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Thread ID: 44000 2004-04-03 15:05:00 AMD XP 2500+ cpu only upgrade Orion (5481) Press F1
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226950 2004-04-03 15:05:00 Hi I'm deciding whether its a good idea to make a CPU only upgrade on my system. After browsing through this forum and having a look at Metla's site I realise I can get a quick n dirty upgrade to this cpu for only $170~.

My current system is a:

Motherboard (www.chaintech.com.tw) which supports up to AMD 2600+ with bios upgrade (www.chaintech.com.tw) (which I have done already)

1.1Ghz AMD Athlon
384mb PC133 SD RAM

I know its a POS motherboard, but I just want a quick/cheap upgrade to hold me out till I get a new dual processor system in December.

Only thing I'm worried about is the FSB of my Motherboard is at 200, and can't increase further. Now that CPU is FSB333 (www.upgradeware.co.nz)?

1) Will this automatically step down to FSB 200 for my motherboard?
2) Does this mean I won't reach the full clock speed of 1833MHz (2500+)? A quick calculation of 11x multiplier x 200FSB = 2200mhz, so I have room to spare?

I know I'll lose out on the FSB speed and will have not as good performance due to slow memory...

3) I looked for some performance reviews but haven't found any thus far. Too old technology I guess :p Anyone got a benchmark or two handy? I think I can remember the 2500+ performing just as well as a 2600+ because of the Barton core. That right?? Which would be better to get?

I've got some Arctic Silver 3 thermal paste at home here so I can use that. But was wondering does this CPU come with a heatsink? Or do I have to purchase one? It looks like it comes with a fan as its a retail pack...

I'm not running any case fans or anything at the moment, so is this 2500+ going to run really hot? Can I make do with no fans, and normal heatsink or am I going to have to splash out on some new cooling.

Please help me make this decision, I'll be extremely grateful :)
Orion (5481)
226951 2004-04-03 15:22:00 BTW my motherboard looks like it supports SocketA, is that what the XP 2500+ is??? Orion (5481)
226952 2004-04-03 23:30:00 To provide any realistic advice you will need to supply details on what you use your computer for. It would also be helpful to specify what your graphics card is.
For gaming it is often more beneficial to upgrade your graphics card first, RAM secondly and the CPU thirdly. There is little point upgrading your CPU if your graphics card is a low performer. Providing you choose wisely it can be transferred into your new system when the time comes.
tommy (2826)
226953 2004-04-04 02:33:00 I've upgraded the graphics card aa few times now. Originally it had a GF2mx200 32mb in it, then I upgraded it to a GF4mx440 64mb for only $20.

So current specs are:
1.1Ghz and motherboard above
384 MB SD Ram
GF4 mx440 64mb DDR RAM (agp 8x card) My MB is only 4x though
160Gb WD 7200rpm, 8mb cache HDD
Running XP pro/98se


Basically I use the computer for games like BF1942/Desert Combat/BF Vietnam and some RTS games. I also use the computer for video encoding and I'm really reaching the limits of what the current processor can do.

In Desert Combat it really hinders me as you need a pretty good processor for that game to run well.

I'll be getting a new dual processor system in December, this is just to hold out till then...
Orion (5481)
226954 2004-04-04 03:13:00 i think you'll find that any motherboard that uses SD-RAM wont support a Barton, the best you'll be able to get will be a Athlon 2400+ which is based on the throughbred core. And i dont think your link works could you please just post the name of the motherboard? Pete O'Neil (250)
226955 2004-04-04 03:55:00 Go to www.chaintech.com.tw

Products / MainBoard / Socket A / 7AIA5

Then navigate through that

> i think you'll find that any motherboard that uses SD-RAM wont support a Barton

Oh really? :(

Why is that???
Orion (5481)
226956 2004-04-04 05:20:00 What I'd advice you is to, stop upgrading every time you get the money . I'd advise you to resist the pain of a slow machine, and save up for a "dream" machine . E . g . My dream machine 6 months ago can be brought now for $850 incl GST, excl keyboard, monitor, etc .

I'd suggest you like give your money a "bang" when the time comes . Personally I no longer believe in "mucking around" with upgrades . I have had many experiences of incompatability issues arise, all fixable, but creates a massive mess, etc .

:D
~~~~~ s y ~~~~~ (2054)
226957 2004-04-04 05:26:00 Also, the upgrade will not cost as much if you buy from someone else.

Having a look at melta's site, I do believe you can get a better deal by looking here (www.pricespy.co.nz)
~~~~~ s y ~~~~~ (2054)
226958 2004-04-04 06:21:00 > > i think you'll find that any motherboard that uses
> SD-RAM wont support a Barton
>
> Oh really? :(
>
> Why is that???
>

your board uses the VIA KT133 which only supports FSB of 200mhz(2x100) or 266mhz(2x133) . All the bartons have an FSB of 333mhz(2x166) . You may be able to run a Barton in your board at a lower FSB eg 266mhz but im not sure how the board would deal with the extra cache the Barton has . Your best bet if you want to upgrade is to find a 2400+/2600+ based on the Throughbred B core .
Pete O'Neil (250)
226959 2004-04-04 06:59:00 Yeah I did a bit of looking and found that my motherboard FAQ (www.chaintech.com.tw) that it doesn't actually support the barton core. :(

I think the 2400+ is the next best thing, that has the exact support for my motherboard (133/266ddr).

Currently I'm running the processor at 100mhz FSB (200ddr) and so is the ram. Once I tried overclocking the FSB to 133mhz (266ddr) and it froze up. So hopefully that was just a limitation of the 1.1Ghz CPU, not the ram.

I want to get my FSB up to 133mhz(266ddr) so I can get 133x15cpu multiplier = 1995mhz = XP 2400+.

I can get a AMD XP 2400+ from StylesPC (www.stylespc.com) for $118. Huuge saving! Anyone bought from them? Are they good?
Orion (5481)
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