# AMD Opteron vs. Athlon 64x2 5000+ in socket AM2



## paul06660 (Jun 8, 2008)

Hello again guys. 
I need a little help deciding on my processor for my next build.
I mostly play the latest games and surf the web on my computers. I have decided to build another system to replace my old P4 system that is 4 years old now. I have decided that AMD is right for me, mostly because of the cheap processor prices vs. Intel. I had alot of good luck with the Athlon 64 x2 4000+ in another build and the speed under load was impressive.

Now here is the situation. AMD Opteron Santa Ana in the AM2 package is now around $110 and the Athlon 64 x2 5000+ AM2 is $87. I need to know if the Opteron is better than the Athlon 64 x2 5000+ for my pratical use purpose. The Opterons have 2mb cache and 1000mhz HT. The Athlon 64x2's have 1mb cache and 2000mhz HT.
The Opteron Dual cores are a very respectful processor, as well as the Athlon 64x2's. I just need to know which would be better for my use. 
Thank you very much.


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## Ripper3 (Jun 8, 2008)

The HT speed is the same for both Opteron and Athlon, it's jsut that the Opteron's specs show the HT speed, the Athlon's page shows the DDR HT speed, but in practice, they're both 2000MHz.
I would personally go for the Athlon Black Editions, jsut because of the fact you get an unlocked multiplier.
The Opterons are probably like the Xeons, they're very similar to the Athlons, but they're tweaked for server and workstation operations, so it might not be as fast in games, although it might clock higher.


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## hat (Jun 8, 2008)

umm...
opterons aren't tweaked. they are just made from higher grade materials which can handle more heat (server environments can get hot, and they need to be totally stable). what's that mean for you? it means you can has moar ovarclocks. actually I would imagine the Opteron being better in everything because of the cache


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## Hayder_Master (Jun 8, 2008)

you must remember the mobo who use if you use gaming the mobo with opteron not useful , opteron use with server mobo


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## cdawall (Jun 8, 2008)

hat said:


> umm...
> opterons aren't tweaked. they are just made from higher grade materials which can handle more heat (server environments can get hot, and they need to be totally stable). what's that mean for you? it means you can has moar ovarclocks. actually I would imagine the Opteron being better in everything because of the cache



they are tweaked to run server apps so they do better in things like super pi (number crunching) than a X2 will

on a good mobo you hsould be able to hit 3.6ghz if you get a F3 chip which i think all the new opterons are


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## Wile E (Jun 8, 2008)

cdawall said:


> they are tweaked to run server apps so they do better in things like super pi (number crunching) than a X2 will
> 
> on a good mobo you hsould be able to hit 3.6ghz if you get a F3 chip which i think all the new opterons are


The AM2 Opterons perform identically to the F3 Windsors at the same clock speeds. I can't for the life of me remember who it was, but him and I compared his opteron to my 6000+ at the same settings, and they performed the same. Clocked about equally as well. You're better off just buying a 2x1MB cache F3 Windsor. It's cheaper, yet performs the same.


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## suraswami (Jun 8, 2008)

Just buy the F3 Windsor 5600/6000 and OC the shit out of it.  Many benchies show that the F3 pawns G1/G2.  Don't go with that crappy 5K BE (newer ones don't clock good).  Clock for clock my 5600 F3 can beat any G2 out there at the same speed.


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## cdawall (Jun 8, 2008)

Wile E said:


> The AM2 Opterons perform identically to the F3 Windsors at the same clock speeds. I can't for the life of me remember who it was, but him and I compared his opteron to my 6000+ at the same settings, and they performed the same. Clocked about equally as well. You're better off just buying a 2x1MB cache F3 Windsor. It's cheaper, yet performs the same.



the 5000BE he was looking at was a brisbane thats why i said opty


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## Wile E (Jun 8, 2008)

cdawall said:


> the 5000BE he was looking at was a brisbane thats why i said opty



Oh, I see. Yeah, I don't think the Brisbane is the way to go either.

I'm just trying to shift his focus from the opty, to an F3 1MBx2 Windsor.


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## Hayder_Master (Jun 9, 2008)

take a good mobo with 5000+be


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## paul06660 (Jun 9, 2008)

Thanks for the advice people.
I might go ahead and save the cash and buy the Phenom 9850 Black Edition. I was reading some Tom's Hardware charts, and the 9700 Phenom came close to the Core2 Extremes in many tests. Thats what I call good performance/price ratio!
The Opteron that I wanted is now EOL on Newegg, it is the 65w Opteron 1.8 with 2mb cache.


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## Wile E (Jun 9, 2008)

paul06660 said:


> Thanks for the advice people.
> I might go ahead and save the cash and buy the Phenom 9850 Black Edition. I was reading some Tom's Hardware charts, and the 9700 Phenom came close to the Core2 Extremes in many tests. Thats what I call good performance/price ratio!
> The Opteron that I wanted is now EOL on Newegg, it is the 65w Opteron 1.8 with 2mb cache.



If you already had an Phenom capable mobo, the 9850 would be a great choice, but since you already have to buy a new mobo, there are much better choices out there. The 9850 costs $235 on newegg. That's too expensive for the performance. Whereas you can pick up an Intel Q6600 for $199, which performs better, and leaves you with a few extra dollars to spend elsewhere on your rig. I just can't suggest a 9850 for a scratch built system. As an upgrade, yes. But not for a full new build. You would be paying more, for less performance.


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