AMD Phenom II X2550 VS AMD 550 BE

[Frosty21]

OK so I've purchased a so called AMD Phenom II 550 BE and i've been wandering if a similar chip exists but without the Black Edition extention to it. If so, what are the main differences? I've been surfing the internet to find out but both chips seem to have equivalent specs. Am i mising something?
My main concern comes from the fact that my newly bought processor was supposed to to be a Black Edition, but when i run DXDIAG the BE extension is nowhere to be seen.
So if someone can feed me some information about the differences in the 2 processors, I'd be very grateful.

 

[dustin_ds3000]

I don't think software will pick up the Black Edition extension. Black Edition just means it has an unlocked multiplier

 

[Frosty21]

thank you for the rapid reply.

well here's the situation: I bought a bundle which came with an AMD 550 BE and had to send the whole bundle back due to faulty RAM. And i remember very well DXDIAG outputting BE and the end of the processor name. So i think software does pick up on it.

If you don't mind what are the benefits of the unlocked multipier? I don't want have the Non BE version if i'm gonna miss out on something.

 

[Ritwik7]

An unlocked multiplier makes it extremely easy to overclock the processor by simply increasing the value of the multiplier instead of having to manipulate FSB through the BIOS.

And i remember very well DXDIAG outputting BE and the end of the processor name. So i think software does pick up on it.

I have the AMD X3 720 BE and DXDIAG does not show it. I'm using Win 7 64Bit. What OS are you on?

You may also download the AMD Overdrive utility to check whether your multiplier is unlocked.

 

[Frosty21]

thanks again,

I am on windows xp, and the new processor they sent me doesn't have the BE suffix in DXDIAG like it before.

I will be downloading the AMD overdrive utility to check if it has an unlocked mulitplier. what exactly must i look for?

 

[Ritwik7]

In the "Performance" tab check if you are able to change your multiplier.

 

[Frosty21]

I installed AMD overdrive, and went to the 'performance control' TAB. Then i increased the CPU multiplier from 15.5 X to 16.0 X. So basically the CPU multiplier is unlocked???

EDIT: The CPU core clock also increased from 3100.Mhz to 3200.Mhz. Is this phenomenon known as overclocking?
thanks again.

 

[Ritwik7]

Yes, it's unlocked and you did overclock your CPU. However, overclocking must be done with a few preliminaries in mind. As you increase your CPU frequency you must also raise your COU voltage by small amounts. Temperatures must be kept under control. It is recommended to use an aftermarket heatsink for the processor.

Having said that, the PII X2 550 BE is a gem of an overclocker. Should hit about 4GHz on decent air cooling.

 

[Frosty21]

Thanks alot sir, I will keep your advice at heart.
I don't plan on overclocking any time soon but it's nice to know how it's done and what measures to take.
By COU voultage do you mean VCORE?

 

[Ritwik7]

By COU voultage do you mean VCORE?

Oops! My bad. CPU Voltage. CPU VID in the Performance Control tab.

 

[Frosty21]

OK thanks again. I apologise to you and dustin, about my previous comment. It's only when you unlock the other 2 cores on the 550 that you get 'B50' attached to your CPU name in CPU ID and DXDIAG.
I successfully unlocked the two other cores, everything is stable and temps are at about 32 C.

 

[Ritwik7]

That's fantastic!