Upgrading processor?

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reckedracing

reckedracing

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So i just added 1gb of memory for a total of 1.256

now when i go to the performance screen under task manager the CPU usage is maxing and red-lining at 100% a lot...

can i upgrade the chip without having to get a whole new mother board?

current chip = AMD Athlon XP 1800+
AT/AT compatable?
 
you mean de-soldering and solder in a new one?
i can't just get a bigger chip for the socket i have?
 
It won't require any soldering, just remove the old chip (there is usually a lever that holds it in place) and put the new one in, reinstall the heat sink and you are good to go.
 
so can anyone tell me what i can upgrade to?
or where i might look to find this info?
 
Just curious but what are you using this system for ? an AMD Athlon XP 1800+ is a 1.5Ghz processor. I'm using a similar speed processor and 1.5Gb of ram on my laptop and never have any problems. How long ago was Windows installed ? In any case just taking a quick look whats avaliable, even if your mother board supported a Athlon XP 2500 < you're looking at $70 to increase the speed by 300Mhz. not worth is in my opinion
 
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hmm, i use it for lots of things...

at any given time i'll have numerous versions of quickbooks open, corel word perfect, corel spreadsheet, cardscan(rolodex), numerous IE windows, one or more versions of our tax program, our e-file cabinet

i tend to multi task, always having to do diffrent things in all the programs at the same time...
the server we have right now is being replaced in a couple days so it might speed things up a lot, but i'm already running every application off my tower

i have problems when clients call and i need to make changes or access information right then and there... i'll have to put them on hold to open the program or go between years or between screens etc...

i was just looking to see what the options were, $70 for 300 is definately not worth it, i agree

windows was installed prob about 2 years ago, give or take a year...
 
Sometimes CPU-Z will recognize the motherboard brand/model. Best bet is to get the free version of Everest (Home Edition). But why upgrade that crappy socket A?

For the money, you can go to Fry's or outpost.com and order a decent combo for 90 dollars or so and you can get a mobo+CPU combo. However, the motherboards are crappy ECS', it should do you well if you dont overclock. Ive built 3 systems with them since December 05' and haven't had any problems yet. And by the time it goes out, you can probably upgrade the whole thing (1 year warranty).

Ive seen AMD 3000+ - 3500+ combos for $60-99 or even 150 for the AMD X2. Sometimes they even put out the 805 Penitum D combos. Best yet, they are all DDR compliant so you dont need to chuck that memory.
 
very interesting information...

so i opened the tower and started researching
i have a very vague idea about what you just wrote, ie: socket A etc

I have an ASUS A7N266-VM

[SIZE=-1]
[SIZE=-1]Supports Socket A AMD Duron, Athlon, and Athlon XP up to 2400+.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]NVIDIA nForce 220-D: NVIDIA IGP-64 north bridge and NVIDIA MCP-D south bridge.[/SIZE]
and i found this
Want to use a faster CPU? How about a 2400+? Well all you need to do is download ASUS's latest BIOs v1006 from my site and flash yourself up. You'll also have to check your rev of this board. You must have rev. 1.03 or higher to use the faster CPUs and if you don't then you're out of luck.
My download has the AFLASH.EXE utility included with the 1006 BIOs update to perform the flash procedure and always always remember to SAVE THE OLD BIOS FIRST kids....
Click to expand...


so a Athlon XP 1800+ = 1.53 GHz
and a Athlon XP 2400+ = 2.0 GHz

am i right?

and is there a HUGE speed diffrence with "dual core"?
[/SIZE]
 
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If you are running Windows, not really. For what you are doing, they aren't really going to be worth the money.
 
what won't be worth the money?
dual core?
or the 2400?

or both?

the highest GHz they have now is 3.0 right?
and if you want faster you need to go to dual core?

ooh
Intel® Pentium® D 965 DC Extreme Edition (3.73GHz/1066FSB/2X2MB Cache)
only 1075
lol
 
Sorry, the dual core

There are chips that are single core and faster than 3.0GHz, but don't compare based on clock speed alone. The new Core Duo's from intel run significantly lower clock speeds than the Pentium 4's or D's did and they are was faster.
 
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the illussion with dual core processors that sound like they are better to a typical person is that 2 must be better than one, but need a multithreaded OS and multithreaded applications to take advantage of the dual core , or even dual processor machine.

sound like you've reached the limit of your current motherboard, if you replace your motherboard you'll need to re-install windows, as it's not great at those types of upgrades.

Also, windows running on a system for 2 years is a long time. You could always try a nice fresh install.

Another idea make yourself a permanent swap file = to the size of the ram that is in the machine.
 
I think for that 70 for the XP, it isnt worth it. I have an 1700+ XP and my father has a 2800+ or something, and its not a whole lot faster. However, my 3000+ 64 feels much faster with same RAM amount and HDD speed (7200rpm w/8mb cache). Maybe get a used one? That ASUS is still a good board.

Keep your eyes peeled at outpost.com if you don't have a Fry's. There are really good combos, basically a free motherboard with the purchase of a processor.

True dual core isnt much use right now, but it will be. If you ever plan on gaming in the near future, many games are being written to take advantage of it. Plan on watching HD movies? Minimum dual core AMD X2 4200+ or Pentium 830 or higher. Thats with software encoding too. Without it, itll max out both cores. How about video/audio? My 2.4ghz takes 14 minutes to compress a 7.2gb movie to fit on a 4.4gb disc. My brothers dual core at same frequency, same cache, etc... takes 8 minutes.

Try running diskeeper, antivirus scan, listening to music and surfing with firefox with a single core. Itll stutter. With a dual core system, hardly.

If you can, get it. Not that much more and you wont be kicking yourself later.
 
ASUS A8N5X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail at Newegg.com
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz Socket 939 Processor - Retail at Newegg.com

Good Mobo and Processor setup for about 150. It will likely be compatible with everything you have, unless you are running an AGP video card. My sister's Athlon 64 3200+ runs circles around my Athlon xp barton 2500+ when it comes to multiple tasks/programs. I never really have a problem with running anything unless AVG is doing its thing in the background.

Not to mention, I think you can upgrade to a dual core X2 later on if you need to.
 
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