Not sure if this should be in the tech support, but as its not an issue now i'll ask for advice here. I'm planning on getting a new PCI-Express motherboard to go with a GFX card thats been sat around at home (my current MB is AGP). I'm also going to take the chance to upgrade my CPU at the same time. The issue being is that i'd like to use the RAM i have currently in my new setup and was getting confused by DDR and DDR2 boards. The processor i was after was the Pentium 4 805 (Duel core 2.66HGzz). My current RAM is 2x 1GB DDR PC3200 (99% sure thats what it is). Basically, is it possible to buy a motherboard that will take the new processor, new GFX card while keeping my older bits the same?
As far as I know, there are no LGA775 motherboards that support both the Pentium D and DDR RAM; theyre essentially all DDR2. As such, youre probably going to have to go with an Athlon 64 on socket 939 to keep your old RAM. Also, component advice belongs in Hardware and Overclocking, just for future reference
Cool, thanks for the swift response. In regards to the AMD, i've never had an AMD before having always used Pentiums. So here come a couple of questions. Whats the difference between a Venice core and a San Diago core? I hear AMDs are better than P4s in terms of gaming, how much better (if any) would the say an AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice be than my current P4 3.4? my PC is mainly used for playing WoW, listening to music, surfing the web (normally all at the same time ^^) How much hotter/cooler do AMDs in general run? Can I get away with a less noisy fan and/or the option to overclock it if needed for performance? (btw, currently using an aftermarket air cooler, but will be hoping to change it to something less noisy when i upgrade) Would other componants (such as PSU, etc) be a consideration aswell as making sure the RAM is compatible? Thanks in advance for all my questions
I cant give you a firm performance number, but I would say by a few good percentage points. The difference between Venice and San Diego is the L2 cache quantity; Venice has 512KB of L2, and San Diego has 1MB. However, it doesnt make too much of a difference due to the nature of the Athlon 64's architecture. The tempreature can be between 10 to 20 degrees cooler than a Pentium 4, or more; the stock cooler is enough to keep an Athlon 64 cool and quiet. Your PSU is more than likely completely compatible. Also, no problem answering your questions; its what we're here for.
The San Diego core has 1 megabyte of L2 cache, while the Venice has half that. However, the performance different isn't as large as you'd expect - San Diego isn't really worth buying over Venice. You'll find that it will offer equal, if not better performance for multitasking. Generally, P4s are regarded as superior when it comes to this aspect of performance but it's not really a big bonus - they perform very similarly in this regard. AMDs run much cooler than Intel's NetBurst-class chips (that's the P4/Xeon) and so you will be able to overclock it quite well with a fairly quiet solution. It's worth looking into the Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Pro or perhaps the Thermaltake Big Typhoon. If your power supply can run a Pentium 4 3.4GHz, it won't have a problem with an AMD processor and new motherboard. If you intend to add in a faster, more power hungry graphics card, however, then it might be worth investing in a better unit. The RAM will be fine for a Socket 939 AMD system, as they will all take standard DDR400 RAM.
Again, thanks for the quick responses and help. So to sum up what i've learnt, by going with a Athlon 64 3500+ and a motherboard along these lines, I could use my current RAM (and from what i see benefit from using it in Duel channel over what i have at the moment), New GFX card (X800 256mb replacing my old 9600 256mb) and other current bits and notice a cooler, quieter PC with a slight increase in overall performance in WoW. Of course if anybody can suggest a better Motherboard in the same price range as the one above then that'd be much appreciated I might even splash out on something like a Thermalright XP-120 to keep the new chip cool! Thanks again!
And would the Abit KN8 nForce4 (Socket 939) allow me to try some overclocking? Is it any good for that?
I got told this was not true the other day: Try (******) VIA boards or the p5p800se. It's i865 based and takes LGA and DC chips with a BIOS update. This was news to me a couple of days ago as well.
Yeah, they actually do. Think there's an SiS board that does too. Still, the AMD64 route is the better one, especially considering the scarcity of those boards...
Hmmmm, its all pretty confusing with the Intel Duel Cores. Also i was wondering with all the talk about going duel core, if it'd be worth while spending abit more and getting a Athlon 64 X2 3800+ over the Athlon 64 3500+? They both say socket 939 so im presuming both would be compatable with an Abit KN8 nForce4 and my current DDR ram? From what i can see the singlecore 3500+ would be a better performer in terms of gaming (and a nice increase over my P4 3.4) yet the duel core would be a better multitasker and only a very slight increase in terms of gaming over my current CPU :S yet cost £60+ than the single core Athlon 64. I know you're always getting asked the "best" processor but with my limited budget i've got to question if 2 cores are really worth the lesser performance in games and the extra cost.
Intel Dual cores will be awesome... when they come out, but you will need to buy a new mobo and DDR2 RAM. The beauty about AMD is that you can go single/dual core today or in a year and all you do change is the chip. Personally I would go with the 3500+ and pocket the money. The most increase on WoW/games will come from the video card, but *I* wouldn't spend too much money either, at least until the deal with DirectX10/Windows Vista is sorted out. But in your case the card was free This time next year your upgrade options will be Dual CPU, more RAM, and/or New Video Card.
