BF2S Forums Amd 3200+

BlackLegion42 wrote:

Well, the 3200+ technically means that the AMD chip in conversion to the clock speed to a pentium is 3.2 GHZ. The 2.0 GHZ is really AMD's conversion of clock speed. This CPU is better than a Pentium 4 3.0 big time. The main reason why it is because of its faster bus speed, which replace a lot of clock speed needed that an intel has. Overall, clock speed doesn't matter anymore and the faster 2000 GHZ bus speed of an Athlon chip and better overclocking, will make the AMD better. it is really a 3.2 to an intel, but 2.0 ghz with another 2000 MHZ FSB.

Hope that answer's most of your questions. The AMD was a great choice for u to by. Very good...

You missed one question about the overclocking/Dual Core Should I do it or leave it AUTO? One thing I noticed is temparature difference. While running BF2 on AMD, it goes not more then 42C and on Intel it goes above 62C. Both my system has same cooling system, wish I can post the picture lol

Last edited by MarkPuppets (2006-03-01 09:12:47)

Single core...

Yes overclock the snot out of it!!!! Just don't over-voltage the core until you know what your doing... also make sure your temps stay in the 50-60C or less underload.

Download a program like www.seventeenorbust.com and stress test the CPU at 100%. See what the temperatures go up to with a program like sisoft sandra

MarkPuppets wrote:

I just got this new rig for myself. I am not very interested to throw lots of money for high end rig cuz within a few months the price drop to half   Anyway, I was always an Intel fan. This time I picked AMD cuz I heard lots of shit about it It's AMD athlon 64 @ 3200+. After installing XP, it says 3200+ @ 2.00GHz !!! ummm. My OLD machine is 3.0 GHz....so why did I buy this?? I also did maximum overclock which is 10%. Is that a good idea?? I am not fimiliar with the overclocking, so any suggestions will be welcome. I didn't spend much cuz I heard  DirectX 10 is coming out which required  new gfx cards. I picked an old card
Here it is.....
AMD athlon 64 @ 3200+
A8N-SLI (Regular)
Kingston 2GB @ 400x (1GBx2)
Nvidia Gforce 6800 XT @ 256MB
Creative Audigy 2 ZS
Total is about US $799

So far BF2  run on MAX setting on single player, didn't test online yet. FPS goes from 60-80 on MAX, 70-100 on MED.

Now my question is, overclocking this CPU to 10% (which is MAX on BIOS) is a good idea or not? Why it's DAMN 2.0GHz when it says 3200+?? Is this a dual core CPU? Is it better then [email protected]/stability? I never used AMD before, so you can tech me   So far, I am happy with BF2 single player performance.

Contrary to what people believed, the "3200+" does not equate to Intel's equivalent similarly numbered processor.  AMD has since then transitioned to using model numbers instead of clock speed since they can never reach 3GHz without making some architectural changes to their processors.  In order to better attract the consumers, they opted to use a model numbering system since many have since associated "bigger number = better performance."  The clockspeed war has long ended and Intel continued their clock increase up until around the time of their newer processors based on their Prescott core design.

The AMD model numbering system is based on a performance rating related to AMD's older CPUs where its number is equivalent to the clock speed needed in order to match its performance.  I have long forgotten which core AMD used as a base to generate this number... however, using their formula, it'd take that old processor an overclock to 4.8GHz in order to match the performance of a X2 4800+ processor.  Whether or not this is entirely true remains to be seen.

Now that I've explained that portion, the 3200+ is, as you have noticed, clocked at 2GHz.  However, you should have no problem running a variety of applications despite of its relatively "low" clock speed.  The 10% overclock you mention is something that your motherboard manufacturer put in place within the BIOS in order to better assists those who are new to the overclocking scene.  People with little to no experience will know very little as to what is considered safe and what is considered "harmful."  Certain key elements can affect both stability and longevity of a processor.  These elements are vital to know and takes time to learn how they affect the overall performance and stability of your system.

With overclocking becoming "mainstream" in the DIY world, it's becoming more common for motherboard manufacturers to program certain routines that can help add performance to their processor by modestly overclocking the user's processor by certain amount.  This would increase performance overall but the experience would not be all that visible.

Like Intel processors, AMD processors can be pushed beyond its limit but its terminologies are different from the Intel end.  This has changed when AMD unleashed the Sledgehammer and Clawhammer processors.  But the basic concept overall in overclocking has remained the same.  The key elements nowadays are 1) Front Side Bus or HTT, 2) memory divider, 3) CPU voltage, and 4) CPU temperature.  In order to keep memory from running out of control and unstable, memory dividers are put in place.  CPU voltage is a key element where sometimes a high FSB can still yield system instability.  However, a higher voltage also means higher temperature.  And at the same time, higher temperature also means needing better cooling and monitoring a "normal" threshold for your temperatures.  As it was already mentioned, keeping the CPU under 60 degress Celsius under 100% load is good enough for everyday operations.  Going beyond that risks the longevity of your processor and places your processor at higher risk of possible damage.

If you are unsure as to how to proceed in overclocking, then it's best not to venture into it at all.  But if you intend to study up and learn the ins and out, set aside a day or two (a weekend is good) and start reading up and learning.  You'll also need some utilities that can help test the stability of your system.  Such utilities are Memtest86 (or Memtest86+ if you prefer), Prime95 (or StessPrime 2004 if you prefer), and Folding@Home (join usssssssssssssss).  Run those utilities each time you make a change.  Even one small change, such as 1MHz added to your FSB, can have an affect on your overall stability of your system.  Keep noting of your changes so that you can roll back to your previous (and stable) setting.

I'd explain more ... but then overclocking has already been widely documented in a variety of tech forums with users more experienced than me.

Very true to the above posts, thanks! If I was you, if your mobo can handle Overclocking, then do it. The single core should be good for BF2 and even most apps. Go Dual Core ONLY if you want to play BF2, burn and record a TV show and also leave mass number of copying folders lying on the background. An overclocked 3200+ should make your BF2 gaming experience a wonderful one. There, I answered ALL of your questions

Last edited by BlackLegion42 (2006-03-01 18:28:35)

MarkPuppets wrote:

Thanks guys for your input. It was an interesting read.  Only mistake I did was I didn't get A8N-SLI-DELUXE cuz I didn't find it. It support AMD-X2 But I have to live without it lol


Well, hope I can jump to BF2 soon

I just upgraded.....

Old System:
Intel 3.4 GHz P4 w/HT Technology LGA775
Asus P5P800
WD 80 GB SATA/150 Hard Drive
BFG GeForce 5500 OC 256mb
Sound Blaster Audigy2
2 Gig's Super Talent PC3200 Ram (4 x 512)
RaidMax 420 PSU
RealSync 19 in. CRT

New System:
AMD Athlon64 3700 w/1mb cache
Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe
Same HD
eVGA GeForce 7800 GTX KO (Just one for now)
Same sound card
Same Ram
X-Connect 550 Modular PSU
19 in. Samsung SyncMaster 940bf LCD
I tried to convince myself the bf stood for BattleField

I was hesitant also about switching to AMD but I have been reading
about it, like it's great for gaming which is what I do mostly. I decided
to go with the Asus motherboard because I eventually want to go SLI
and this board will give me 16x16 bandwidth instead of 8x8. And my
last 2 boards have been Asus and I've never had any problems in the
past with them.

Plus it supports all the way up to the AMD FX 60 which I hear is insanely fast.
But on the processor side of it I to thought that the AMD numbers meant that
it would be the equivalent of an Intel running at 3.7 GHz.
Just did all this on Saturday and it's been great. But I have been getting killed
more than usual because I'm to busy looking at all the eye candy. I mean the
difference from a GeForce 5500 OC the the GeForce 7800 GTX KO is just......

(Sorry I just creamed my pants )

so freaking amazing. I mean I was running everything on low. Now I'm running
everything on......................

(Sorry I just creamed my pants )

Ultra High. Phew I need a smoke.

Last edited by elmer1082 (2006-03-01 20:00:11)