So I'm thinking about upgrading to PCI-e but need to get a new board. I'm wondering what the best board to get would be right now to be ready in the future for new technology (other than obviously moving from AGP to PCI-e). I'm not so sure if I'm ready to go with a full upgrade or not because I don't really want to upgrade from my 3500+ or my DDR1 ram, so I was wondering if there are any boards out there that would support both DDR1 and 2 as well as a dual core processor and my current one. That way, I could just buy a new board and video card but use my old RAM and processor until I decide to upgrade to dual core and DDR2 in the future (read: when I can afford it). Is this possible with anything out there right now? Or am I just dreaming?
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Dual core compatible with socket 939 and DDR1?
- Thread starter dbaldus
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1. They make dual-core CPUs for socket 939. There are no 939 motherboards with DDR2 slots.
2. Socket AM2 motherboards run AM2 and the 940-pin AM2 processors, as well as DDR2. 939 chips and DDR will not fit.
2. Socket AM2 motherboards run AM2 and the 940-pin AM2 processors, as well as DDR2. 939 chips and DDR will not fit.
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dbaldus said:
If you're upgrading both processor and memory, I'd probably just get AM2 at this point.
kirbyrj said:
Well, I wasn't planning (fund-wise) to upgrade both my processor and memory, but what I'm wondering is if I should just save up for a few more months and do that instead of spending $250 now to upgrade to PCI-e (videocard and sckt 939 mobo, keeping my same proc and memory). I wouldn't want to do that though if in a year or so my processor and memory are going to be useless.
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I'd look at the ASRock Dual SATA2 board. It is pretty flexible with just about everything (PCIe and AGP) including the ability to add-on a AM2 riser card (AM2 and DDR2). It's usually around $50.
kirbyrj said:
Well, that looks pretty good. So what all would I need in the future to add DDR2 and AM2 proc to this board? How much would it cost? Would it run the same as a board that has "native" DDR2 and socket AM2? Also, I don't really need the AGP and PCI-e since I definitely want to go PCI-e. Are there other boards that have these "risers" to upgrade to AM2 and DDR2 in the future, but stay at 939, DDR1, and PCI-e right now?
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dbaldus said:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813998603
That's what you need along with DDR2 memory and an AM2 CPU. Can't use both DDR1 and AM2 CPU. As far as I've seen, that's the only board that takes both DDR1/AGP/PCIe/s939 and allows for AM2 in the future.
what you have to understand is that the limitation isn't really from the motherboard manufacturers; it's a question of architecture. athlon 64 chips have the memory controller built into the processor. chips that fit into socket 939 have memory controllers for ddr1 and am2 chips have memory controllers for ddr2. memory speeds are usually backwards compatible (ddr4000 working at ddr3200 speeds), but a ddr2 memory controller isn't backwards compatible in the sense that it could talk to a ddr1 memory module. this is why you won't find a 939 board with ddr2 or an am2 board with ddr1.
dualblade said:
Okay, that makes sense. I'm just wondering if there are any more "popular" brands than this ASRock offshoot of ASUS that have boards with something like this "future upgrade riser" on them. Or is this ASRock board actually supposed to be very good?
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dbaldus said:
The ASRock board is actually pretty good. It is overclocks decently and is priced very reasonably. I've used it in a build for one of my friends and he hasn't had any problems with it.
Many, many people have it and you don't hear too much bad stuff about it, so it has to be decent.
If I were you, I would just save until I could go AM2. As of now, 939 systems are not worth upgrading, unless it is something you could use on a future system...
If I were you, I would just save until I could go AM2. As of now, 939 systems are not worth upgrading, unless it is something you could use on a future system...
NewBlackDak
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I have it, and mine rocks.
I've had it up to 350 HTT before. My only complaint has been lack of voltage, but the are 2 extremely simple mods for that. My problem is I'm blind on one eye, and can't see out of the other.
I've had it up to 350 HTT before. My only complaint has been lack of voltage, but the are 2 extremely simple mods for that. My problem is I'm blind on one eye, and can't see out of the other.
Arcygenical
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It means for overclocking... There are only a few voltage settings (low, medium, high). Don't expect a huge overclock out of the riser card! That board will let you run a 939 processor like the best of them. The only reason I upgraded to an a8n-sli was for the 7.1 sound and gb LAN.
Well, now I'm considering just buying a 939 X2 processor instead of moving up to AM2, keeping my RAM, and moving up to a PCI-e card. Any suggestions on a good board for doing just that, hopefully one with more overclocking options? What would be the best 939 X2 processor to get? Or is that a bad idea with AM2 out now?
You are going through all the same decisions i went through a few weeks ago (before the price drops!).
Overclocking is one of those things where you can have the best board and ram but end up with a dog for cpu. The opposite is also true. The cpu i have is a great overclocker and i have a board that is just ok for overclocking. I bought the board when i thought i was going to keep my AGP card. It likely wouldnt have been my first choice for an overclocking board but it worked out very well for me in this case.
Probably one of the Nforce or ATI3200 based boards would be considered the boards to have right now, but they are pricey and i know that was something you have been conserned about.
I recommend you keep your ram and cpu and get something like an ASUS A8N-E and track down a decent used X1800XT or 7900GT. See how far you can push your cpu on that setup and if you are not happy with it then consider a new cpu.
Overclocking is one of those things where you can have the best board and ram but end up with a dog for cpu. The opposite is also true. The cpu i have is a great overclocker and i have a board that is just ok for overclocking. I bought the board when i thought i was going to keep my AGP card. It likely wouldnt have been my first choice for an overclocking board but it worked out very well for me in this case.
Probably one of the Nforce or ATI3200 based boards would be considered the boards to have right now, but they are pricey and i know that was something you have been conserned about.
I recommend you keep your ram and cpu and get something like an ASUS A8N-E and track down a decent used X1800XT or 7900GT. See how far you can push your cpu on that setup and if you are not happy with it then consider a new cpu.
dbaldus said:
Newegg has the Abit AN8 32X for $120 after MIR - imo that's a bargain.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127232
Remember to also budget for a better PSU as a X2/PCI-E mobo may need better than what you have.
BUFF said:
Really? This is my PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023
That could be a deciding factor in upgrading. If I need to shell out another $100+ on a PSU then forget it (for now...)
So, is the one I have right now going to be enough to move up to X2/PCI-E or not?
dbaldus said:
My opinion and echo'd by many others is that the best performance versus cost is the X2 3800+, I received mine today from ZipZoomFly for $154 with free shipping.
As to motherboards, the nForce4 SLI boards have come down signifcantly in price due to the release of nForce4 X16 SLI chipset boards and also the AM2 motherboards of course. An SLI board, even if you are not going to use SLI in the future, gives you the advantage of having that option in the future if you so choose. I've been extremely pleased with my MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum/SLI board (has onboard Creative Labs Sound Blaster Live! 24bit sound chipset instead of the ok RealTek solution that most use). Some have reported mixed success with this board, so be aware of that, but I've been plenty happy. The next step up the MSI Diamond Plus has all the benefits of the board I have plus the newer nForce4 X16 SLI chipset and more PCI-e slots available (the only weakness of my board). http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=710
DFI has long been rated the OC king for s939, but in shootouts without the Winchester core (the MSI had lowsy Winchester support) the MSI was an extremely close second.
I'm sure many will provide addition suggestions for s939 boards. The benefit of course is that the pricing on many of these are going down, down, down...
For socket 939, the nVIDIA chipsets continue to reign and can be used with ATI boards (except in CrossFire configuration) so don't let that be a deterent if you are an ATI fan. If you have to be able to support CrossFire, make sure it's using the ULI series chipset for the south bridge at the ATI has issues. See http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=697 for one example.
So if I just want to move up to an X2 3800+ with a single video card, not SLI (I will not be buying 2 videocards to play games with at once), will my PSU do? I've noticed that both my 3500+ newcastle and the X2 3800+ draw 89W of power, so what else would make a difference?
Again, here is my current PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023
Will I be okay for moving up to a new mobo/processor/videocard or not?
Again, here is my current PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817151023
Will I be okay for moving up to a new mobo/processor/videocard or not?
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dbaldus said:
Link doesn't work
dbaldus said:
My first response is "no" based on these ratings: +12V1@14A, +12V2@15A
Part of the reason is that AGP power supply was insufficient that the majority of AGP cards have a molex power connector on them to supplement the power needs. PCI-e has bumped that power capability higher, so that some mid-range and low range cards don't need a PCI-e power connection. But the overall result is that a PCI-e motherboard/video solution will draw more current from the +12V rails than an older AGP rig might. So while it worked with your Newcastle it doesn't necessarily mean it'll work with the socket 939 PCI-e setup. Again, depending on the video card selected, it may very well work fine.
I'm sure others will respond about their opinions on this. I just know that the MSI site has this disclaimer
MSI.com.tw said:
Just wanted to let the original poster know that I've received and installed my X2 3800+ (LDBFE 0623XPMW stepping) so that my recommendation was based on my own actions.
Haven't overclocked yet, but I noticed a hughe performance difference in many applications.
The most notible was going from around 60% CPU utilization playing 1080P WMVHD "Stepping into Liquid" at full resolution to just under 20% utilization. Media Player is one of those multi-threaded applications in combination with PureVideo HD.
The quality is sweet and the speed increase is neat!
I'll have more OC results after this weekend.
Haven't overclocked yet, but I noticed a hughe performance difference in many applications.
The most notible was going from around 60% CPU utilization playing 1080P WMVHD "Stepping into Liquid" at full resolution to just under 20% utilization. Media Player is one of those multi-threaded applications in combination with PureVideo HD.
The quality is sweet and the speed increase is neat!
I'll have more OC results after this weekend.