Hihi.
I'll start off by saying I don't want this to turn into some thread for biased fanbois of either Intel or AMD, and I know fairly well Intel's processors are considered better. There are just a few things I would like some facts about. Not even saying the answers will convince me one way or another about deciding about a processor for my build. Because I just want some info, really.
Most questions are about things I have heard from people, not read about it much.
1. Are all Bulldozer CPUs the exact same, but with different stock clocks/overclocks and number of cores? Because doesn't that mean the "best" thing would be to buy an FX-8120 (8 cores) and just overclock it to the same speed as an FX-4170 (4.2 GHz at stock if I recall correctly)? Yeah, needs some cooling of course, but how viable would it be? Am I missing something?
2. How much could I overclock a Bulldozer core? I know it differs from chip to chip, but.. The FX-4170 is clocked to 4.2 GHz at stock, and if the CPUs all have the same type of cores, does that mean it's close to the limit already? Or could you actually push it "much" higher with good success? And could I bring the 8 core models to that clock?
3. How "bad" is the heat and/or possible heat issues when overclocking? Not to start a flamewar or shitfeast, but people complained Ivy Bridge was hot, so how does Bulldozer compare to those? I'm thinking both overclocked and stock.
4. How severe is the high power requirements? Would I need 750W for an FX-8120, a single 670GTX graphics card and all other doodads, or would 650W be enough?
5. AMD motherboards seem to support 1866MHz RAMs. Is that what to go for when going AMD?
If I'm not clear enough, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.
I'll start off by saying I don't want this to turn into some thread for biased fanbois of either Intel or AMD, and I know fairly well Intel's processors are considered better. There are just a few things I would like some facts about. Not even saying the answers will convince me one way or another about deciding about a processor for my build. Because I just want some info, really.
Most questions are about things I have heard from people, not read about it much.
1. Are all Bulldozer CPUs the exact same, but with different stock clocks/overclocks and number of cores? Because doesn't that mean the "best" thing would be to buy an FX-8120 (8 cores) and just overclock it to the same speed as an FX-4170 (4.2 GHz at stock if I recall correctly)? Yeah, needs some cooling of course, but how viable would it be? Am I missing something?
2. How much could I overclock a Bulldozer core? I know it differs from chip to chip, but.. The FX-4170 is clocked to 4.2 GHz at stock, and if the CPUs all have the same type of cores, does that mean it's close to the limit already? Or could you actually push it "much" higher with good success? And could I bring the 8 core models to that clock?
3. How "bad" is the heat and/or possible heat issues when overclocking? Not to start a flamewar or shitfeast, but people complained Ivy Bridge was hot, so how does Bulldozer compare to those? I'm thinking both overclocked and stock.
4. How severe is the high power requirements? Would I need 750W for an FX-8120, a single 670GTX graphics card and all other doodads, or would 650W be enough?
5. AMD motherboards seem to support 1866MHz RAMs. Is that what to go for when going AMD?
If I'm not clear enough, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.
Where I am, the prices are pretty much the same (maybe 10-15% difference, and considering RAM prices right now..). I know I won't see a difference, but at least I'm not breaking anything. 