Looking to upgrade processor, board Micro-Star MS-7184

[noctis08]

hello, ive had this desktop computer for years now and the processor is extremely outdated. I have been looking around trying to figure out how i can upgrade the processor speed but it seems the more i look up the less i know about computers...

anyways i have: Board: MICRO-STAR MS-7184
Serial Number: 5922655884

current proccessor: 2.00 gigahertz AMD Athlon 64
256 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Not hyper-threaded

I believe the socket is a 939? when i looked up these specs i found that the highest processor i can place is " AMD Athlon 64 X2 (up to 4800+) and Sempron (up to 3200+) processors".

Can anyone verify this?Or is it not worth investing in a new processor? i am looking to find the best upgrade rather then spending cash to buy a new computer. Any advice would be extremely appreciated.

 

[Veshtor05]

Hey Noctis,

Truth be told you are better off upgrading your Motherboard, RAM, and Processor if you want to see any substantial difference. A socket 939 is quite a bit old and since then they have move onto the AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, etc sockets for AMD Mobos and Processors.

Socket 939 processors are to the point where they are no longer just old enough to be cheap. Since they are no longer made they are old enough to be more expensive than modern counterparts in many cases.

When upgrading the MOBO and CPU you want to look into more than just the processor speed. Important factors are also the types and amount of cache for a processor, number of cores, and RAM that can be used with that CPU.

The newer Athlon II X2s as an example are a significant leap from the original Athlon 64s and a discerning buyer online can find them significantly cheap. AM2+ boards are currently somewhat inexpensive and so is DDR2 RAM. They are currently at the stage where they are old enough to be somewhat cheap but with the newest socket and processors being sold by AMD now it may change iwthin the next few years to start getting expensive again from being old enough.

You also have the route of a AM3 with DDR2 or DDR3 Ram option available which are also moderately priced.

If you check out the website pricewatch.com you can look at pricing for several different mobos, cpus, etc from various websites easily. I just completed a full build including case, HDD, Mobo, CPU, DVD-RW, RAM, Graphics card, etc for just over $350.00