hassenfeld
asked on
upgrade - cpu/mb amd?
my current sys is as follows:
1 ghz chip, intel mb
512 ram,
cd/r (w?), dvd rom
2x 60 gig hd
video card etc
windows me.(because of legacy software)
running slow as heck. even though just reloaded win me (peob not the problem) also loaded spybot, adaware and trend internet security package.
so i looked ay buying a new dell... quite expensive.
read that the new amd 64 bit chip is pretty good. and of course will work with next windows release in 2006?.
q1....rather than buying whole new system, what about replacing the mb/cpu? can always add new dvd +/- r later on to this system.
q2....thought about the new amd 64 bit 3200 or 3400? why does the spec say 2.2 ghz op frequency? is not the same as the spped like a 3.2 ghz (ie just a few steps below the fastest 3.6 i know of/)
q3...need reccomendations for mb trype of ram and chip. will pay alittle more for a step or 2 below latest to get a deal and not pay too much. ie i saw 3400 at +$60 to 3200...acceptable. site other than new egg or ??
was thinking of atleast 1 and prob 2 gig ram..... most boards have 3 slots and have only seen 512 chips. start at 1 gig? or 1.5 gig?
will the amd handle ddr2 ? i saw this on dell site as better than ddr? i am clueless here.
q 4 what about trying the xp 64 bit version... is this not a good idea ..is it reasonably stable yet?...will it work with my other apps? at 32
thanks
1 ghz chip, intel mb
512 ram,
cd/r (w?), dvd rom
2x 60 gig hd
video card etc
windows me.(because of legacy software)
running slow as heck. even though just reloaded win me (peob not the problem) also loaded spybot, adaware and trend internet security package.
so i looked ay buying a new dell... quite expensive.
read that the new amd 64 bit chip is pretty good. and of course will work with next windows release in 2006?.
q1....rather than buying whole new system, what about replacing the mb/cpu? can always add new dvd +/- r later on to this system.
q2....thought about the new amd 64 bit 3200 or 3400? why does the spec say 2.2 ghz op frequency? is not the same as the spped like a 3.2 ghz (ie just a few steps below the fastest 3.6 i know of/)
q3...need reccomendations for mb trype of ram and chip. will pay alittle more for a step or 2 below latest to get a deal and not pay too much. ie i saw 3400 at +$60 to 3200...acceptable. site other than new egg or ??
was thinking of atleast 1 and prob 2 gig ram..... most boards have 3 slots and have only seen 512 chips. start at 1 gig? or 1.5 gig?
will the amd handle ddr2 ? i saw this on dell site as better than ddr? i am clueless here.
q 4 what about trying the xp 64 bit version... is this not a good idea ..is it reasonably stable yet?...will it work with my other apps? at 32
thanks
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//notice the 2.2 op frequency, i am hopefull thatthis is not refering to the speed as i am expecting the 3400 to be as you said close to the intel 3.4 ghz.
Yes, it should run as fast or faster. Rating a processor by ghz is not a good measure of speed. The only reason intel continues to use it is because most people do not understand that.
//i did find that i believe my virus rogram seems to slow my internet searches and aol down (and probably other programs i am running) I use trend internet security. did not really //notice this before. I uninstalled it and reloaded it to my root c drive, still slows down on the 'real time scan' for my protection i am sure.
//any suggestions? i also have norton i can use, and a friend tle me about another called avg?http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
It should be barely noticeable. Trend micro as well as other antivirus software often have issues with other software on a pc causing issues such as slow down. I would recommend norton for you. I have had little trouble with it in the past. I have no experience with avg.
//a friend told me that her sons school computer guru said this was good and got some viruses that others missed
Your friend is correct. Use norton antivirus in conjunction with a program such as pestpatrol.
//why i loaded me was it had more drivers for my components that 98se. when iloaded 98se, i could not figure out how to clear the unknown hardware conflicts and no details were //given as to the cause so i could look for drivers. i would even consider win 2000 if i thought it was faster than 98 se.
winme is considered by many to be the worse operating system microsoft has ever released. very unstable. 2000 is not slow and is much more stable but if you are concerned about legacy software and older games than it is certainly not the os for you. you can find many drivers at driverguide.com
//if the amd 3400 is the chip to get (just as good as intel and cheaper) then i need a suggestion for a good mobo. i am willing to spend the $ on good now.
Get the 3200 its a whole 200mhz slower than the 3400 You wont even notice the difference. And it looks to me to be a lot cheaper. Either way here is a motherboard I would recommend. Asus K8V Deluxe VIA Socket 754 ATX Motherboard //about $130
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket754/k8v-d/overview.HTM
//lastly, any issues with matching new chip/mobo/memory with all the other components i already have? the display card is rage fury pro/xpert 2000 pro
no issues, but if you are looking to upgrade don't forget your video card if you play games or do 3d/or video editing. i would recomend: VisionTek Xtasy 9600 //about $150
http://www.visiontek.com/9600.html For audio, you could just go with the built on audio on the motherboard.
//ps ialso have adaware and spybot installed, do these slow the works at all?
not enough to matter any :D
Hope this helps!
Yes, it should run as fast or faster. Rating a processor by ghz is not a good measure of speed. The only reason intel continues to use it is because most people do not understand that.
//i did find that i believe my virus rogram seems to slow my internet searches and aol down (and probably other programs i am running) I use trend internet security. did not really //notice this before. I uninstalled it and reloaded it to my root c drive, still slows down on the 'real time scan' for my protection i am sure.
//any suggestions? i also have norton i can use, and a friend tle me about another called avg?http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
It should be barely noticeable. Trend micro as well as other antivirus software often have issues with other software on a pc causing issues such as slow down. I would recommend norton for you. I have had little trouble with it in the past. I have no experience with avg.
//a friend told me that her sons school computer guru said this was good and got some viruses that others missed
Your friend is correct. Use norton antivirus in conjunction with a program such as pestpatrol.
//why i loaded me was it had more drivers for my components that 98se. when iloaded 98se, i could not figure out how to clear the unknown hardware conflicts and no details were //given as to the cause so i could look for drivers. i would even consider win 2000 if i thought it was faster than 98 se.
winme is considered by many to be the worse operating system microsoft has ever released. very unstable. 2000 is not slow and is much more stable but if you are concerned about legacy software and older games than it is certainly not the os for you. you can find many drivers at driverguide.com
//if the amd 3400 is the chip to get (just as good as intel and cheaper) then i need a suggestion for a good mobo. i am willing to spend the $ on good now.
Get the 3200 its a whole 200mhz slower than the 3400 You wont even notice the difference. And it looks to me to be a lot cheaper. Either way here is a motherboard I would recommend. Asus K8V Deluxe VIA Socket 754 ATX Motherboard //about $130
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket754/k8v-d/overview.HTM
//lastly, any issues with matching new chip/mobo/memory with all the other components i already have? the display card is rage fury pro/xpert 2000 pro
no issues, but if you are looking to upgrade don't forget your video card if you play games or do 3d/or video editing. i would recomend: VisionTek Xtasy 9600 //about $150
http://www.visiontek.com/9600.html For audio, you could just go with the built on audio on the motherboard.
//ps ialso have adaware and spybot installed, do these slow the works at all?
not enough to matter any :D
Hope this helps!
Grisoft AV is ok in my experience, but a bit of a horrible interface. Norton AV is my preference, but I **hate** the Norton firewall. ZoneAlarm is better, and free, just slightly annoying with the pop up boxes while it "learns" what apps are allowed to access the internet.
Spybot is fine, no appreciable speed drop while using it (especially compared to all the spyware you'll get if you don't!!!)
Be careful when you replace your main board, as your PSU will probably not support a modern one (as it is running a 1ghz at the moment) - the power connectors will be a different format, and the case slots will be different.
So, if you're changing the board, ram and cpu, and probably the case as well (to get an better psu), there's not much left. I'd keep the old system as it was as a spare (perhaps remove the hard and optical disks, and put some basic ones back), and build a brand new pc. I also like the idea of a 64bit cpu, seems to offer some decent futureproofing, but that's just me.
Belarc can give us some full info over your system as to advise what will work, if you do want to stick with the upgrade:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
Everest is good too:
http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en&pageid=3
Spybot is fine, no appreciable speed drop while using it (especially compared to all the spyware you'll get if you don't!!!)
Be careful when you replace your main board, as your PSU will probably not support a modern one (as it is running a 1ghz at the moment) - the power connectors will be a different format, and the case slots will be different.
So, if you're changing the board, ram and cpu, and probably the case as well (to get an better psu), there's not much left. I'd keep the old system as it was as a spare (perhaps remove the hard and optical disks, and put some basic ones back), and build a brand new pc. I also like the idea of a 64bit cpu, seems to offer some decent futureproofing, but that's just me.
Belarc can give us some full info over your system as to advise what will work, if you do want to stick with the upgrade:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
Everest is good too:
http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en&pageid=3
lol, I hate norton firewall as well. ZoneAlarm is definitly the way to go as far as firewall goes. Yeah, powersupply needs to be replaced as well, and case most likely. I would still recommend a n upgrade though. He can transfer the hard disks/optical disks, floppy, keyboard, nic/modem, mouse, sound system, monitor, and save himself a decent amount of money. Also he could stay with the same video card and just upgrade that later if he feels the need. Making it a fairly cheap upgrade compared to buying a whole new computer system. He could still keep the other as a spare. would just have to put some components back in if it evercame down to that.
If you go with an Athlon 3200+ or 3400+, get an nForce2-based chipset motherboard, because they seem to outperform others. A good one would be an Asus A7N8X-E or Abit AN7. As already mentioned, your RAM needs to be replaced by PC3200 (DDR400) and your power supply also. A good power supply will keep your system going for a long time in the future and allow you to upgrade without wondering about sufficient power. I recommend Enermax, Antec TruePower, Zalman, PC Power and Cooling or Thermaltake brands.
don't forget a new motherboard will not support AGP 1.0 cards(1&2X agp speed) but only 2.0(4X) and 3.0(8X)
so mostly for an upgrade you will need
CPU (that incl. heatsink and fan)
MOBO
RAM
PSU with a decent 12 volt line and the extra 4 pin atx12
(GFX)
So there is not much left other than the drives and the case
so mostly for an upgrade you will need
CPU (that incl. heatsink and fan)
MOBO
RAM
PSU with a decent 12 volt line and the extra 4 pin atx12
(GFX)
So there is not much left other than the drives and the case
Usually what i would do when shopping for parts is:
Shop Ebay, BUt,,,, Make sure you shop with someone in your area that way alot times you wont be cheated
If your computer is slow , ill tell you, it is probably because on winME!!!!!
MAn i hate ME memeory holes and stuff , lock ups-----personallyt i would do what gmailrules said
and go either back to 98se or go forward to 2000 or xp.
I m certain you will get a better response
Shop Ebay, BUt,,,, Make sure you shop with someone in your area that way alot times you wont be cheated
If your computer is slow , ill tell you, it is probably because on winME!!!!!
MAn i hate ME memeory holes and stuff , lock ups-----personallyt i would do what gmailrules said
and go either back to 98se or go forward to 2000 or xp.
I m certain you will get a better response
ASKER
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 1MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processor - Retail
Model# ADA3400BOX
Item # N82E16819103426
Specifications:
Model: AMD Athlon 64 3400+
Core: ClawHammer
Operating Frequency: 2.2GHz
FSB: Integrated into chip
Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/1MB
Voltage: 1.5V
Process: 0.13Micron
Socket: Socket 754
Multimedia Instruction: MMX, SSE, SSE2, 3DNOW!, 3DNOW!+
Packaging: Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included)
notice the 2.2 op frequency, i am hopefull thatthis is not refering to the speed as i am expecting the 3400 to be as you said close to the intel 3.4 ghz.
i did find that i believe my virus rogram seems to slow my internet searches and aol down (and probably other programs i am running) I use trend internet security. did not really notice this before. I uninstalled it and reloaded it to my root c drive, still slows down on the 'real time scan' for my protection i am sure.
any suggestions? i also have norton i can use, and a friend tle me about another called avg?http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
a friend told me that her sons school computer guru said this was good and got some viruses that others missed...
why i loaded me was it had more drivers for my components that 98se. when iloaded 98se, i could not figure out how to clear the unknown hardware conflicts and no details were given as to the cause so i could look for drivers. i would even consider win 2000 if i thought it was faster than 98 se.
I will deal with the legacy programs with a dual boot of win 98se.
if the amd 3400 is the chip to get (just as good as intel and cheaper) then i need a suggestion for a good mobo. i am willing to spend the $ on good now.
lastly, any issues with matching new chip/mobo/memory with all the other components i already have? the display card is rage fury pro/xpert 2000 pro.
i do want a pretty fast system that does not slow for loading etc, and mabey the virus software will keep me happy if fixed.
ps ialso have adaware and spybot installed, do these slow the works at all?
thanks john