SUp.

Well as u can see in my sig. the overclock was a bit disappointing....and ive heard about Opterons reaching crazy speeds. SO with the current mobo and setup....what opteron do u recommend for excellent overclocking?

Budget: $250 CAD.

thanks.

I can tell you I just got a 170 and a Abit board similar to yours and went right to 2.7@ 1.375v Idles at28-30c, full load prime is 50-52 with stock hsf.
I have read a 165 will do just about the same for a little less money. The 170 is about 190us at newegg right now. The 170 has a 10x multiplier and the 165 a 9x I believe. I set htt to 270 ram div. to 4x (not5). Cake

My former rig was an Opty 170 OC'd to 3.0Ghz:

Model: OSA170DAA6CD
Stepping: CCBBE 0610DPMW
Serial: 1430261C60932
Core: Toledo

This stepping is the highest overclocker of the 939 Opty 170's, commonly reaching 2.8 to 3.0Ghz on high end air. 8)

SO the "stepping" is one thing i should loook for when buying a opty?.....im on a budget so i'll proly be getting a Opty 165.

The above stepping is for a 170. 165's don't typically OC as high as 170's, so they're well worth a few extra bucks. Some vendors provide stepping info, otherwise, it's a roll of the dice.

Good luck. 8)

170 is a bit over my budget.........lookin at 165 I've read that any opteron 165 (regardless of stepping) would reach 2.5 or 2.6 easy....is that true?... the "good ones" can reach even higher?

Yes, a clean Opty 165 will typically OC 50% from 1.8 to 2.7 Ghz, but 2.8 to 3.0 Ghz is unusual on high end air. On stock cooling 2.5 to 2.6Ghz.

Keep in mind that every silicon semiconductor device is unique, and has different basic properties of electronics such as resistance, capacitance, inductance, impedance, and transconductance. Although two consecutive serial number CPU's from the same fabrication, with the same stepping codes, may appear identical, they're yielded from different location on the silicon wafer from which they're manufactured, and like diamonds, each has it's own unique flaws.

Even though their dynamic operational characteristics may be very similar, no two CPU's will overclock to exactly the same stable maximum speed, at the same voltage, at the same temperature. Additionally, in a dual core processor, one core will always become unstable before the other.

Hopefully you'll receive a clean CPU that will be a good overclocker, but you won't be able to predict your OC until you actually try it out.

Hope this helps. 8)

Ye thanks for the detailed reply.....that definately helped me understand why two processors dont overclock the same but last ngiht i found this website where it had all the steppings for a certain overclock.....take a look under Dual Core Socket 939 Opterons 90NM.

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/ [...] -core.html

That shud help me find the better overclocker....u agree?

If you can find a vendor from which you can purchase specific steppings at a competitive price, then yes. Also remember that when you buy a CPU, you're also paying for the multiplier. This is partially why it's easier to OC the Opty 170, because you don't need to push the FSB as high as the 165.

3.0Ghz = 300Mhz FSB x 10 multiplier Opteron 170.

2.7Ghz = 300Mhz FSB x 9 multiplier Opteron 165.

Hope this help. 8)

your only running one channel. i guess you gotta stick to the low ends then cause i never tried oc opteron and haha kind of scared too cause if i blow out this processor i have to work to get a new one. mines is 2 channels yours is one i guess.

What is an example of high end air cooling.
Oh and I'm thinking of getting an opty 165 w/ a DFI Lanparty 939 board, and a gig of good 'ol ocz ram.
How long do u think it'll be until those lanparty boards are out of stock on newegg because I've still got to raise funds.

you should use the zalman9700 or newer versions of it. they'll always be on stock so you should be able to take your time to get the motherboard

The Opterons come with a decent stock heatpipe HSF. You can always upgrade later to the one in my sig, or others as good or better. Some users are very passionate about expressing their opinions concerning HSF's, so I won't comment. Google the CPU cooler reviews.

Too bad; the 170 is faster, and 1Gb RAM is minimal for the upcoming release of Vista, but if you must, then go with 1 module in single channel mode temporarily, then buy the second module when you can afford it.

The rulebook committee revolked my crystal ball license years ago, on the grounds of crystal ball abuse, and Newegg got the memo, so ever since then, they refuse to answer any of my questions about DFI MB's, or anyrhing else for that matter...

The memory will simply operate in single channel mode rather than dual channel, but it won't effect your OC. 8)

I've got one more question. The mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813136152
doesn't say it'll run opty's. SO will it work.

I don't want to flash the bios

If you read through NewEgg's customer reviews, you'll see Opty's being used on this DFI. 8)

Steppings is something that really matters when you are buying a CPU, the latest the stepping, the newer it is and the better it might be

Not true in this case.

As has already been stated above:

Model: OSA170DAA6CD
Stepping: CCBBE 0610DPMW
Serial: 1430261C60932
Core: Toledo

http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/ [...] -core.html

This stepping is the highest overclocker of the 939 Opty 170's, commonly reaching 2.8 to 3.0Ghz on high end air. 8)

might

As far as my experiences, the newer the stepping, the better it was for me.