Better Cooler?



Perhaps, XP-90 with a high RPM 92mm fan will do the trick.



The infamous XP-90 mounted with 92mm Xpider fan from Chenbro case lowered the CPU temp by 2°C. However, this minor victory could be mistaken as I stopped 2X TOAST when PWMIC temp reached 66°C.


Dual or Single core ?

Dual or single core - after using the dual core only for a couple of days other than tweaking, I could definitely give it a thumb up when I could run MRP (Materials Requirement Planning), DSDRP (Distribution Requirements Planning) and Demand Solutions (Demand Sales Forecast) while I am preparing for my PP presentation and other office apps; talking to my friends on Skype and browsing the internet; burning a DVD and play a game ...... etc. However, it does not do any faster than my single core Venice at 2.7G at a given single task.

Running single thread in SuperPI or 3DMarks don’t generate much heat and could be done at low vcore and high HTT (scenarios I have read in other forums on Dual Core Opteron overclocking results), the real test is running two high computational intensive programs in achieving the most stable result. At 2.6G, SuperPI scores the same as a 2.7G Venice; it shows no apparent gain in FPS in games; it does help in productivity should your time spend on your PC is limited. Dual core may well be DSL or Cable connections to some when you do you’re banking on line using phone modem while your better half is eager to place that bid on EBay at the same time.

While the X2 3800+ costs the same as the Opteron 165 with the extra cache size, the buzz continues in the enthusiast’s world. Although mine doesn't do 2.6Ghz at default vcore and I doubt it will do 2.7Ghz without some major cooling investment, I am more than happy that it runs on 2.4 or 2.5Ghz at such a low temp using the beefed up 4-heatpipe AMD stock HSF during the dog days afternoon; 2.6Ghz will be used in winter months with a big smile on my face as if I owe a FX60.

On the last note: Dual Core MS Hotfix , I did install it and I will leave for you to decide/judge.

Quick Summary

Don't think the successful single core BIOS setup will work in Dual core.

Try using memory divider.

Use AMD Dual Core Driver.

Try the MS Hotfix.

Please share with us your X2 or Opteron Dual Core experience at our forum.