Retail cpu overclock better than oem??

[NewbiePerson]

I have heard from several people that retail cpu's overclock better than oems. My uncle got a 900t-bird didn't unlock it or anything has same mobo as me, ram, and video card he got all the way up to a 154bus (didn't unlock it), while my 850t-bird will only get up to a 117 bus not unlocked.
Also, do retail video cards overclock better than oems?
Thanks

[Holst]

No.. this might have been true in the past but not with AMD chips.

Your Uncle probably has better RAM, or a motherboard that likes high FSBs more than yours.

As for video cards there might be a diference between OEM and retail. ATI clock there OEM cards slower. With a Nvidia card your overclocking will be determined by the quality of the ram chips used. If you buy a generic OEM card then it will probably have cheaper ram than a branded card, although thats not a certainty.

As with buying anything PC related, d oas much research as you can and you will get the best deal.

[NewbiePerson]

I have exact same mobo, ram as he does
and even video card....
what about the oem radeon 7500 does it overclock just as well as the retail 7500?

[Gravity Man]

If they have different steppings, they will overclock differently. To my knowledge, it shouldn't matter whether the chip is OEM or not.

[NewbiePerson]

Should I get a oem xp1600 or spend 20 more and get a retail xp1600?

[wildone]

No thats definitly not true ,steppings are all that matter ,see my sig ,both chips are OEM ;)

wildone

[killem1x1]

The only differences between retail and oem are that you will get a longer warranty retail, and you'll pay a little more, but it's the same stuff.

[Placid]

Sometimes if you buy a oem cpu it may be a tested overclocking dud depending on where you buy it.
Avoid buying oem cpu's from places that sell pre-tested overclocked cpu's.

[Gravity Man]

Originally posted by NewbiePerson
Should I get a oem xp1600 or spend 20 more and get a retail xp1600?
OEM.