Upgrading from stock AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ -> 6400+, need new HSF?

[ThornDJL7]

I'm currently looking to upgrade my old AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ CPU. I'm looking at the 6400+ as my chip to buy, but need to know if I need to replace my HSF that came with the 4200+. Thank You!

 

[saint19]

Hi and welcome to Tom's forum.

What mobo do you have? Did you checked the CPU support list of your mobo to know that the new CPU is supported? Why upgrade to an old CPU?

 

[ThornDJL7]

Thanks for the welcome!

Yes, I did check that mobo supported it. According to MSI's website specs it does support this CPU I'm looking at.

Mobo: (Socket AM2)MSI K9N4 SLI-F nForce 500 SLI Chipset DDR2/800 SATA-II RAID MBoard w/ Dual 16x PCI-Express

The choice is the best CPU for my mobo without having to redo my computer entirely, which is not an option my budget. At least, as far as I can figure since I see 6400+ for about $30ish used, which I don't mind as long as I have a 1 year warranty.

Goal is to tune up for SW:TOR. I can play, but would like a bit more out of my computer to play. 5-15 FPS isn't all that nice.

 

[saint19]

Well, the stock cooler is enough for keep the CPU at safe segment temps and if you don't want overclock it I don't see any problem on keep the stock cooler.

 

[ThornDJL7]

i made a similar move with an old DELL. using the same HSF, expect to see idle temps in the low 40s and load in the low 60s as that chip runs hot. those temps are considered warm for a CPU but still within its ability to operate properly.

That raises a related question: How do I tell what temp my parts are running at? It's something other than making sure I had adequate cooling, and cleaning out my comp every few months I've never really looked into, since it was all stock equipment. So, I assume it would function appropriately.

 

[ThornDJL7]

Best answer selected by ThornDJL7.