AMD Sockets

[dpaige]

I am really interested in a Athlon 64 cpu but I'm not sure which socket I should be buying? Is one model better than the others or more compatible?

 

[dunklegend]

Socket 939 is the newer one and you will be able to fit a double core CPU when they're available just by updating the BIOS.

Nothing is as easy as it looks

 

[lonelypauly]

939 be da bizzle shizzle fo rizzle!

<b><font color=blue>Athlon64 3200+ Winchester/MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI/MSI 6800 Ultra/1 GB Kingston HyperX (Dual Channel)/74GB WD Raptor/600Watt Enermax Noisetaker/ Dual Mitsubishi 21 Inch Monitors</b></font color=blue>

 

[davemar14]

Socket 754 and 939 offer comparable performance. The Athlon64 2800+ is only available on the socket 754 platform. Every model above the 2800+ is available on both platforms. If you are on an extreme budget than the 754 is the way to go. For anyone who wants an upgrade that will last for a few years and can be used with dual-core processors and faster single core chips the 939 socket is the way to go. AMD is using 939 for all its new processor releases. 939 all the way. I would probably reccomend a 3500+ on 939. Heard the Venice cores overclock pretty well. (I think.) Someone else confirm that?

My System:
<A HREF="http://amdgamingrig.dyndns.org" target="_new">http://amdgamingrig.dyndns.org</A>

 

[areseebee54]

I think the socket 939 has a better upgrade path, but by the end of 2006 (if I remember correctly) both socket754 and 939 will be replaced with a new version of the socket 940 which will not be backward compatible with the old socket 940 chipsets. This was on THG, so check my facts, to be sure.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Venice core be da bizzle shizzle fo rizzle!

______________
Welcome to my Shed of Pleasure

 

[P4Man]

>but by the end of 2006 (if I remember correctly) both
>socket754 and 939 will be replaced with a new version of the
>socket 940 which will not be backward compatible with the old
> socket 940 chipsets

True. However, but the end of 2006, who knows, you might be able to plug in dual core 3+ Ghz X2s. Still looks like a fairly nice upgrade path to me, especially if you start with a 1.8 GHz, single core 3000+. How many motherboards did you own that could triple performance with just a CPU swap ?

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

 

[pat]

How many motherboards did you own that could triple performance with just a CPU swap ?

but by 2006, how many today's motherboard will have 2006 newest feature and improvement? Maybe by that, a motherboard swap with a newer CPU will be better than putting an expensive chip on an obsolete motherboard.

I would say get the fastest you can afford now and dont worry about what may come nest.

<font color=red>Sig space for rent. make your offer.</font color=red>

 

[HansGruber]

how many today's motherboard will have 2006 newest feature and improvement? Maybe by that, a motherboard swap with a newer CPU will be better than putting an expensive chip on an obsolete motherboard.

I have ASUS SK8N motherboard, i bought it 2003, and it's not obsolete now and it's not obsolete when it's 3 years old.

So if you buy MB now (2005), it's NOT obsolete in 2006 (if you get socket 939).

 

[pat]

Your motherboard is not obsolete for you, but for me, being only socket940 limits the choice of CPU and make it much more obsolete than socket 754, for which, no more faster cpu than the 3700+ will be produced.

But if you are ready to pay the price for expensive opteron cpu, then no, it might not be obsolete. But for casual enthusiast, it is.

<font color=red>Sig space for rent. make your offer.</font color=red>

 

[Crashman]

It's not like the short life of Socket 423, where you KNEW ahead of time that the P4 1.4 was SLOWER than the PIII 1000EB and that Socket 423 would never go past 2GHz!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[jmwpom3]

True,
But if one's really pressed for cash now; go 754 semperon 2600+ or 2800+ then that leaves the up to a 754 amd64 later this year or early next for relatively low cost. (after the x2s come out those should get pretty reasonable,no?)

Mind, this would just be for lowest cost right now. The 939 I still aggree will allow for the most upgradability

<font color=blue> You're only as cool as you think you are, which makes me pretty lame :_( </font color=blue>

 

[HansGruber]

Your motherboard is not obsolete for you, but for me, being only socket940 limits the choice of CPU

No, you are wrong on the part that it limits your choice.
I did mention that i bought this 2003, did i ?

What "not so limiting" MB's was available 2003 ?? see, my socket940 MB is the ONLY SOCKET available in 2003, that can be updated properly today.
How that limiting ?

I also wrote: "So if you buy MB now (2005), it's NOT obsolete in 2006 (<b>if you get socket 939</b>)."

From all the sockets, 939 is best option today, it can give 80% of fastest systems in Q1/2007.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

What "not so limiting" MB's was available 2003 ?? see, my socket940 MB is the ONLY SOCKET available in 2003, that can be updated properly today.
How that limiting ?

Sorry, but you're missing the point. It's not about what was the least limited mobo back when you bought it. It's about what limits you have today. If you're upgrading a PC, you're pretty much always limited by <i>something</i>.

Some people take the view that instead of worrying about maximizing your upgrade options in the future with today's purchases, you should just concentrate on the best that you can afford at the time and replace the whole PC in the future so that new parts aren't brought down by old parts.

And other people take the view that they can better afford to upgrade a piece at a time instead of replace a whole PC in one go, so they concentrate on what will likely have the least limitations in the future.

But either way, using old hardware still limits you.

<pre><font color=orange><i>Jesters do oft prove prophets.</i> -Regan in
King Lear (Act V, Scene iii) by William Shakespear</font color=orange></pre><p>@ 189K -> 200,000 miles or bust!

 

[ChipDeath]

I've never seen the wisdom in worrying about mobo upgradability myself.

I could've kept my old KT133 Board and stuck an XP-M in it or something, but that really wouldn't have had improved the system much, and then I wouldn't have USB2, Soundstorm, Dual channel RAM...

If a system's a few years old and lagging a bit, then a simple CPU upgrade will usually not be nearly enough. (except for a few cpu-intensive tasks of course, but I'm talking about <i>most</i> people here)

---
<font color=red>"Life is <i>not</i> like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapeńos - what you do today might burn your a<b></b>ss tommorrow."<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ChipDeath on 06/02/05 01:21 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[dunklegend]

I agree for the most part, but right now I have a socket 939 with an A64 3000+ if I can upgrade it in a year to an A64 X2 I'd say that would be a big improvement without having to change everything.

Nothing is as easy as it looks

 

[lonelypauly]

same here, that's why I got a 939 board too. I upgraded from a Speak n Spell.

<b><font color=blue>Athlon64 3200+ Winchester/MSI Neo4 Platinum SLI/MSI 6800 Ultra/1 GB Kingston HyperX (Dual Channel)/74GB WD Raptor/600Watt Enermax Noisetaker/ Dual Mitsubishi 21 Inch Monitors</b></font color=blue>