So whats up with Phenom X3 705e?

[Refreshment]

Hi

Kind of interested in AMD`s new 45nm CPU line up. The Phenom 2 x2 was my main option (power to price ratio is great), but the 80w consumption its a turn off. So i lay eyes on the x3 705e, not that much extra over the x2 550 and consumes a lot less.

What i don't understand is why at online retailers there`s no customer reviews, even when the chips are supposedly in stock. That gets me a little nervous about ordering.

The motherboard is a k9a2gm 780, according to MSI`s site it does support the x3 705e and the x2 550. What i don't know is if i need a BIOS update. Cant find that information on the site.

The other thing i was trying to find out is if, with the same setup, the Phenom 2 X2 consumes a lot more than the athlon x2 5000+ i have. The 5000+ is rated at 65w but its on 65nm process. I found some benchmarks that puts the 550 with less consumption at idle. Obviously under load it consumes alot more than the 5000+. The thing is the tests set ups where different so it ruins the comparisons. Also, wandering if the 550 will get a lot more hotter than the 5000+ since im planing to keep the same cooler. Havent seen much talk about the heat issues in reviews, seems everyone is so centered in the 550 great performance and value.

Any opinions?

 

[Davros]

would you notice the upgrade from a x2 5000 to a x3 705e ?

 

[Brad Grenz]

Yeah, it seems like a marginal upgrade. I'd wait until you can afford a full quad. The 905e is rated at 65w and goes for under $200.

 

[Refreshment]

would you notice the upgrade from a x2 5000 to a x3 705e ?

Im sorry, maybe i didn`t express myself correctly. The CPU i have is an Athlon 64 5000+. And the CPUs in consideration are the Phenom X2 550 and X3 705e.

 

[Davros]

ahh so you have a single core...

in your first post you say a x2

 

[ShaidarHaran]

There's no such thing as a single-core A64 5000+. Refreshment has either an X2 5000+ or a single-core 4000+.

 

[Refreshment]

There's no such thing as a single-core A64 5000+. Refreshment has either an X2 5000+ or a single-core 4000+.

Right on the money, a Black Edition 5000+ is dual core. In fact (IIRC) i bought that product following ShaidarHaran suggestion. Very pleased so far with this product.

Now hope that someone can share some light about my questions.

 

[ShaidarHaran]

Refreshment - did you ever overclock that 5000+ B.E.? Those things are known to hit 6000+ speeds (or more) with little tweaking...

 

[Refreshment]

Refreshment - did you ever overclock that 5000+ B.E.? Those things are known to hit 6000+ speeds (or more) with little tweaking...

Yes. This BE processors are great for people like me, that its, people that don't have extensive knowledge about computers but are interested in overcloacking. Because of the unlocked multiplier.

At the stock voltage it was easy to reach 2.7 - 3.0 GHZ. It ran more or less stable, i don't know if it can perform better with another mother board or BIOS update. Recently, don't do it any more. Was using AMD's own application (which is great). The thing is, here we suffer power interruptions. So the AMD application got increasingly volatile with each subsequent power failure, to the point of not working properly even after a re install.

Also the processor is a good under clocker. Liked to leave the PC idle at 1.2 - 1.4 GHZ. Dropped the core temp like 2-4 degrees below normal operating temperature.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Bleh, not much time to post, but if you have frequent power fluctuations/interruptions I would HIGHLY recommend getting a UPS with line conditioning/smoothing before you got anything else.

Your computer will run more stable in normal and overclocked conditions. I would VERY STRONGLY recommend you do that before you even think about getting new computer components.

As long as you only hooked up the computer (you do NOT want to hook up printers/LCDs/speakers/etc to it) you won't need anything more than say a 500+ watt UPS. My computer doesn't even draw more than 300 watts under load. Granted it's just a E8400/8 gigs memory/3x1.5 terabyte drives/Radeon 4890...

I got a 800 watt UPS for mine, but it's overkill. As I said my system never draws more than 300 watts under load.

Regards,
SB

 

[Refreshment]

Bleh, not much time to post, but if you have frequent power fluctuations/interruptions I would HIGHLY recommend getting a UPS with line conditioning/smoothing before you got anything else.

Your computer will run more stable in normal and overclocked conditions. I would VERY STRONGLY recommend you do that before you even think about getting new computer components.

As long as you only hooked up the computer (you do NOT want to hook up printers/LCDs/speakers/etc to it) you won't need anything more than say a 500+ watt UPS. My computer doesn't even draw more than 300 watts under load. Granted it's just a E8400/8 gigs memory/3x1.5 terabyte drives/Radeon 4890...

I got a 800 watt UPS for mine, but it's overkill. As I said my system never draws more than 300 watts under load.

Regards,
SB

Thanks for the UPS advice.

The thing is a good UPS is beyond the reaches of my budget. Got one and it lasted 1+ year and i only drained dry 1 or 2 times. So instead of having a cheap UPS, decided for no UPS, even tough is really risky.

Wi'll see if a go for the 705e, the problem is i might have to flash the BIOS, hopefully not. Very problematic with the energy interruptions.

 

[BRiT]

You do know the batteries in the UPS devices are user-replaceable and significantly cheaper than buying a brand new UPS every time the battery is gone, right? There are many places which sell the replacement batteries, such as http://www.batteryspec.com/.

 

[Davros]

you only need an ups if you live in the states

 

[Refreshment]

You do know the batteries in the UPS devices are user-replaceable and significantly cheaper than buying a brand new UPS every time the battery is gone, right? There are many places which sell the replacement batteries, such as http://www.batteryspec.com/.

Considered that option. For the UPS i have, the replacement battery costs me almost as much as the equipment brand new.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

That's a shame to hear that as a 600 watt UPS I just recently purchased only ran me about 80 USD. And 400-500 watt units are a bit cheaper than that.

Add to that battery longevity isn't the issue here unless you have brownouts that last for more than a few seconds.

The more important aspect of a good UPS for your situation is line conditioning (smoothing out power fluctuations) and just enough battery power to prevent a momentary power loss from shutting down your computer.

Regards,
SB

 

[Refreshment]

The more important aspect of a good UPS for your situation is line conditioning (smoothing out power fluctuations) and just enough battery power to prevent a momentary power loss from shutting down your computer.

Regards,
SB

Yes, that's exactly the use i gave it. That is to correctly shut down the PC. After that one time that felt sleep and wasn't able to shut it down quickly, the battery drained and it was never able to sustain the PC even for a few seconds. Think it was a CDP (Chicago Digital Power) IIRC.