Athlon X2 3800+ reviews (and overclocking)

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

<A HREF="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/athlon64-x2-3800.html" target="_new">X-bit review</A>

<A HREF="http://www.hardware.fr/articles/582-1/athlon-64-x2-3800.html" target="_new">The original French review</A>
<A HREF="http://world.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=fr_en&url=http://www.hardware.fr/articles/582-1/athlon-64-x2-3800.html" target="_new">BabelFish translation</A>

Very interesting, I might sell my 3200+ on eBay to get one of those. They overclocked their one to 2.55GHz @ 1.5Volt.

This new low-end X2 is very competitive, still pricier than Intel entry-level, but it offers better performance in most situation.

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>Edited by TheRod on 08/01/05 09:46 AM.

TC10284 · Aug 1, 2005

That is interesting......I'd love to have an X2 or P4D.
I liked that part about you couldn't get a clear distinction between the 3800+ and the 3800+ X2 without looking at the CPU string.

Tavis Curry

P4Man · Aug 1, 2005

Anand is up as well:
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2484&p=5" target="_new">http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2484&p=5</A>

Although they aren't pictured here (for space reasons), you'll see in the coming pages that there is only one benchmark where Intel ends up ahead. The Roxio VideoWave test in PCWorld's WorldBench 5 suite completes 6 seconds quicker on the Pentium D 830 than on the Athlon 64 X2 3800+. That is one loss out of 31 total benchmarks for the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (once again, not all pictured here but you'll see them on the coming pages).

The victory is clear and without debate, at the $300 - $400 price point the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is the dual core processor to get.

Of course Noko will still want a smithfield

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

P4Man · Aug 1, 2005

this is pretty impressive too:
<A HREF="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/athlon64-x2-3800_3.html" target="_new">http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/athlon64-x2-3800_3.html</A>

65W for the X2 3800+ versus 130W for the 820

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

BePe86 · Aug 1, 2005

I'm really impressed with what i've seen of this cpu so far.

OT: of course, Noko's a troll

I can't see anyone else whining about a 0.7% performance drop for AMD, when right in front of him is a 30% performence difference. I just say, poor guy :'(

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

The difference in power is quite impressive. But what I really find amazing is that the Dual-Core don't use much more power than single-core.

But I'm sure a lot of SYSADMIN will still buy Pentium D, even if the AMD dual-core are EQUAL or SUPERIOR in ALL ASPECT. Franckly, is there something left for Intel in DUAL-CORE?

And with both Intel and AMD DUAL-CORE, HT becomes something "useless".

-
GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

FROM ANANDTECH CONCLUSION :

We really didn’t want to see AMD become more expensive CPU manufacturer, and with the X2 3800+ we finally have a more sensibly priced dual core option. The choice is clear, the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is better in every way than the Pentium D 830. For Intel’s sake in the enthusiast community, Conroe had better be very competitive next year - because ever since Prescott, the Pentium 4 has been an utter disappointment.

Now, I can't wait to read THG review of this CPU.

<A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/index.html" target="_new">http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/index.html</A>

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

Nice entry level but I wouldnt waste my money on it just yet. The chip they OCed could have been just a handpicked one from AMD. Really need to wait for this one to hit the streets and get the OC reports. Personally if I go dual core, then I'd want the total 2mb of l2 cache.

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

I'd say that 99% of AMD64 90nm CPU that run at 2.0GHz, will run at 2.4GHz on stock cooling without a problem. In fact, I never heard a report of someone who could not overclock is 3200+ (and 3000+) to 2.4GHz.

You remember the time where most Athlon XP could easily run at 2.0GHz on air cooling.

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

P4Man · Aug 1, 2005

>The chip they OCed could have been just a handpicked one
>from AMD

Actually most sites are dissapointed it only overclocks to 2.4 at stock VC, where the higher end X2s and Venice/Sandiegos clock significantly higher. its quite likely these are chips that didnt make the 4200+ binning, and AMD has been stockpiling them for a while. Over time, as bins improve and the "failed" 4200+s are sold out and product mix/demand enters the picture, you will probably get far better overclocks. Still, 2x2.5 GHz is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

>Personally if I go dual core, then I'd want the total 2mb of
>l2 cache.

Why ? Performance difference just isnt there. You might as well claim youd want "the full 64Kb L1" or something

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

Running these chips at 2.4ghz is not the problem but when OCing them, these hot chipsets get even hotter and there is really not much one can do to make them better since cards like the 7800gtx go right over them.

I really miss the good old barton days. Those days were simpler.

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

It is a psychological issue when wanting 2mb L2. I just feel that when you go dual core that you should not be pinched by the L2 cache.

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

Guest · Aug 1, 2005

From tomsharware:

A price of $400 is a step in the right direction, but remains a lot of money for a CPU, and Intel's entry-level Pentium D 380 (2.8 GHz) is still somewhat cheaper. A detailed comparison of the dual core offerings from both AMD and Intel will follow soon, but it's already obvious that the Athlon 64 X2 3800+ is an alternative to a Pentium D 380.

Anyoen can tell me Wth is a P-D 380?

Oh and not too surprisingly, the THG's review is pretty weak once again!

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

P4Man · Aug 1, 2005

>I just feel that when you go dual core that you should not be
> pinched by the L2 cache.

The thing is, your not. The difference between 512 Kb and 1 Mb per core for the K8 is almost academical. Why would you feel pinched by lacking L2 cache and not by clockspeed, cache latency, # of L1 cache ports or any other metric ? The price delta for the extra cache buys you loads of other goodies that will give you a much more tangible improvement.

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

Chipset don't get HOT if you use lower HTT multiplier.

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

jl989z · Aug 1, 2005

labbbby said: Anyoen can tell me Wth is a P-D 380?

I noticed that too and started laughing.

Compaq S5000nx
yes the one with an asus mobo and non exsistant apg slot. It was free so dont yell at me LOL.

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

So you will always want more cache. In fact, 1Gig of cache would be the ideal!

Cache size have diminishing return effect. Even Sempron with 256K of Cache are very good performer. The AMD64 architecture is lot less dependant on Cache than P4.

If 512K would not be enough, AMD would not sell the current S939 with 512K. Think about it!

-
GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

Still, 2x2.5 GHz is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

I totally agree. 20-25% overclocking headroom is quite good for most enthousiast. No one would spit on these X2 if they would got the chance to get one.

I'll probably not buy a X2 until at least a year because I don't need it right now... But these beasts are quite attractive!

-
GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

Could this explain why Im seeing a ton of people tryin to do 300 on the HT and dropping the mult to 3? Correct me here but it really should make a difference which the overall HTT speed should.

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

Like I said, its a psychological issue. Like most would like to see AMD breach the 3ghz barrier.

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

I would rather buy a 3.0GHz AMD64 that a 1Meg CACHE AMD64. I prefer pure CORE-SPEED!

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

Guest · Aug 1, 2005

And you can always cache mod it

Asus P4P800DX, P4C 2.6ghz@3.25ghz, 2X512 OCZ PC4000 3-4-4-8, MSI 6800Ultra stock, 2X30gig Raid0

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

Yup, I would probably sold a GDDR3 8Megs CHIP on my CPU to get access TO VERY FAST CACHE.

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GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

addiarmadar · Aug 1, 2005

Depends on how fast that 1mb cache a64 is

Only an overclocker can make a computer into a convectional oven.

TheRod · Aug 1, 2005

I would buy a 1Megs of cache, dual-core, 3.0GHz. But my girlfriend would probably not want me to buy it!

-
GA-K8NF-9 / Athlon 64 3200+ @ 3800+
Infineon DDR400 (CL2.5) 2x512Megs
GeForce 6600GT 128Megs
<A HREF="http://www.getfirefox.com" target="_new">Get Firefox!</A>

Athlon X2 3800+ reviews (and overclocking)

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