Upgrading the processor.

[SmokyDesperado]

Hi there, i have just recently decided i was gonna upgrade my processor because my old sempron keeps randomnly locking/freezing up for a short while. So heres the spec of my comp;
http://img177.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cpuhm5.jpg


The two processors i've been looking at are;

the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego (Socket 939) - OEM Price £19.96


AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3600+ (Socket 939) - OEM Price £35.24

Heres a link to the site http://www.overclockers.co.uk/produc...id=701&catid=6

i'm am not sure if the Dual Core is supported by my motherboard and if it is which CPU is better in overall performance. Also will my my bios need updating, the AMD Athlon 64 3700+SD has two different bios update and i dont know which one is the right one. I cant find any bios update for the Dual Core or the fact that it may not be supported by the motherboard. Heres the link to the motherboard page http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.as...8%20Combo-Z&s= and Thanks for Help

[Generator]

your socket is a 754, so those cpu,s you stated will be no good. your board can take a amd athlon 64 cpu , (BUT NOT X2), 754 sockets are getting rare now, check ebay as they have them. look for a amd athlon 64 754 socket i guess your board can take a 3400+ i think they only went up to 3700 on 754 socket, then they changed to 939 sockets. but a Amd Athlon 64 3700 will be much faster than what you have. if you want to got 64 bit x2 ( dual core) your ned a new motherboard. and latest ones are am2 for the x2 am2 64 cpu,s.

[SmokyDesperado]

but my motherboard has a 939 socket for upgrading wouldn't the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego be compatible?

[Generator]

oh your have a combo board. has it a pci cpu board, or is it all in one. ? yeah you can upgrade to a Athlon 64 3700+ cpu no problem . it will be better than the 754 sempron cpu you have, alot faster. is this your board heres a link http://www.ocworkbench.com/2004/asro...e-760gx/g1.htm

[SmokyDesperado]

No its not that board. i think thats the upgraded board from what i've got. Mine is just the K8 Combo-Z heres the link http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.as...8%20Combo-Z&s=

The Athlon 64 3700+ is in the cpu support list but there are two different bios updates

Socket Family Model Core Frequency FSB Cache Rev. Since BIOS
939 Athlon 64 3700+ 2200 1000MHz 1MB E P2.50
939 Athlon 64 3700+ 2200 1000MHz 1MB CG P1.80

My current BIOS version is P1.30, would i even need to do a BIOS update?

[Generator]

ok i have your motherboard details.

[Generator]

ok i got your link on your motherboard, OK, YOUR BOARD CAN TAKE A AMD X2 64 CPU DUAL CORE PROCESSOR YOUR NEED BIOS 2.30 FOR SUPPORT ON THAT CPU,S. i would go for a dual core (x2) as its got cool and quiet on . it makes you pc quieter and runs much cooler. you can get the dual core driver from amd site or asrock site ver 1.2.2.2 or windows update site will detect and you can download from there. i hope this helps. here the link for the bios update your need 2.30 http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.as...8%20Combo-Z&s= this will support x2 64 cpu 3800+

[SmokyDesperado]

I was thinkin of just going for the AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego, since its cheaper. Does this one need a bios update?

Heres the site that i've found it from http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...atid=6&subcat=

On the Asrock cpu support list page they are two 3700+ for the 939 socket but with different bios updates

Socket Family Model Core Frequency FSB Cache Rev. Since BIOS
939 Athlon 64 3700+ 2200 1000MHz 1MB E P2.50
939 Athlon 64 3700+ 2200 1000MHz 1MB CG P1.80

Heres a link to the cpu support list page http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=K8%20Combo-Z&s=

[Generator]

your need bios 2.40 for that cpu. i would have a think though the amd 64 3600 x2 64, is only 15 pounds more, and its a Dual core, which really is the norm now. and with the cool n quiet technology on the it. it will make your system so much quieter and cooler. and no more hour glass from mouse cousor when apps are opening and your running multiple apps. i can just about here my fan on my pc. it reallly reduces the noise and power consumption. ebuyer can do a x2 64 3600 alot cheaper heres the link http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136265

[SmokyDesperado]

on second thoughts i was actually going to go for the dual core and i realised X2 3600+ is not supported, the 3800+ is supported but i cant find that anywere.

i just saw this one on ebuyerAMD Athlon 64 3800+ Socket 939 (2.4GHz) OEM Processor http://www.ebuyer.com/product/125396 which is faster than san diego, will i need to do a bios update with this one?

[Generator]

bios 2.30 and 2.40 will support the x2 3600 (dual core) the one you are on about is a amd 3800 2.4 gig, but you have to realise its just a single core cpu. the 3600 x2 may only run at 2 gig per cpu core, but will be more an advantage to multitasking and multimedia etc, like video encoding. and most games now prefer dual core cpu,s than single core one,s . the best thing is to either get the 3600 x2 or save abit more and go for the 3800 x2 if upgrading, i would always go for a dual core cpu, they far superior to a single core. if you board cant take a x2 64 cpu which it can , you might as well make it a dual core 64 bit, many applications will reply on dual core cpu,s in time and as i said, they much better for multitasking and multimedia apps.

[SmokyDesperado]

ok i have decided to go for x2 3600+ dual core, should get on wednesday, thanks for your help and if i run into any problems i'll let you know

[SmokyDesperado]

which bios update 2.30 or 2.40 will i need to do? and can it be done after installing or will i have to do it before?

[Generator]

you can get bios 2.30 or 2.40 , you can install it before the upgrade of the cpu, the bios is only updated to support the latest dual cores cpu and single core 3800+ etc. just read the instruction carefully when flashing your bios, your need a floppy or cd i guess and just do as it says in the instructions. hope all works out ok.

[SmokyDesperado]

Thanks a million Generator, its up and running