I'm planning to change my CPU.

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ejcelis

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Jun 9, 2010
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hi, i'm planning on upgrading my CPU to Intel Core2Quad Q8300 2.6ghz. what are the things that I have to keep in mind when upgrading?

is there any compatability issues that i have to look for?

and if it's really required to format my system drive after changing my CPU?

actually, this is my 1st time on changing my CPU that's why I wanna be careful. lol.
thanks for your advice 😉

this is my current specs:

ASUS P5-KPLAM SE (mobo)
Intel Dual Core E6300 2.8ghz
Seagate Barracuda 80GB
Seagate Barracuda 250GB
Kingston 4GB RAM
Inno3D GT240 512MB DDR5
Windows 7 Ultimate
FSP Epsilon 600W
 
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It either works or doesn't. Save your old cpu if it's needed for a bios flash. But if the new cpu works, don't flash the bios. Flashing is always risky especially for a rooky; if you can't afford to replace the board, don't do it. And you won't need to format the hardrive or anything else; windows 7 and xp should recognize the change automatically. Be sure the new cpu comes with a heatsink; the stock Intel heatsink is adequate, so why pay extra. Most oem cpus are about the same price as retail box units, so get retail with the three year warranty and free heatsink.
 
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I'd agree with the poster above, for 150 bucks, not really worth it to upgrade to an old quad core at this point, when you can get i5 quads for the same price. Sure you need a new board, but you're going to get the performance boost of 2 generations of procs as well.

Of course I'm assuming that the former mobo you were using uses DDR2, so that will be another upgrade 😛 (It never ends)
 
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hmm yeah, i was thinking on replacing my mobo, procs and RAM. but being so impatient made me decide to just replace my procs instead. >< (sorry)

uhm i've looked on a pricelist here (Philippines) for an intel i5. they're just selling an i5-650 that costs around php9520($220) and i can't afford that. XD so uhm, how bout an AMD CPU?

i made a list of my alternative:

Phenom II x4 840 3.2ghz 2mb - $123
MSI 870 - G45 AMD770/AM3/ddr3/S/GL - $100
Kingston 4GB 1333 DDR3 - $50

is there any mobo - OS compatability that i have to consider?

because when i changed my old OS(winXP - SP3) to win7, the driver disc says that it's not compatible with my new OS. well, i'm not really having any problems right now that's why i assumed that everything is working fine.

thanks for your help! 😉

 
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is that the same as with what thety call as dual boot?
ima try to look on that... Thanks a lot man 😀
 
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i'm planning on transforming this one into a decent gaming rig. but as i was searching over the web, i found that AMD processors can be a good alternative for high end intel processors (and mobos) so i came up with that list. lol.

found this issue on newegg:
they said that they're having several issues on the BIOS of the 870 G45.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290

is it really that complicated when it comes to configuring the mobo for the first time?

 
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does it mean that i3 SB is a better?
*done checking the website: XD
wow, lol i3 gets a lot of eggs right there man. :) even though it costs around $13 more than Phenom ii x4.

i've seen 2 i3s on the list. one is the i3-530 and the other one is the i3-SB 2100. do they have different kind of slots on motherboards?

here found a motherboard on the list 😉

Gigabyte H61M-D2-B3 V/S/GL
http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3773#ov

Phenom II x4 840 3.2ghz 2mb - $123 = MEH..
Click to expand...

is it a bad choice? XD



is this the right guide?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7
 
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ya those two i3s use different mobos, your gonna want to get the SB one it uses a 1155 socket mobo, the 1156 socket is pretty much dead and wont give you a lot of upgrade options in the future.

I wouldent reccemend the gigabyte board because it uses a H61 chipset
If your going to use this computer for mostly gaming your gonna want to get a P67 chipset with the I3 2xxx series CPU, that way in the future when you want to upgrade your CPU you can get a unlocked K series chip and start overclocking.

the MSI P67A-GDXX (XX = 43, 55, 65 ect.) series boards are good, i've done 2 builds with them recently and have been impressed with them.

 
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so my choice is already fine? :) or i can still go for a cheaper mobo? 😀

does the latest chipsets comes with better performance like faster games or better multitasking....

thanks 😀
 
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Both chipsets offer about the same performance. The more expensive atx p67 boards offer more slots and extra features. Decide if you really need them, as the h67 boards are about half the price. If you don't want to overclock, they offer a cheaper alternative. But the p67 boards will overclock with the "k" series 1155 cpus, but don't have onboard video. I have used the onboard video on the 1156 boards, and it works pretty well, but is not for hardcore gaming. I prefer quiet systems, and none of the separate video cards are very quiet unless you go fanless. I'm not a gamer.
 
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If he's gonna game on it he's going to game on it the "k" series is better because it will allow him the option of overclocking later and the sandies oc so easy it's silly. And to answer your chipset question yes definitely.
I use amd for me it's more consumer friendly intel definitely has the "top end" in performance. If you're going to upgrade your pc a part at a time (ex.-buy cpu one month...mobo the next) AMD is more forgiving you can as a general rule install a next gen amd cpu on a "this gen"board. Case in point being am3 on an am2+board. Basicly to make this easy, if you're well off or using it for a tax write off buy Intel. If your on a fixed income and this computer is "all about me" then go AMD. You could easily get a decent am3 board a Phenom II 555 BE and RAM Cheap and the 555 is a solid gamer that would tide you over until you can afford a Phenom II quad(I use the 965/955 and have 0 problems with ANY game). That being said. You could get a AM2+ board dirtcheap re-use any ddr 2 ram you have and get the Phenom II quad now. Then upgrade the mobo and ram later. DDR3 is dirtcheap now and will probably spike in price when the amd dozer line comes out as it will be the standard for both the sandy and the new amd offerings so I'd grab the am3 board and ram now if you get an asus with an 890 chipset rumor has it they will run the dozer line(zambezi)with a bios flash, thus allowing you a future upgrade for the cost of the cpu alone...which would be very sweet(I would think).
 
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funny it may seem but, i don't have really plans on overclocking my CPU (only my GPU) so i guess the ECS H67H2-M3 board will do for the i3. lol. now, i am really choosing between:

i3 - 2100 3.1ghz
Athlon ii x4 640 3.0ghz

for the AMD on the other hand, i am looking for a mobo that'll be lower than php4,000+($100). at least a micro ATX board will do since i only got a small case right here lol. i've seen MSI 770 g45 and i was really impressed but its too big for my case. XD

here i've seen this case but i don't know if its right for Athlon ii x4 640:
MSI GF615M-P33
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130243

according to the specs, its an AM3. :)

wow, thanks for those advice. it really helps alot on deciding. ;D
 
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np, were allways glad to help, if your looking for a future proof build, go with the i3, AMD is releasing their new chips later this year and we dont know if the AM3 socket will be viable with them.
 
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That is a bottom of the barrel board I mean...well if you have to and the athlon has no l3 cache. You can get a phenomII 955 be that smokes the athlon for 6 dollars more and again if you're going to go amd I strungly recommend the 890 chipset.
 
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