where to buy older CPU

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tunes77

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Any recomendations of places to purchase slightly older socket CPUs? My wife has a Compaq with a single core AMD in an AM2+ socket and I need to replace the cpu with a dual core AM2+ but newegg and tiger direct no longer sell those.

I need to replace as soon as possible as my wife is dying to play Star Wars.

Thanks!
 
ebay or amazon

is the vid card strong enough to play the game, sure the system can take a dual core cpu?
 
Buy used on ebay or ask in for sale/trade forum and buy from someone around here, I'm sure you can get those easily. I also have AM2 and it will probably get sold sometime next year.
MrGuvernment said:
ebay or amazon

is the vid card strong enough to play the game, sure the system can take a dual core cpu?
Click to expand...

AM2+ had native support for duals, so I believe any AM2+ mainboard will be supporting any CPUs from 2008 and earlier.
 
Check for an updated BIOS first for the Compaq computer

AM3 processors work on AM2+ motherboards due to the presence of both the DDR2 and DDR3 memory controllers on the processor

AM2+ processors do not work on AM3 motherboards due to the processor's lack of a DDR3 memory controller
 
Any quad-core Phenom II or Athlon II or lower should work, with the exception of the Phenom II 960T, which is based on Thuban. Essentially, any Deneb or Propus processor will work, doesn't matter whether it is AM2+ or AM3.
 
Do your homework before you buy anything. Sometimes people think they have AM2+ but they only have AM2. If you have AM2 then your choices are much more limited. Most AM2 boards will not take anything with a Phenom core, especially if it was a Dell, HP, Compaq etc since those big companies don't develop and release a new bios for new processors very often, if at all.

Also note that AMDs cpus back then varied all over the map in terms of TDP, so watch out for that too.
If the computer was designed for a cpu with say a 65W TDP and you swap in an 89W, which were common, it may overheat because the heatsink is too small. Some of those prebuilt computers have specialized heatsinks and brackets so it isn't so easy to upgrade to a better cooler either.

I have an Optiplex 740 with an AM2 socket so that's why I know most of these things. I am lucky, I got one with a special "enhanced" board that can take a Phenom, but the heatsink was designed for a 65W Brisbane cpu so swapping in a 95W Phenom won't work very well, and it has a special heatsink with special, non-standard holes in the motherboard, and a special non-standard bracket for the heatsink to attach. Oh, and it's a BTX motherboard.

Anyway, I'm sure you can find at least a dual core that will work. Make sure to check out cpu specs at cpu-world.com
 
thanks for the advice. Here is a link to the comp specs:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...81299&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=4300468#N295

It has an Athlon II 170u (Sargas) in it right now. According to it's info it says it's AM3, but the CPU upgrade section says only AM2+. So maybe an AM3 would be ok. I put a new video card in last year (well as in not onbaord) an 8400GS. I actually tried logging in and currently it DOES run the game but even on low settings it's sluggish. It's playable with shadows turned off and things like that. I'd still like to put a dual core in if possible.
 
Try to see online Pc store for surplus cmputers. But most old computers are already bid in the auction sites.
 
tunes77 said:
thanks for the advice. Here is a link to the comp specs:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...81299&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=4300468#N295

It has an Athlon II 170u (Sargas) in it right now. According to it's info it says it's AM3, but the CPU upgrade section says only AM2+. So maybe an AM3 would be ok. I put a new video card in last year (well as in not onbaord) an 8400GS. I actually tried logging in and currently it DOES run the game but even on low settings it's sluggish. It's playable with shadows turned off and things like that. I'd still like to put a dual core in if possible.
Click to expand...

Motherboard TDP is 95 watts. That means you can use any processor with a 95 watt TDP or lower (that means none of the BE Phenom II x4, which are all 125w TDP).

The reason your processor can be AM3 is because AM3 processors can be used in AM2+ sockets, as mentioned above.

In the CPU upgrade information, it says you can upgrade to any Phenom II quad-core, and thus most likely any Athlon II quad-core. By extension, that also means any Phenom II triple-core and dual-core, as well as Athlon II triple-core and dual-core, as well as Sempron. As long as you choose a processor that has a 95w TDP or lower. The most powerful one you can get would be the Phenom II x4 945 95w version. Anything lower than that is also fine.
 
Thanks for the help! I should just build my wife a system like i built mine... but I don't have as much time as I used to.
 
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