Opteron isn’t a processor for only servers and workstations any more. Even if these systems still are the primary market AMD you can use the Socket 939-models in a regular desktop system. At Anandtech they’ve taken a closer look at the new dual core model of Opteron and specifically the low end Opteron 165. This model works at a frequency of 1.8GHz which is 200MHz lower than the desktop version Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2.0GHz). But Opteron 165 has a L2 cache at 1MB which can be compared to the 512KB with X2 3800+.
What makes Opteron 165 really interesting for enthusiasts and overclockers is first of all that it has a very good overclocking potential, while at the same time it is acutally cheaper than X2 3800+ in many American online stores.
The price difference isn’t huge in any way, but you can still save a few tens of dollars and the performance in the end, if you decide to overclock, is very impressive. Speaking of overclocking we have a dual core overclocking article coming up here at NH soon!
Source: Anandtech
