Computer Upgrading need help from techies!

[Charles Xavier]

Okay we have a computer that is not super old but recent, we make/burn videos and a lot of graphic designs on it, so we need to upgrade the processors and ram. The thing is we don't want to change the motherboard.

The current processor is

v1.80 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64
128 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache

The motherboard is

MSI MS-6702E 1.0
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. Version 07.00T 04/02/01


Is there a limitation to what type of Processor/ ram/ hard drive we can use?

What about the ram. I remember there was some mention the max ram is 4gb and it currently has a 1gb ddr2 ram if I'm not mistaken

[Yazman]

ok well first of all here is your motherboard:

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K8T_Neo2-FIR

This should be your mobo (motherboard). Open up your PC and check to make sure, but given the info you supplied this is your motherboard.

Yes there are limitations to what types of processor and RAM you can have.

In terms of the CPU you have to make sure it's a socket 939 CPU; this is the name of the socket that the chip itself uses. The listing on the MSI website notes compatible CPUs with your motherboard, check the link and go to the "CPU" part under "Product Specification." This is probably going to be the most "difficult" part for you to replace, but don't worry! It's actually quite easy to do once you learn the basics of buying new parts, and we can help you along every step of the way!

As far as RAM is concerned, don't worry. RAM is probably the easiest part to replace, install, and buy. You have to make sure that any RAM you buy is no faster than PC3200/DDR400, and that the maximum amount of RAM your motherboard will accept is 4gb. I suggest you have 2gb of RAM at the very least - preferably go for the whole 4gb if you can.

There are however no real limitations to what hard drive you can have; your motherboard has SATA/Serial ATA support so you will be able to get any hard drive you like! So just get whatever size you feel like getting; you can even get 1TB and 1.5TB hard drives if you want. Just make sure it's a SATA/Serial ATA hard drive and not IDE; IDE are the old style hard drives. They are generally a bit slower than the SATA hard drives and can be somewhat frustrating to configure. You can connect up to two Serial ATA drives and up to four IDE drives. But just go with SATA.

The link I have supplied you with has all the specifications on it as well.

[Charles Xavier]

thanks for the help.

Where can I find socket 939 CPU listings?

Are they old processors?

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=66

Is this the best I can get? is 2.4ghz any good nowadays?

I got a agp motherboard with a brand new AGP graphics card thats the reason we dont want to get a new motherboard because all the new ones are PCI and the agp card wont work on them

[BOZG]

That's a dual core processor, so it's 2x2.4ghz.

The fastest processor available for socket 939 is the Athlon FX-60 which is a dual core 2.6ghz processor. If my memory serves me correctly, the FX series was massively overpriced when it was first released. Not sure how much they're selling for now. Just make sure that you do a BIOS update before you install your new CPU.

[Charles Xavier]

If its dual core does that mean I need two places to plug it in?

I looked on ebay and they are selling them for 400$

Would this be worth buying will I see a huge difference with this processor? Is it dual core?

[BOZG]

No, the socket you have is suitable. It's a dual-core contained within a single processor. Both the FX and the Athlon X2 that you linked to are dual-core processors. $400 is a lot for an older card. You could buy a vastly superior processor and a motherboard to go with it for less than that. I'd have a look at the prices for the X2 because I'd say they're probably cheaper and there probably wouldn't be a huge difference in clock speeds.

[Charles Xavier]

No, the socket you have is suitable. It's a dual-core contained within a single processor. Both the FX and the Athlon X2 that you linked to are dual-core processors. $400 is a lot for an older card. You could buy a vastly superior processor and a motherboard to go with it for less than that. I'd have a look at the prices for the X2 because I'd say they're probably cheaper and there probably wouldn't be a huge difference in clock speeds.


Unless is there motherboards that can do both agp and pci? so I can have my agp for now and if I have to in the future upgrade to pci?

[BOZG]

Most old boards used a combination of PCI and AGP but I don't think the PCI slots were suitable for graphics cards. AGP has largely been phased out in the past few years. New cards are generally PCI-e (PCI-express) which is an upgraded version of the old PCI and I would doubt there are any boards which combine both. You should look into upgrade kits, which are often packages of motherboards, processor, graphics and RAM. You could probably find one that would be far better than your existing rig for the same price you'd pay just for an FX. Even low-end components are probably better than your existing stuff.

[Charles Xavier]

Well what to pick this time? Intel or AMD?

[BOZG]

Depends on your budget really. Intel are leading the way but a lot pricier.

[Yazman]

I believe you will have to go AMD with this one simply because your motherboard isn't socketed for an Intel CPU.

[BOZG]

I believe you will have to go AMD with this one simply because your motherboard isn't socketed for an Intel CPU.

I think he was referring to looking for a new upgrade kit rather than just a processor in that question.

[Charles Xavier]

Say I got 400$ -500 to spend CAD. What could I get?

What would be my best option?