I have a socket 939 motherboard and am going to upgrade my cpu from athlon 64 3200.
Should i go for a AMD-FX or a dual core?
2007-06-18 07:55:50 · 16 answers · asked by Nathan C 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Desktops
Ok i am an IT tech and will be doing the upgrade myself, i have access to xp & vista 32bit and 64ish so that is not an issue. I also know that my motherboard will take any 939 cpu. JUST WANT TO KNOW HOW THE 2 CHIPS PERFORM.?
2007-06-18 08:06:46 · update #1
for shear power nathan i would go with the amd-fx
ive allways been a fan of the amd fx-series of processors and will probally get one as my next upgrade
strange coincedence i have the same amd athlon64 3200+ processor as you,and i can understand your reasons for wanting to upgrade,although the 3200+ is a good all round processor it struggles to keep up with the new breed of intel and amd dual core c.p.u,s
for a good budget motherboard the Asrock 939NF6G-VSTA Micro ATX (Socket 939) PCI-Express DDR Motherboard(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-020-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=811)is a wise investment,it has 4 dimm slots suppoting dual channel memory and a pci-express x 16 graphics slot...heres its full specs..........
Socket 939 for AMD Athlon™ 64FX / 64X2 / 64 processors
- NVIDIA® GeForce 6100 / nForce 430 or GeForce 6150SE / nForce 430 Chipsets
- Supports FSB 1000MHz (2.0GT/s) processor
- Integrated NVIDIA® GeForce6-class graphics DX9.0 VGA, Pixel Shader 3.0, Max. shared memory 256MB
- Supports Dual Channel DDR400 with 4 DIMM slots, maximum capacity up to 4GB
- Hybrid Booster - ASRock Safe Overclocking Technology
- Untied Overclocking : During Overclocking, FSB enjoys better margin due to fixed PCIE/ PCI Buses
- 1 x PCI Express x 16 slot
- 4 x Serial ATAII 3.0 Gb/s connectors, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, JBOD), NCQ, and "Hot Plug" functions
- 7.1 CH Windows® Vista™ Premium Level HD Audio (ALC888 Audio Codec)
- Windows® Vista™ Premium Logo Ready
- HD 8CH I/O: 4 ready-to-use USB ports, HD 7.1 channel audio jacks
for a good high end board the Asus A8N32-SLi Deluxe nForce4 SLi X16 (Socket 939) PCI-Express Motherboard(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-118-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=810)
this is a unique board in that most s.l.i compatible mobos use 8 x pxi-e while in sli mode,however this board uses the full x16 bandwidth on each card while in sli mode,giving you a whopping x32 bandwidth,4 times the bandwidth of a a.g.p card
this board is also designed towards water cooling with a Optional FAN for Water-cooling and Fanless Design - Heat Pipe & Stack Cool 2
hers its full specs.........
AMD Socket 939 Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64/Sempron
- True Dual X16 SLI
- 8 Phase Power Design
- Fanless Design - Heat Pipe & Stack Cool 2
- Optional FAN for Water-cooling
- 64-bit CPU support
- External Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s port
note:some motherboards require a bios flash(update) when using a dual core processor,check with manufacturer for bios updates
one advantage over the old athlon64 processors and the new dual core chips are the voltages,the newer dual core processors only require around 60v were as the older athlon64 processors use around 70 to 80v,this means better system stability and much better overclocking potential,ive got a mate who managed to overclock his core 2 duo processor from 1.8ghz to 3.2ghz with hardly any problems,and he reckons he could of gone further!
go for the amd-fx though,you only have to look at these reviews....http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?ReviewID=253 and http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?ReviewID=402
i hope this has helped nathan
good luck mate!
2007-06-18 08:44:19 · answer #1 · answered by brianthesnail123 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Mines and Intel but I really appreciate the dual cores in my 1.86Ghz Core 2 Duo. It means that I can convert video between formats and still use my computer for surfing/msn/watching DVDs etc without any performance issues because the video encoder can put its data through one core while the other handles everything else.
Plus in the future there will be programmes and games that can use multiple cores at once (like the PS3 does).
The best thing I can recommend is to try to find reviews for the processors and discuss with ppl on computing forums - thats what I did.
Oh yeah - make sure your motherboard can handle the processor you install. As long as it can cope with the speed of the FSB etc its easy to install a new processor.
Also, for future proofing you might want to choose a 64 Bit processor but there are very few items of software that can use the features and you can only take advantage of them if you get a 64 bit version of Windows. Keeping away from 64 bit should give you no disadvantages in the next few years unless you specifically need it and is a way to keep the price down.
2007-06-18 08:03:48 · answer #2 · answered by Lino 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, you only have a few options for dual core for socket 939. Go for maybe a dual-core X2 processor... you can actually upgrade for pretty cheap.
But, are you sure you *need* to upgrade? At 3200, that's still a good processor. How is your RAM looking? Upgrade to 2 GIG before you jump your processor.
>>> And to respond to Steve... what the heck are you talking about? Dual core OS? C'mon... you don't need to match your OS to your processor (for either dual-core OR 64-bit). Just b/c they offer them doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have it. XP and Vista both take use of multiple cores!
2007-06-18 07:59:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Seems most people overlooked the fact that all FX series still aviable ARE dual-core...
For socket 939, there are no FX chips aviable anymore, you would have to get an X2, or an opteron (or stick with the single core Athlons).
I didn't address performance because your question is invalad basically, you can't get an FX processor anymore, and all FX processors above FX-57 (I believe) are dual-core.
2007-06-18 09:46:53 · answer #4 · answered by William E. Roberts 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends on your operating system, upgrading to a dual-core without a dual core OS won't be worth the money. Upgrading to a 64-bit cpu without a 64-bit OS also is a waste of money.
2007-06-18 07:59:00 · answer #5 · answered by Steve C 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Intel dual core are definitely speeder than AMD but AMD is not slow at all and a little bite cheaper I heard that AMD are best in games but I not sure
2007-06-18 08:03:31 · answer #6 · answered by Highlander 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Get a new computer.If you should decide to get a new CPU have it done by the tech at the computer store and insist on getting the old CPU back.Ask the tech before to show you the advantages of getting the new CPU and have him show you the difference after the new CPU is installed.In no case should you try to install a CPU yourself.Even friends,beer on a Friday wouldn't do it.This is deep engineering tech you might even have to install special software.
2007-06-18 08:02:01 · answer #7 · answered by Balthor 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i think of it doesnt rely a lot in case you will purchase for interest. any cpu such as you have stated amd fx 4300, Amd FX 6300, or intel i3 3220 could do the element. yet once you like my opinion you will desire to purchase center i5 this is nice in cost. maximum needed is the GPU you will desire to be conscious that have greater image.
2016-09-28 01:06:05 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't bother upgrading but a 5200+ is pretty good a a lit over £100 if you shop around
2007-06-18 07:59:19 · answer #9 · answered by nurgle69 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Dump the mobo and get a Pentium E6400, great when overclocked to 3.0ghz
2007-06-18 07:58:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋