Should I wait for x2 555?

[Guest]

I'm building a computer for my sister who is in no rush at the moment. Is it better to wait for the 555 or simply get the 550 which is 10 dollars less I'd have to worry about? Also, has amd planned an exact release date for the 555? I only know that it will be released sometime q1. My goal is to unlock the 2 cores. Then I can have a smug grin on my face when I see the x4 B55/B50 on CPUID. Finally one last question... I have 2 5770's in which I'm not entirely satisfied with. I've been deeply considering the 5970. Should I get one to fulfill my ego, or just go with a single 5850? My intentions are to crossfire the 5850 in the future either way, but I cannot make up my mind!

 

[bige420]

Well its already been announced so it'll probably hit retailers sometimes next week or so. I would say go for the 555 since its going to be on the new C3 stepping, which overclocks slightly better and consumes a bit less power, and of course the .1ghz speed increase.

For your second question, the 5970 would be a significant upgrade but you have to make sure it will fit in your case. It is extremely long and probably wont fit in anything less than a full tower case. CF 5850's would be good too though.

 

[Devastator_uk]

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think the extra cores can be unlocked on a 555.

 

[bige420]

They can be unlocked, they're still just disabled quads. You might even have a better chance these days of unlocking them because yields have improved over time.

 

[warmon6]

They can be unlocked, they're still just disabled quads. You might even have a better chance these days of unlocking them because yields have improved over time.

cant be sure on that till we get it in front us now can we.

For all we know they could of just made it a dual core cpu instead of a quad core cpu with 2 disabled cores.

 

[bige420]

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3730

 

[warmon6]

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3730

Ah. i guess you right. didn't see this article.

Good find.

 

[Guest]

Yeah I've read that article as well. But before that even they had trouble unlocking the cores on several different boards. Regardless, I think I'll have a better chance with one of those than the 550. I'm not even sure which case I want at the moment. I'm leaning towards a CM storm sniper or 932. I have the haf922 right now and I simply cannot get enough of it.

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by hollowtek.