Upgrade Q & A

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

Here is the question. What motherboard and processor would a fella need to upgrade to so he would not have to upgrade it for a while?

I have an amd athlon xp 2400 with an albatron mb atm. I have recently purchased a 6600gt agp so I would need to stay with the agp board if feasible. I am also running 3200 ram. As far as preferences with processors I really don't care, but have had pretty good luck with amd. Is this going to limit me with the available mb and processors that are on the market? If so, I would rather upgrade even further so as not to have to do it again for a while.

I am then going to take all the stuff that I have upgraded from and build a computer for my kids. So I can kick their butts in some cs. (for a short time) lol

Any and all ideas will be taken into consideration and will be greatly appreciated.

Drifter

[|Team Moped| Kripto]

Intel is completely changing their line up right now, AMD is keeping up.... it's hard to know when to jump on train. I'm an AMD person and with the new 64 bit version of windows coming out I would be tempted to go that way. It's expensive though. I would at least make sure that your board has PCI express slots, so that you can get newer video cards.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/04/content_2648880.htm

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

How long do you expect to keep the new computer before upgrading again?

My personal theory is to get midgrade stuff and upgrade every 2 years or so. To me it seems the most cost effective theory, especially with a family to support also.

Oh yeah, and what's your general budget?

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

A couple of years would be great. So what would you go with?
I have no previous experience with upgrading the mb and cpu.

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

I'll do a little research on it but in the past I think an AMD 3400 Socket 754 was the sweet spot for price performance.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-484&depa=1

Mobo I'm an Asus guy but their are a couple good companies out there

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-512&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-498&depa=1

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

Drifter, some choices:
the easiest upgrade path for you:
Buy a NF4 board with AGP socket939 w/AMD64 socket939 90nm core. (the 3500+ is a pretty good choice right now) That is all you would need. you can use your current Vid card, Ram, and everything else.
Also, towards the end of this year, AMD and Intel will both be comming out with Dual-Core CPU's. Everything will move into that direction. the AMD Dual Core cpu's will work on hte current socket939 mother boards. meaning you can easily upgrade later on. Intell will require you to purchase a new motherboard due to Pin layout on the new CPU's.

However, if one of your main goals for this upgrade is to get your kids a PC out of the deal...unless you have other spare parts laying around, you might as well give them yours and you build a complete new one for yourself. I can help you pick out all the stuff you would need if you end up going that route.

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

Chuck, you don't want to get a socket 754 cause it's dead. AMD no longer makes any CPU's for it. sure they have good prices now on those sockets (cpu's and motherboards) but that's because they are slowly trying to clear stock. You won't be able to upgrade it past anything that is out today.

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

CO I basicly have everything else other than memory and a case ( I have a 350w ps, hd, vid card,moniter, cd-rom, and such) to build the computer with after upgrading my mb and cpu. I figured that I would just upgade the 2x256 chips to a 512 (as I already have 1x512 in there) and use them in the kids setup. I don't have to have any thing super powerful for the kids right now and the 2400 should last them for a while. So going with just the mb and cpu would be the way to go I think.

Could you give me a link to the exact cpu and mb that you are talking about cause it's like trying to read greek with all the different specs on them and I am not sure exactly what I need to make sure comes on it to make sure I am getting the best one.

Thx

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

here are the AMD64 socket 939 CPU's
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=0
and here are the ones that are 90nm (there are others, I guess newegg isn't carrying them all right now)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=0

here ar a few NF4 socket939 boards with AGP (there are a bunch more NF4 boards that have PCI-E)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&DEPA=0
the Abit board is pretty nice.

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

CO I am getting a page on newwegg that says site navigation error. Are you linking under your account or something? Or is it just me?

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

wierd.
just go to shop by catagory - processors, on the side bar, select socket 939 (under the Interface drop down). if you want to see only the 90nm ones, you can also select 90nm (under Micron drop down)

for motherboards, select the nforce4 under chipset. (the ultra's are pci-e)

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

ok co i found a retail 3500+ but it is 0.13m not 90nm

What is the difference here and what is better?

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

I said I'd have to do a little research first, give a brotha a break Berk!

I didn't know that the dual cores were gonna be 939, haven't been keeping up on all the computer news for a while. I figured it would be a whole new socket set for dual core. I was going fer cheaper, and the 3400 does find a nice little niche. But if you want to maybe keep your mobo and just upgrade processor later it makes sense to follow what Berk said. I figure so much new stuff is coming out each year or two that I'm going to buy mobo, processor, ram everytime I upgrade. New chipsets, hopefully new 300Mb SATA coming, new video cards, I just upgrade da whole thingy every two years or so.

/chuck bows to the berk man

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Oh yeah...

Do it.


DO IT!

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Here's the link to the 90nm 3500, it's out of stock right now though...

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-498&depa=0

There are different cores, Berk can explain it better. You are looking for Winchester cores, 90nm. The .13 Micron is the Newcastle core.

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

thx exile, It seems that both mb and processor are out of stock atm on newegg. Still not sure about the nforce4 that berk was talkin about that has agp either. all i could find with agp on newegg were nforce 3. I will keep looking but there are just to many choices from one day to the next to know what to go with!!!!

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

Preach on brother! as soon as I make up my mind on something....another version pops up.

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Hey bro I found a mobo with PCI-E and AGP slot by Biostar and it's an Nforce4 Ultra chipset. Da link....

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-138-249&depa=1

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

You know what's weird? I can't find a 3500+ 90nm Retail chip on newegg at all anymore, only the OEM.

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Even weirdierer. The 3200+ Newcastle core runs at 2.2GHz, so does the 3500+ Winchester. Berk care to enlighten me?

[LA_MERC_Drifter]

Oh well isn't that the way it always happens. I bought an Abit AV8 mb last week and a 3500+ 90nm. Got it up and runnin all ready. In fact thats what I was playing on Friday night. Thx for looking.

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

That's the way my life usually happens too. I wasn't sure if you had bought anything yet so I posted it.