A7N8X-E processor question

[ptitterington]

Basically I am very happy with this board and other than a few re-formats and a new hd and dvd burner It has been my most unchanged system.

What I am at a bit of a loss to find out is, Is it worth changing the processor.
Currently I have 1 gig pc2700ram and a xp2400 processor.

I do quite a lot of video work so would buying an Athlon xp 3200 make much difference. They dont seem a bad price at about £75.00

Thanks folks

 

[howard_hopkinso]

You might want to checkout a few things first.

The Amd Athlon XP3200+ runs at a fsb of 400mhz(200mhz actual)

so you would need to upgrade your ram to pc3200(ddr400) to match the processor.

Also check your mobo specs to make sure that your board supports the required fsb and cpu. You may need a bios upgrade.

If everything checks out ok then I would say that yes you will notice an improvment in performance.

Regards Howard :grinthumb

 

[ptitterington]

Thanks for the speedy reply,

I half expected a memory problem, but it may not be too bad if I can dump what I have into my daughters system, just need to check if her Abit KD7E will handle the xp2400, I had a devil of a game with the xp2100. But they have hopefully released a bios update by now.

 

[Justin]

All versions of the A7N8X-E supported the 3200+ Barton. No BIOS upgrade is needed.


If you opt for the 2500+ barton now, you can keep your current ram and upgrade later, and OC the CPU if you are willing to do such.


You will likely not notice much of a difference in ~95% of what you use your computer for. The biggest differences you will notice will be in:

* High-end 3D games
* Encoding video/audio
* Compiling programs
* Memory-bandwidth intensive applications such as seti@home, virtual dub during encoding or decoding, et cetera


Other then that your PC experience will be largely unchanged.

I actually went the same upgrade route. I had an AXP 2400+ in an A7N8X-E Deluxe and got a 2500+, and overclocked it to 3200+ with a gig of ram.

Later, I overclocked the cpu even further - To 2,633mhz. 800mhz beyond its original clockspeed. It screamed.

 

[ptitterington]

Well it is the video encoding that I needed it for. and seeing that the new ram will set me back £80ish for a gig, I dont think I am willing to spend total £135 just for a small improvement.
I will investigate the Barton route, maybe try some o/clocking but have usually kept away from it after a few bad experiences long time ago, plus a lack of patience.

Thanks folks :grinthumb

 

[Justin]

Yeah, I wouldn't spend much money doing any upgrades on that either. Unless you are willing to get a barton mobile, high end cooling and super badass ram, then push them to their limits, you're better off just waiting a few months/years/whatever you measure time in and springing for a higher end chip like an Athlon64.