I currently am using an xp3500 but am looking to change to either an opteron 144 or a 146. I am also down grading from water cooling to air cooling and I am lookin at getting an xp-120 hsf. Will I notice much performance difference over the xp3500 with the opty overclocked? and will the air cooling be sufficient to run a 146 @ 3ghz?
Are you going for a guaranteed good stepping Opteron or just any old chip? The new ones are pretty crap when it comes to the overclocking department...
If its a good Opteron, you could expect 2.9-MAYBE 3.0 GHz. 2.9 is the sweet spot right now with a good chip, but 2.6 GHz and lower is more common. Either way, water cooling will allow you to get further. An XP120 will be able to get 2.9 GHz if its a good chip, but keep in mind what hitman012 said; the newest Opterons overclock like crap.
0536 CABNE 144, 0540 CABNE 144 , if you find a 2nd hand one of these stepping, i've heard they were the bees knees. If you can't find a decent stepping 144, or 146 then theres been a lot current 3700 SD core chips that are clocking well.
Ive seen a really decently priced 146 with that they call e4 stepping and plenty of CABNE 144's and 146's on the bay. Is the e4 stepping any good?
E4 isn't the stepping, it's the core revision. Afaik all single-core 939 Opterons are E4s. btw I have an XP-120 on my 146 & it's fine. Of course what fan you fit makes a difference too.
E4 is the revision type, my 144 is an E4 revision. It doesn't tell you the steppign still though! Prices on the bay = expensive Seriously, The San diego 3700 chips overclock well, and they're £160 new in the retail packaging. I'd reccomend going for that
