Hi there, I was thinking about upgrading my current CPU (Athlon 64 3200) to a Dual core X2 3800. I can't find any information about whether my current socket 939 mobo will support the dual core Athlon CPU's, although I dont see any reason why it shouldn't. My system spec is :- ASRock 939Dual Sata 2 mobo. 1GB Corsair DDR PC3200 RAM (to be upgraded to 2gig) Nvidia 8800GTS 320MB 150GB HDD Windows XP SP2. My other option is to go for a socket 775 mobo and get the Intel Q6600 with 2 gig of DDR2 RAM but this is a much more expensive option. Plus i'm not sure if my hard drive will just plug into a new mobo/cpu combination and boot up as normal. The reason for the upgrade is the crappy Crysis performance i'm getting, and I assume the more powerful CPU and 2gig of RAM should sort this out. Any help would be appreciated, thanks
I have had that mobo before with a 3800 in it but it has to be a socket 939 not AM2 so be careful when getting the 3800 because there are two versions of it. you need this X2 3800+(socket 939) Do NOT GET the X2 3800+ socket AM2 version. Some people might laugh at that but i know two people who made that mistake. But to be honest if i was you i wouldn't get the 3800 its not really that good when it comes to gaming. If you can afford it get the Q6600 thats much better especially when combined with your 8800GTs that would play Crysis pretty well. Hope that helps.
OK thanks for the advice, I would prefer to get the Q6600 tbh but it'll be a £360 upgrade rather than £80-90 or so for the Athlon and a Gig of PC3200. Do you think there will be any issues with connecting my current XP installation on the HDD to a new mobo etc or will I need to do a complete reinstall?
I think you will need to do another complete installation also one question is your XP an OEM version or retail???????
Yep, whenever you make a large change to your hardware like a different mobo/chipset you will have to reinstall windows or at least reverify your key.
1. Just be aware, if you choose to upgrade your 939 CPU will also need to flash the BIOS. 2. Using the Sysprep utility may be able to save you a little bit of time when reinstalling your OS. It will take an entire image of your HDD and allow you to install it onto your new sys but crucially allow you to undo some of the installation process, eg drivers. If you're interested I suggest you read about it.
