?
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New #12
No can do Krispy. The AM2+ are all DDR2 only, and that 920 is AM2+. The board that Serpentz has takes DDR3. For that he would need to look at the 925 that Dwarf linked too.
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New #13
OK so I checked this board and it does have AMD Overdrive with Advanced Clock Calibration. I also found this:
Advanced clock calibration (ACC) is a feature originally available for Phenom families of processors, particularly for Black Edition ones, to increase the overclocking potential of the CPU. ACC is supported by the SB710 and the SB750 southbridges, and available through BIOS settings on some motherboards and AMD OverDrive utility.
It was later discovered that this functionality has the possibility of unlocking the supposedly disabled cores of some Phenom II X2/X3 processors.
In normal cases, it is not possible to use or unlock any of those hidden cores because originally those cores were disabled: a technique called "chip harvesting" or "feature binning" used by AMD to sell parts with one or two defective cores which will cause system instability if not disabled.
So with this last comment in mind, are people unlocking defective cores on their motherboards causing instability issues?
Cheers
*Go Packers*Last edited by Serpentz; 06 Feb 2011 at 16:58. Reason: Wish I could spell
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New #14
All things considering, if you want/need a quad, buy a quad. Despite the high success rate of unlocking the x2 and x3, it is not guaranteed that they will unlock and have four fully functional cores.
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New #15
No, it means you can't be SURE that you will be able to unlock any cores at all. In my case, I have a perfectly working Deneb X4 @ 3,2GHz with some temperature issues but they are due to a lot of dust. I have even tested it with Prime95. There is no temperature difference between two and four cores. Though my IGP isn't good for gaming so I have locked back the cores and am now using X2.
If you are ready to risk ending up with only two cores and don't mind trying your luck, go for the X2 555. If you want a X4 and can spend up to $130, try the previously suggested Athlon IIs or the Phenom II X4 925.
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New #16
I agree. If you need a quad processor, then buy a quad processor. Don't buy a triple/dual core and try to unlock the other core(s). It/they has/have been locked for a reason - it/they has/have not successfully passed quality control and, instead of throwing the chip away, both Intel and AMD disable (lock) the faulty core(s) and sell the processor as triple/dual instead of quad. That said, you may have luck in unlocking the core(s) and have no apparent problems.
That's my advice, but in the end the choice is yours.
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New #17
Thank you Dwarf. We should be friends :) I really appreciate the effort you've taken to help me. I think I'll go for a triple core X3 and just be happy with that for now. The board I have can go all the way to 6 cores if I need to upgrade one day. As it is, I've got an Athlon 64X2 5600+ 2.8 Ghz Windsor. I'm sure that with an X3 I'm going to be happy. Next thing I got to consider is a video card
I still have nVidia 8600 GTS OC 256mb. This board is a Crossfire, but thinking I'll opt for the GTX460.
Cheers!
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New #18
Hey Serpentz,
Glad to hear things are starting to look up for you. From your original post you were having a tough time with a PSU and an old MSI board. However I have to ask this (and surprised no one else picked up). The memory you bought, you mentioned that it’s 6GB? Is that correct or a typo? AMD’s are dual channel memory only, meaning that to get the most out of your fast new RAM you would install the memory sticks in multiple of 2 (2 or 4 sticks). As far as I know, dual channel kits only come in 2, 4 and 8GB sizes. Triple channel kits are for Intel’s socket 1366 boards and CPU’s. To get the most out of a 1366 base system you will install your RAM sticks in multiple of 3 (3 or 6). And again, as far as I know they come in sizes 3, 6 and 12 GB.
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New #19
Yeah, I kinda messed up on that deal. This is what I got:
Newegg.com - OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK
It's a kit for Intel processors. Wondering if I should sell it and see if I can get the Gskill Ripjaw 4GB kit they have.
Do you think this OCZ would work OK if I bought another matching stick for a total of 8GB's? I know that either 2 slots, or all 4 slots need to be filled on this MB in order to utilize the dual channel and they have to be matching sticks.
On another note...if you recall I bought another power supply and the MSI board seemed to be fine. Turns out it still shuts down without notice. So I'm turning it into "art" lol. Pics soon!
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New #20
Well then I guess you have to ask yourself how confident are you in the reviews that you can unlock the CPU.
Otherwise without having to take a chance spend the extra $25.00 and go with the other one.
JMO Fabe
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