Few questions on 555 Black Edition??

[TONYSALEM]

I am going to buy a Phenom II x2 555 Black edition tomorrow. I am just wondering if there is a way to look on the box for (c3 stepping or are they all c3) also is there any way to tell which are better chance of unlocking cores.. I seen somewhere else to look for a "M" at the end of the # on box??
Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated!

[JrRacinFan]

All 555's are C3 and just like any other deneb based dual/tri core it's an unlock gamble. Take unlocking as a bonus if it does, don't base your purchase on unlocking.

[Dent1]

Originally Posted by TONYSALEM

I am going to buy a Phenom II x2 555 Black edition tomorrow. I am just wondering if there is a way to look on the box for (c3 stepping or are they all c3) also is there any way to tell which are better chance of unlocking cores.. I seen somewhere else to look for a "M" at the end of the # on box??
Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Get a Athlon II X3, they are faster, cheaper and can potentially unlock too!

[brandonwh64]

Originally Posted by Dent1

Get a Athlon II X3, they are faster, cheaper and can potentially unlock too!

NEGATIVE ON THIS!!! Phenom II has the 6mb L3 cache. Even if it doesn't unlock, its still faster than an athlon II X4 630 CPU.

Check out the gaming performance for a Phenom II 555BE compared to the others.

Anandtech review

[Dent1]

Originally Posted by brandonwh64

NEGATIVE ON THIS!!! Phenom II has the 6mb L3 cache. Even if it doesn't unlock, its still faster than an athlon II X4 630 CPU.

Check out the gaming performance for a Phenom II 555BE compared to the others.

Anandtech review

I agree, the Athlon II X4 is slower than the Phenom II X2 at the same clock in single threaded applications due to the cache difference.

Gaming is just small area the Phenom II X2 has a temporary advantage over the Athlon II X4, overall its slower.

But the X3 is definitely faster than the Phenom II X2

[joeyck]

in all honesty... this CPU would own :P

AMD Athlon II X2 260 Regor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache...

or this :

AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache...

or this :P

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache...

but the 555 is awesome... WOOP!

and as dent said and many other the phenomII's r just orgasmic :P

[NdMk2o1o]

Do not get an Athlon II X2, seriously just get a pII x2 and hopefully do some unlocking

A pII is faster than an Athlon II X3 in most things. If you must get an Athlon II get a x4 otherwise a nice PII x2/x3 with the potential to unlock cores will be a much wiser choice.

[joeyck]

I didn't say to get them, but if ur trying to gimp ur self from spending for a 555 then buy an athlon :P i recommend a PII since i have one and in love with it,

[Dent1]

I think you guys are misreading what has been said.

The Athlon II X3 is faster than both the Athlon II X4 and Phenom II X2 in gaming.

The Athlon II X3 is faster than the Phenom II in non gaming too. The Athlon II X3 is cheaper and faster in both gaming and non gaming related tasks, its not gimping - it can be unlocked too.


Edit:

Proof: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...X3_425/10.html - Athlon II X3 beatin' the Phenom II X2 550 in gaming despite being clocked 400Mhz lower

To be honest the performance is about the same, depending on the game, but overall its the better processor in non-gaming which swings the tide.

[NdMk2o1o]

Originally Posted by Dent1

I think you guys are misreading what has been said.

The Athlon II X3 is faster than both the Athlon II X4 and Phenom II X2 in gaming.

The Athlon II X3 is faster than the Phenom II in non gaming too. The Athlon II X3 is cheaper and faster in both gaming and non gaming related tasks, its not gimping - it can be unlocked too.


Edit:

Proof: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...X3_425/10.html - Athlon II X3 beatin' the Phenom II X2 550 in gaming despite being clocked 400Mhz lower

No an Athlon II x3 is not faster than a PII x2 in gaming did you even look at most of the benchmarks or read the comments?, for a start clock to clock the PII is faster in everything due to the architecture and the added L3, for another thing there are a habdful of games that actually make use of more than 2 cores.

It is a cut down phenom core doesn't overclock as much, the chances of unlocking to anything are much less likely and the difference in price of an Athlon II x3 and a PII x2 are negligible so thats a null comment

[JrRacinFan]

The OP is not asking whether or not he should look at other options. Personally I would go with the Athlon X4 630 instead ....


... but he was asking specifically about the 555 Black. It's a pretty good chip.

[NdMk2o1o]

Originally Posted by JrRacinFan

The OP is not asking whether or not he should look at other options. Personally I would go with the Athlon X4 630 instead ....


... but he was asking specifically about the 555 Black. It's a pretty good chip.

Contradiction there? people are giving their opinions and you say he isn't looking for opinions then recommend an Athlon II x4 lol

Though as I mentioned if he is considering an Athlon II then over a PII x2 the only viable option is an Athlon II x4 so I will agree with you on that.

Other than that the Atlon II x3 isn't worth it plain and simple

[Dent1]

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

No an Athlon II x3 is not faster than a PII x2 in gaming did you even look at most of the benchmarks or read the comments?, for a start clock to clock the PII is faster in everything due to the architecture and the added L3, for another thing there are a habdful of games that actually make use of more than 2 cores.

Iam not disputing that a full blown Deneb architecture isnt better, it has 6MBs of cache that is obvious. My dispute is the difference is only by as small amount (FPS) when the X2 leading, despite having the extra 6MB of cache and despite being clocked 400Mhz higher, if they were clocked the same that small and insignificant lead would be a lot narrower in gaming. And to be fair the X3 did beat out the X2 in a few tests too which shows the potential that a X3 has even with such a low base clock and missing cache. Even TomsHardware shows that the Athlon II X3 is closer to its Phenom II X3 cousin in gaming!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...3,2452-10.html

Once you consider consistency for the dollar however, the stock Athlon X3 435 looks very attractive indeed compared to its Phenom II X3 720 cousin.

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

It is a cut down phenom core doesn't overclock as much, the chances of unlocking to anything are much less likely and the difference in price of an Athlon II x3 and a PII x2 are negligible so thats a null comment

The X3 overclock pretty, granted it might not get 4Ghz, but 3.6-3.8 GHz is a pretty standard and respectable OC, as for the unlock factor is mathematically 50% whether one goes for the X2 or X3, if the unlock fails I know which one I would rather.

[JrRacinFan]

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

Contradiction there? people are giving their opinions and you say he isn't looking for opinions then recommend an Athlon II x4 lol

Though as I mentioned if he is considering an Athlon II then over a PII x2 the only viable option is an Athlon II x4 so I will agree with you on that.

Other than that the Atlon II x3 isn't worth it plain and simple

Yes I did contradict myself. We are on the same page with the Athlon II X4. And you are correct he isn't looking for opinions, and what I posted previously (See post 2) wasn't opinion.

[TONYSALEM]

Ahhh.. I thank everyone for the feedback. Here is the deal.. I am getting one of these combos tomorrow and from what i see here the 555 black is the best of these choices. It is going in my living room for mostly movies and music.. But i always like to have it ready if i wanted to play a little game of battlefield 2 or something..My daughter plays little games like dora and whatnot but she likes the shooter once in a while so i need it capable!! I really just wanted to know if there was a way by looking at the closed box to tell if this or that one is better chance of unlocking?

[NdMk2o1o]

Originally Posted by Dent1

The X3 overclock pretty, granted it might no get 4Ghz, but 3.6-3.8 GHz is a pretty standard and respectable OC, as for the unlock factor is mathematically 50% whether one goes for the X2 or X3, if the unlock fails I know which one I would rather.

I'm sorry I could find many more reviews which is easy to do saying that the PII > the Athlon II all day long and it does, dont pick out a few tests, you need to look at all of them and then look at the overall picture and the fact is the PII beats the Athlon II outright most of the time and not just in gaming.

I dont see your argument, the Athlon II is marketed below the PII and as such the performance puts it where it should be.

I see you are the proud owner of an Athlon II x4 though i will do any test with my PII x2 unlocked against your Athlon clock for clock if you want a real world comparison just to prove a point.

Originally Posted by TONYSALEM

Ahhh.. I thank everyone for the feedback. Here is the deal.. I am getting one of these combos tomorrow and from what i see here the 555 black is the best of these choices. It is going in my living room for mostly movies and music.. But i always like to have it ready if i wanted to play a little game of battlefield 2 or something..My daughter plays little games like dora and whatnot but she likes the shooter once in a while so i need it capable!! I really just wanted to know if there was a way by looking at the closed box to tell if this or that one is better chance of unlocking?

http://lookpic.com/d2/i2/182/C9HGANdj.jpeg

And at that price the Athlon II x4 is a steal, as mentioned if you must got with an Athlon II then get the X4, and that is a bargain

[JrRacinFan]

@TonySalem

The board has the capability but what if it doesn't unlock? That's my only rebuttal. If it helps any look for 1004CPMW and 1004EPMW batch numbers.

[TONYSALEM]

If it does not unlock i am ok with the fast dual with the l3 cache.. I will overclock it as far as the board,ram,and tuniq 120 let me!!

* Are you guys thinking the x4 630 is the better route?

[joeyck]

get the PII x 2, i'm not going to say why or have an internet debate PII is the newest architecture and is simply perfect. the athlons r old so yea thats all i'ma say lol get a PII x 2

[Dent1]

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

I'm sorry I could find many more reviews which is easy to do saying that the PII > the Athlon II all day long and it does

The dispute is not about PII and Athlon II.

The dispute is about Athlon II X3 and Phenom II X2 specifically.

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

dont pick out a few tests, you need to look at all of them and then look at the overall picture and the fact is the PII beats the Athlon II outright most of the time and not just in gaming.

They were not random tests, I only selected the gaming tests because the conversation shifted towards gaming. If we are talking about work related tasks the both the Athlon II X3 and X4 will beat the Phenom II X2 by a land slide, look at the encoding, productivity, rendering and synthetic benchmarks and you'll see that the extra cores do better.

Originally Posted by NdMk2o1o

I see you are the proud owner of an Athlon II x4 though i will do any test with my PII x2 unlocked against your Athlon clock for clock if you want a real world comparison just to prove a point.

What will that prove? the argument isnt about "clock for clock" the argument is about 2 cores vs 3 cores or 2 cores vs 4 cores.


TONYSALEM, @ if you are playing Battlefield the Athlon II X4 is better, there are reviews that show that Battlefield Bad Company gets double the frame rate with quad cores in general, price/performance the X3 is best as it will give similar results for 40% less $$$.

[NdMk2o1o]

Originally Posted by joeyck

get the PII x 2, i'm not going to say why or have an internet debate PII is the newest architecture and is simply perfect. the athlons r old so yea thats all i'ma say lol get a PII x 2

Well athlon II's are only as old as PII's if its a PII x2 Vs an Athlon II x4 then go with the x4, unless you want to take the risk of unlocking the PII, for the price of them deals as shown the Athlon II x4 is a sweet deal

[Dent1]

Originally Posted by joeyck

get the PII x 2, i'm not going to say why or have an internet debate PII is the newest architecture and is simply perfect. the athlons r old so yea thats all i'ma say lol get a PII x 2

The Athlon II came out after the Phenom II. You are getting confused with the Athlon I

Edit:

NdMk2o1o, I will accept your challenge but only if you keep your X2 locked - since the argument is about the Phenom II X2 550 with 6MB cache vs the Athlon II X3/X4 without L3 cache. We need to also include non-gaming related benchmarks as you also said "then look at the overall picture".

We should probably create a new thread for these tests?

[joeyck]

actually i was thinking bout the anthlon 64 XD lol

[TONYSALEM]

Now i am really confused.. lmao

[JrRacinFan]

Originally Posted by TONYSALEM

Now i am really confused.. lmao

Just go with the x4 and call it a day is pretty much what everyone else is saying.