Upgrade CPU question

[zippyjuan]

I am thinking about upgrading my CPU from an XP2400 Thoroughbred to a XP3000 Barton. I have the earlier version of the Asus A7N8X board which means that I cannot use a 400fsb chip so I am going with the 3000, not the 3200. Of course I will have to change the memory to the higher speed too- I thought for stability I would stay with the same brand I have now- Corsair XMS. Probably use PC 2700 since the early tests on the board showed it was more effecient if the frequencies match- also rather than paying for faster memory which I may or may not benefit much from. My question is proceedural- do you suggest that I replace everything at once and change the bios frequency on the reboot or do one thing at a time to see if it works and reboot between each item? This is my first computer and I built it myself a bit over a year ago. Thanks for your responces- you guys helped me get it together in the first place.

Looking at my manual, I can use DDR400 memory, but it will not support a 400mhz Front Side Bus. Do you think I would gain anything by using DDR400 memory? I intend to get a matched pair of low- latency as recommended. I have 512mb (2x256) and have not encountered a need for more than that yet so I will probably stay with that amount.

[bachviet]

Update the BIOS first if one is available before doin' anything else. Then change one thing at the time instead of change everything at once.

[Cantacuzene]

Dude. YOu are wasting money. You are buying a new cpu and ram and the speed increase will be negliable at best. Save your money and buy a A64 3000+. The performance gain will be much more worthwhile. Granted you will have to buy another mobo, but an extra $100 isn't too much considereding you will actually get a noticable performance difference, whereas your current upgrade path will get you next to nothing and cost like $300+.

[zippyjuan]

Cantacuzene- that is a not bad idea. I did not realize the pricing on the Athlon 64 was fairly reasonable. That chipset is about the same as what I paid for the 2400+. I thought they were still several hundred. This will also leave me open to more upgrade in the future since this is a new platform while the XP is at its end. Asus has always made excellent motherboards so I will start there. AMD recommends the KV8. I will have to research and find what will make a good, stable, effecient system. I looked quickly at NewEgg and they say in the description of the 3000+ that the front side bus is set by the processor- I was wondering what DDR would be best since it is usually most efficient to have the CPU and memory in sync. Does it adjust to whatever you use? Would lower latency matter like the NForce2 boards preferred? If that is the case, then it would be best to get faster DDR. I'll have to look up a few things. Thanks for the suggestion! Perhaps I will have more questions later. Other suggestions welcomed.

[Cantacuzene]

Get Corsair XMS LL Pro DDR400. That will serve you right.

[CynJon]

Get Corsair XMS LL Pro DDR400. That will serve you right.

:stupid:

I just upgraded to AMD64 3000+, Asus K8V deluxe, 1 GB Corsair XMS PC3200. I initially ran it with the factory HSF, temps were WAY lower than my XP1800+ that was slightly OC'd to XP2000+ speeds. The Q-Fan system which lets the motherboard control the CPU fan speed makes for a really quiet system. It is a little disconcerting at first, however, to look into the side window of the case and see the CPU fan not turning... :gle:

System is SUPER STABLE--I have had ZERO issues with it thus far. I converted to water cooling a few weeks ago, mainly to make my system almost totally silent. I haven't done any OC'ing of the CPU yet (no real reason to...:shrug:). Absolutely smoking fast, especially with a high-end video card.

[zippyjuan]

OK- I have been reading many reviews. The performance of the 64-3000 is almost identical to the 64-3200 in most benchmarks making it a better value- NewEgg has the 3000 for $223. So far, Via motherboards are more stable than the NVidia3 boards. Most tests got the best performance from DDR400 memory. The 64FX requires registered memory, but plain Athlon 64 will work with regular memory. Corsair was used in one test set-up. You cannot go wrong by using good memory. Another question was raised about the future- the 754 socket this one uses is slated to be replaced by another (socket 939) later this year which is supposed to be the standard for Athlon 64 going forward. It is supposed to support dual DDR (this one is single if I remembered right). I know if you wait for the latest you will never do anything because there is always something else new, but it does sound like I may want to wait a little longer. Also Windows is working on software to take advantage of 64 bit processing (Windows 64). Perhaps build an entire new computer then and include a newer video card (ATI should have a new one out too and the prices should drop again). Pentel will also have something and the NVidia 6800 video cards will be out, etc.

From CNet News:

"AMD is also preparing a new kind of package used to install a chip in a PC. The new package has 939 pins--compared with 754 pins in its current package--and a 128-bit, dual-channel memory controller.

"Higher clock speed, combined with the package and the memory controller--which increases memory bandwidth by adding a second channel--will grant Athlon 64 chips enough performance to jump to model numbers of 3800+ and above over time, sources familiar with AMD's plans suggested.

"Those updates should hold AMD over until it moves to 90-nanometer manufacturing process. The transition, expected later this year, will allow AMD to produce smaller, faster processors--a measure that will enable the company to boost overall output, while turning out desktop chips with higher model numbers and notebook chips that use less power. "