CPU advice

[BigZed]

I am not a PC whizz and was hoping someone on these forums could help me. I want to upgrade my CPU to improve games performance. I currently have a AMD AthlonXP 1900+. I want to upgrade to near enough the best possible (or best value for money) that my motherboard can take. The motherboard I have is an Asus A7V266-E Socket A VIA KT266A chipset. What do you guys recommend and how hard is it to install a new CPU?

Cheers for any help

 

[endyen]

According to <A HREF="http://www.asus.com/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx" target="_new">http://www.asus.com/support/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx</A> your mobo supports all 133 fsb chips.

 

[Mr5oh]

2400+ is still a 266 FSB CPU (133), pricewatch has them for $50. Installing a new heatsink is pretty simple, even for someone without much expierence.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>

 

[endyen]

The cpu is ZIF, or zero insertion force. Put it in the right way, and it will fall into place.
The heat sink can be tricky, so a couple of tricks.
1 Use a small sloted screwdriver, with a long shaft, to set the clip.
2 Put a piece of sturdy plastic on the mobo, in case the screwdriver slips. I believe your mobo already has some, but a liitle extra is safer.
Your mobo may also support the xp-m chips. If it does, you may be able to set the multiplier up to 16.5, and run at 2.2 gigs, maybe even faster.

 

[Spitfire_x86]

I recommend upgrading your CPU/mobo/RAM at once when you have money. AXP 1900+ to 2400+ is not a good upgrade, even for $60.

------------
<A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86" target="_new">My Website</A>

<A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86/myrig.html" target="_new">My Rig</A> & <A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86/benchmark.html" target="_new">3DMark score</A>

 

[BigZed]

Thanks for your help. From whats been said and checking the handy Asus link I think I could upgrade to this product:

http://www.microlandtechnology.com/products.asp?recid=1213

Would that one fit in my motherboard ok?

 

[Mr5oh]

Yes that will work in your motherboard. The 1900+ runs a 1.6 ghz, while the 2400+ runs at 1.93 ghz. Some say that this is not the best of upgrades, but it will help. Not everyone needs a high end gaming machine.

Obvisuly a motherboard, CPU, and RAM upgrade would be far superior, but I still think the 2400+ will help. I recently did about the same thing, I went froma 2500+ to a 2800+ (yes a little different, and I did it becuase I was able to sell the 2500+), I saw a difference.

$50 really isn't that much for an upgrade. I've spent that much on a heatsink, just to drop my temps a couple of degrees. If you don't do much serious gaming, and an upgrade is a little ways off, I think the 2400+ (especially since it relatively cheap), would be a good investment.

My Desktop: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc.html</A>
Overclocking Results: <A HREF="http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html" target="_new">http://Mr5oh.tripod.com/pc2.html</A>

 

[Spitfire_x86]

2400+ runs at 2.0 GHz (15 x 133), not 1.93 GHz

------------
<A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86" target="_new">My Website</A>

<A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86/myrig.html" target="_new">My Rig</A> & <A HREF="http://geocities.com/spitfire_x86/benchmark.html" target="_new">3DMark score</A>