Quick MB / Processor Compatability question

Dara Robinson

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to upgrade my PC a bit, I am looking at this

I was hoping to confirm, I have an Asus A8N-SLI Premium, this will fit as it is socket 939 and I am happy with that. But says its 64, is this 64 bit? If so, would I be able to use this with Windows XP Pro SP3 32 bit?
Would there be any other hardware conflicts?

Thanks

D

Dara Robinson

Also, will this GFX fit the MB?


.....tbh they are questions I already know the answer to but seeing as I have not been buying any new hardware in a few years and I don't have that much money I am a bit paranoid so wanna be 100% sure

Spear

Dara Robinson wrote: »

Also, will this GFX fit the MB?


.....tbh they are questions I already know the answer to but seeing as I have not been buying any new hardware in a few years and I don't have that much money I am a bit paranoid so wanna be 100% sure

Yes, you already have a 64bit processor.

Yes, that card will fit. It's a crappy old card though.

Dara Robinson

true, but its a crappy old PC tbh. I have a GFX 7800 atm so this will do until I can afford a new PC

Thanx btw. I just wanted to make 100%, last thing I want is to get something that I cant use cause I was trying to upgrade asap

Spear

Dara Robinson wrote: »

true, but its a crappy old PC tbh. I have a GFX 7800 atm so this will do until I can afford a new PC

Thanx btw. I just wanted to make 100%, last thing I want is to get something that I cant use cause I was trying to upgrade asap

Processor wise you could drop in a dual core socket 939 processor. Might need to go to eBay for one though.

Dara Robinson

For Processor I was looking at this one


As for GFX... ISs there a difference between "Bus Type: PCI-Express 2.0" and "Bus Type: PCI-Express"?? (don't know the answer to this one )

Spear

Dara Robinson wrote: »

For Processor I was looking at this one


As for GFX... ISs there a difference between "Bus Type: PCI-Express 2.0" and "Bus Type: PCI-Express"?? (don't know the answer to this one )

That processor will work fine, but for single threaded games and apps there won't be a noticable difference.

PCI-E 2.0 supports higher speeds than PCI-E 1, but this shouldn't impact your case.

Dara Robinson

Dara Robinson wrote: »

For Processor I was looking at this one

Its being sold as a dual core, is it not dual core?

Spear

Dara Robinson wrote: »

Its being sold as a dual core, is it not dual core?

It is dual core. A single thread can only occupy a single core at a time.

Dara Robinson

ah yea, kl. Its fine it will do for the moment.

Spear, thanks for all ur help mate

Solitaire

That 8600GT is a DDR2 model, and depending on what variety of 7800 you already have it will either considerably or drastically reduce performance. Avoid with a ****ing bargepole!! :eek: Plus the postage is a ****ing joke for that worthless PoS! :mad: Go to a proper online store and get a HD4650 for probably far less than what you would have paid for that 8600GT and get vastly superior performance to boot :P If you don't intend to game then get a HD4350 or 9400GT or something, they're cheaper and have much more modern HD/multimedia options.

Dara Robinson

What about this one?

Solitaire

Good mid-range card, perhaps bordering on overkill in an old S939 rig. Could end up quite a bit more expensive than the current €85 bid (passive cooler plus card never did drop in price the same way the rival HD4830 did). If you are serious about it make sure you have good case cooling/airflow as that radiator ain't gonna cool itself :P

Is this rig for gaming? Some newer games might be a bit CPU-limited even with the intended AthlonX2, while the 8800GT borders on overkill for older/less demanding games. GDDR3 versions of the HD4650 might be a bit weaker but are a lot cheaper (€55 in some places) and there's always the HD4670 (€70, also look out for 9600GTs reduced to that amount)

Dara Robinson

Yea I've scrapped the idea of the 8800, too expensive

I am thinking about this http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=387352
I am unsure about the new HD**** cards, will this work on my old rig?

Yes, Its for games. But its not a gaming rig or anything. The PC is old enough, 4 or so years, and its just a stop gap solution until I can afford a kick ass PC.
I play Eve online and things have just been upgraded and I want to ensure I can do fleet battles without crashing. So a small upgrade is a good compromise. Its only for 6 months, maybe until Xmas, max

Solitaire

HD4350 would be a little too weak for gaming, and with Komplett selling GDDR3-based HD4650s for €56 and HD4670s for €69 there isn't much reason to compromise that little bit too far. All HD4600s can run on power from the PCIe slot alone (no messing with supplementary PCIe power connectors) and because even relatively low-end cards can avail of easy overclocking via CCCs OverDrive tool you might be best getting something like this and using OverDrive to bump the clock speeds up closer to HD4670 levels

I have heard rumors of Eve having issues with some newer ATi drivers so you might want to stick with or be ready to downgrade to the 8.10 drivers/CCC just in case. Or go with nVidia, but any card even worrth buying gaming-wise will set you back at least €70 for a 8800GSO (could be nearly €90 for a 9600GT) and they all need supplementary power connectors.

In any case avoid cards with DDR2 memory, and HD4350/4550 can have issues even with GDDR3 due to terrible memory bus width. 8600GT/9500GT are just slow as hell, period.