AMD has been offering Opteron processors for Socket 939 systems for quite a while now. Despite their server orientation they can suit quite well for desktop systems too. For example, our experiments showed that Opteron 165 is a really great choice for hardware enthusiasts.
Intro :
Nevertheless, there are exceptions to every rule. Here I am talking about an Opteron CPU model from AMD that turns out to be quite interesting for hardware enthusiasts these days. It is Opteron 165, which appears to be the today’s best-value dual-core CPU on AMD64 architecture. It is officially selling for less than $300, which means that it is even cheaper than the Athlon 64 X2 3800+, the youngest fellow in the desktop dual-core processor family from AMD. However, the price would certainly be not enough to attract so much attention to the server solution.
Another really important reason why we got so much interested in taking a closer look at Opteron 165 is the fact that it is very much different from the majority of Opteron CPUs from other families: Opteron 165 can work just fine in a regular desktop platform. Firstly, this processor is compatible with Socket 939 infrastructure, and secondly, it supports regular non-Registered DDR SDRAM. In other words, AMD Opteron 165 can be installed into regular Socket 939 mainboards without any incompatibility threats. From this standpoint AMD Opteron 165 doesn’t differ much from Athlon 64 X2. Moreover, if AMD didn’t want to push this processor into the Value server segment, it could have easily been known as Athlon 64 X2 3500+.
Overclocking :
So, thanks to the new clock frequency and the Toledo core used for our Opteron 165 processor we could overclock our CPU by about 1.5 times. In other words, this processor is a great choice for any overclocker. On the one hand, it costs not that much, and on the other hand, it can be easily overclocked to the frequency of the top dual-core AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 processor.
By the way, Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processors based on Manchester core can boast pretty much the same overclocking potential. On average, they overclock to 2.6-2.7GHz frequency. And it means that Opteron 165 would be a better buy than Athlon 64 X2 3800+ if we take into account the overclocking potential. Firstly, it is slightly cheaper, and secondly, it features a larger L2 cache that ensures higher performance.
Conclusion :
Well, it’s high time we summed things up. First of all I would like to stress that Opteron processors proved highly suitable for desktop Socket 939 platforms. By the way, Opteron 165 is not the only 1xx model AMD offers at this time. There are a few more models with dual- and single-core architecture. However, from the pricing standpoint, Opteron 165 is the most interesting product of all at this time.
The thing is that AMD Opteron 165 is the best value dual-core AMD processor for Socket 939 platforms. However, the performance of this processor in traditional desktop applications is not as higher as we would expect it to be, according to our tests. The main reason for that is its relatively low clock frequency of 1.8GHz. Even large 2MB L2 cache cannot make up for it. This CPU falls about 5-10% behind the Athlon 64 X2 3800+, the youngest processor in the corresponding family, in most applications (except the games). As a result, the performance of our Opteron 165 processor gets very precisely described by its price: it is positioned between the Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930.
The situation changes in games, because many games are very sensitive to large L2 cache. In other words, Opteron 165 appears a pretty decent choice for the latest gaming titles that can now take advantage of the dual-core architecture.
However, I am pretty sure that overclockers are going to love this processor. Our experiments showed that this Toledo based processor can be overclocked by about 1.5 times. Thanks to that you can have it running at frequencies close to 2.6GHz. In other words, Opteron 165 can deliver the performance of Athlon 64 FX-60 processor to enthusiasts for only $278.
For the complete review with all benchies go to : X-bit
Intro :
Nevertheless, there are exceptions to every rule. Here I am talking about an Opteron CPU model from AMD that turns out to be quite interesting for hardware enthusiasts these days. It is Opteron 165, which appears to be the today’s best-value dual-core CPU on AMD64 architecture. It is officially selling for less than $300, which means that it is even cheaper than the Athlon 64 X2 3800+, the youngest fellow in the desktop dual-core processor family from AMD. However, the price would certainly be not enough to attract so much attention to the server solution.
Another really important reason why we got so much interested in taking a closer look at Opteron 165 is the fact that it is very much different from the majority of Opteron CPUs from other families: Opteron 165 can work just fine in a regular desktop platform. Firstly, this processor is compatible with Socket 939 infrastructure, and secondly, it supports regular non-Registered DDR SDRAM. In other words, AMD Opteron 165 can be installed into regular Socket 939 mainboards without any incompatibility threats. From this standpoint AMD Opteron 165 doesn’t differ much from Athlon 64 X2. Moreover, if AMD didn’t want to push this processor into the Value server segment, it could have easily been known as Athlon 64 X2 3500+.
Overclocking :
So, thanks to the new clock frequency and the Toledo core used for our Opteron 165 processor we could overclock our CPU by about 1.5 times. In other words, this processor is a great choice for any overclocker. On the one hand, it costs not that much, and on the other hand, it can be easily overclocked to the frequency of the top dual-core AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 processor.
By the way, Athlon 64 X2 3800+ processors based on Manchester core can boast pretty much the same overclocking potential. On average, they overclock to 2.6-2.7GHz frequency. And it means that Opteron 165 would be a better buy than Athlon 64 X2 3800+ if we take into account the overclocking potential. Firstly, it is slightly cheaper, and secondly, it features a larger L2 cache that ensures higher performance.
Conclusion :
Well, it’s high time we summed things up. First of all I would like to stress that Opteron processors proved highly suitable for desktop Socket 939 platforms. By the way, Opteron 165 is not the only 1xx model AMD offers at this time. There are a few more models with dual- and single-core architecture. However, from the pricing standpoint, Opteron 165 is the most interesting product of all at this time.
The thing is that AMD Opteron 165 is the best value dual-core AMD processor for Socket 939 platforms. However, the performance of this processor in traditional desktop applications is not as higher as we would expect it to be, according to our tests. The main reason for that is its relatively low clock frequency of 1.8GHz. Even large 2MB L2 cache cannot make up for it. This CPU falls about 5-10% behind the Athlon 64 X2 3800+, the youngest processor in the corresponding family, in most applications (except the games). As a result, the performance of our Opteron 165 processor gets very precisely described by its price: it is positioned between the Pentium D 920 and Pentium D 930.
The situation changes in games, because many games are very sensitive to large L2 cache. In other words, Opteron 165 appears a pretty decent choice for the latest gaming titles that can now take advantage of the dual-core architecture.
However, I am pretty sure that overclockers are going to love this processor. Our experiments showed that this Toledo based processor can be overclocked by about 1.5 times. Thanks to that you can have it running at frequencies close to 2.6GHz. In other words, Opteron 165 can deliver the performance of Athlon 64 FX-60 processor to enthusiasts for only $278.
For the complete review with all benchies go to : X-bit
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