New Mobo?---moved from overclocking

[tbiggums]

Posted this in overclocking but have not gotten that many hits. Hope you can help.

I have a hp a1450n pc which has a Nagami2L-GL8E(Asus A8N-LA) mobo. The problem is that the bios wont allow for overclocking and there is nothing out there i can flash it with. I was wondering whether its worth to invest in a new mobo to oc my x2 4200 manchester or if should save up for a new system. If so can any of you suggest a good mobo to oc with? (939 btw)

 

[Assman]

it's not worth it to buy a new mobo, because that will change very little, meaning pre-built rigs have weak/specific psu. you'd be better off building a new rig yourself

 

[tbiggums]

I already changed the psu and gpu a 550 wat SFC and an X1950xt

 

[Mousemonkey]

If you can find one now I would suggest an Abit AN8 32X, I've been using one for the past year with a 3800x2 @ 2.5ghz and had no major issues, it can get a bit picky with USB K/B's but that has a workaround and the BIOS has enough options to keep you amused for weeks. http://www2.abit.com.tw/page/uk/mot...ail.php?pMODEL_NAME=AN8+32X&fMTYPE=Socket 939

 

[tbiggums]

Cheapest if found was $99 but i dont really wanna spend that much. You know of anything cheaper but descent. Im a beginner overclocker so i dont need too many options. Just something descent and easy to work with.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Well you are limiting your options quite a bit then, $99 is about £50 and last year my board cost me £130 or $260ish so you can now get it for less than half price which is a bargin really, If you don't want to lay out a few bucks then you are not going to get anything that's worth a toss mate, way of the world I'm afraid.

 

[tbiggums]

So would you say the Abit AN8 32X is user friendly or easy to use, i wouldnt want something i don't know how to use?

 

[Mousemonkey]

If you don't want to do any tweaking then all the settings can be left on the 'auto' settings and apart from the clock and boot order there is no need to go any where near the BIOS, if on the other hand you feel a bit frisky then you can go into BIOS and tweak CPU clock speed, RAM speed and timing, voltages the lot and if you f**k it up (which I have, a couple of times) the BIOS will either reset itself back to default settings or in the worst case you might have to move the BIOS reset jumper to its reset postion and then back again, which is hardly rocket science and the manual is quite well laid out and if you were to purchase one of these boards and have any queries then feel free to PM and I'll be more than happy to help you out as much as I can.

 

[tbiggums]

thx for your help mousemonkey. I think ill get that board. Hopefully the 4200 will last me a while. How long do you think it has before its obselete?

 

[akahuddy]

Depends on what you want to use the CPU for. I built a computer for my mom with a 4200 and it should last her for 6 or 7 years. Unless you're trying to run heavily CPU-bound titles, I would imagine a 4200 would be fine for another 1-2 years.

 

[tbiggums]

I do gaming mostly im hoping it last 1 more upgrade to a dx10 card so maybe 2 more years

 

[Mousemonkey]

Sorry to be the one to break it to you but the 939 socket is already obsolete , they are still very usable CPU's though but they have been superceded by the AM2 platforms, but I reckon you should be able to get at least another 2 years out of it as gaming platform and then maybe another 3-4 years as a general workhorse.

I'm glad I have been of assistance to you and I hope you will be happy with that board, I know I have been with mine and if you need any more info or help just give me a shout.

p.s Crucial Ballistix PC3200 works really well in this board by the way.