Which CPU (God I feel like a n00b)

[Wicked Klown]

OK so I have been on the Intel side for awhile now, but looking to come back home. Which CPU would be better for gaming, a Opty 144 Venus or a 3200Venice. Yes I plan to OC, looking at getting an Abit AN8-SLI or Abit AN8 32x. Also looking to run dual eVga 7900GT powered by a OCZ GameXStream 600watt or 700watt.

 

[otogrim]

I'de go with a 144. They tend to oc a lil higher than the venice. But you'll need to get a nice solid board to get as much as you can out of it. DFI or epox get my vote.

 

[Tserrof]

I second that. The Venus 144 is the better choice IMO. Although I have seen some certain cases where the slightly higher multi on the Venice came into play on some budget ASrock boards and gave it the edge as the mobo was becoming a limiting factor.

 

[Shmutt]

How about 3700+? Comparing it with the 146, its all the same, except that the Sandy has got a higher multi..

If you're on a budget, then a 3000+ or 144 would be enough, since you're gonna OC anyway..

 

[infinitevalence]

how about you wait 3 more weeks for AM2 and DDR2 motherboards... shoudl see a 5% performance gain just from that alone, before overclocking.

 

[Evilsizer]

^^what he said... or at least if you dont like what you see, 939 boards will drop in $$.

 

[Wicked Klown]

Guess I should've said I'm kinda on a budget. So by any chance with the release of the AM2, would that cause a price drop in A64s and Opties?

 

[freeagent]

the 3700 is a solid cpu if you can get a good stepping, i have a kabye 0542FPMW sitting here, it does 2600 on stock volts, 2700 if your clever, if not then itll take 1.425, and 2800 solid with 1.45. ive had it stretched to 3g for some 3d benching, but it needed a minumun of 1.575 for that. its much snappier then my 4400, in latency, and pushes mem bandwidth a little better then my x2. im not sure if its in your budget, but its a wicked good cpu for the price. i have a fatality board, and its "ok" its fairly picky with memory, though ive had my current ram since my nf7 days, and i was approved for rma from ocz, but ive been lazy.. if your wondering, they are rated at cas 2.5, but only run cas 2. i wouldnt mind checking out the an8-32x, but its not in the cards for me right now

 

[Wicked Klown]

Yea I read a few reviews on the AN8 32x. From what I seen it's not the much better then a AN8-Sli and in some cases it's a tad slower.

 

[WeezleXX89]

It depends; How much are willing to pay for an AMD processor?

 

[Wicked Klown]

I would say $170

 

[Eldonko]

Opteron 144 and DFI Ultra D is my recommendation. DFI has no prob with hi HTT so that is not an issue w/ 9x. Also Opti has 1mb cache and will prob OC better than a 3200+.

 

[evancold]

Opteron 144 and DFI Ultra D is my recommendation. DFI has no prob with hi HTT so that is not an issue w/ 9x. Also Opti has 1mb cache and will prob OC better than a 3200+.

I second that