vnf4ultra
Posts: 1,360 +2
I just bought a dual core amd cpu, and received it today. So I put it in, installed a new zalman CNPS7000B AlCu heatsink/fan, and have been having fun ever since. So I'm going to make a little "upgrading from a single core to a dual core" guide. It will likely be a work in progress. I think many other users may be considering a similar upgrade and might like a nice little guide to help clear some confusion.
Note that I used an existing install of Windows XP Home Edition.
My first step was to research online, which I'd suggest doing if you're considering the upgrade.
I then waited until the cpu was on sale(which is optional btw), and bought it. In my case I got an amd socket 939 opteron 165, which is a 1.8ghz dual core cpu with 1mb l2 cache per core with a stock 9x cpu multiplier. I chose this because it was the cheapest dual core, and it's reportedly a good overclocking chip. My previous chip was an amd 939 athlon 64 3000+ winchester core.
I then installed the latest bios for my motherboard that included support for dual core cpus, in my case, I installed the V5.0 bios for my Chaintech Vnf4/Ultra.
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Next, Once I got the cpu, I backed up my data (always a good idea before any project), and then rebooted my pc and entered the bios and set the bios to "failsafe defaults," since my single core cpu was overclocked, and I didn't want to take any chances of not booting with the new dual core cpu.
I then saved the changes to the bios, and let it boot to windows again. Then, I shut down the pc, switched off the power supply(but left it plugged in to help ground me) and opened the case. I then made sure to ground my self to the case by touching bare metal to discharge any static. I then habitually would touch bare metal on the case through the install process to further reduce static build up, which can kill electronic parts.
I then proceeded to remove my motherboard, since my zalman cooler requires motherboard removal for installation. If you use a heatsink that uses the standard amd heatsink mount shroud, then you can save yourself some time.
I then took the old cpu out(which was difficult, my heatsink was very tight on the cpu, and then once it was off the cpu, the cpu was tight in the socket as well, and yes, I did release the cpu lever).
I then put my new cpu in the socket, noting which direction the gold triangle was in relation to the socket. At this point I applied thermal paste in a thin layer on the cpu and mounted the heatsink. After mounting the heatsink, I plugged the fan into the "cpu fan" header on my motherboard.
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At this point I replaced my motherboard into the case, and reconnected the cards, and wires, which is only necessary if you removed the board (duh, lol).
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Once making sure everything seemed ok, especially that the heatsink was making proper contact and the cpu fan was plugged in, I switched the psu power switch on and pressed the power button. I then made sure that the cpu fan and all other fans were working properly, and that it wasn't making any beeps or other noises out of the ordinary and hit the "del" button to enter my bios (you can't take too long looking at the fans or you'll boot to windows and miss the bios).
Once in the bios, I made sure the settings seemed right, and rebooted, this time noting the hardware detected at POST. It correctly read Opteron dual core cpu, 2cpus, so I knew the bios had correctly identified the cpu. It then booted to windows and came up with a hardware detection message. The message was something like "acpi multiprocessor pc detected, installing the new hardware." It then said I had to reboot to make the changes take effect. I then rebooted. This time, upon opening dev. manager in windows, it displayed the "computer" field as acpi multiprocessor pc instead of the usual acpi uniprocessor pc. I also noted that under the "processors" field, it listed two cpus, one for each core.
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I then opened task manager, and noticed that it had two cpu usage graphs. I then knew windows had detected the cpu was dual core, instead of single.
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I then opened up my av scanner and prime95 and ran both at the same time, and it runs both very fast now. Before, I could only do one intensive task at a time and have reasonable performance. So far all seems well, and I'm impressed by the speed. Currently installing the amd x2 cpu driver and the win xp hotfix for dual cores. Update to follow and also I will post some pictures as well.
Gaming Test.
With my original athlon 64 3000+ and 7800gt, I'd get 6907 in 3dmark05, but now with the dual core(at stock, no oc'ing yet), I get 7139, nice!
Vnf4ultra
Note that I used an existing install of Windows XP Home Edition.
My first step was to research online, which I'd suggest doing if you're considering the upgrade.
I then waited until the cpu was on sale(which is optional btw), and bought it. In my case I got an amd socket 939 opteron 165, which is a 1.8ghz dual core cpu with 1mb l2 cache per core with a stock 9x cpu multiplier. I chose this because it was the cheapest dual core, and it's reportedly a good overclocking chip. My previous chip was an amd 939 athlon 64 3000+ winchester core.
I then installed the latest bios for my motherboard that included support for dual core cpus, in my case, I installed the V5.0 bios for my Chaintech Vnf4/Ultra.
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]Next, Once I got the cpu, I backed up my data (always a good idea before any project), and then rebooted my pc and entered the bios and set the bios to "failsafe defaults," since my single core cpu was overclocked, and I didn't want to take any chances of not booting with the new dual core cpu.
I then saved the changes to the bios, and let it boot to windows again. Then, I shut down the pc, switched off the power supply(but left it plugged in to help ground me) and opened the case. I then made sure to ground my self to the case by touching bare metal to discharge any static. I then habitually would touch bare metal on the case through the install process to further reduce static build up, which can kill electronic parts.
I then proceeded to remove my motherboard, since my zalman cooler requires motherboard removal for installation. If you use a heatsink that uses the standard amd heatsink mount shroud, then you can save yourself some time.
I then took the old cpu out(which was difficult, my heatsink was very tight on the cpu, and then once it was off the cpu, the cpu was tight in the socket as well, and yes, I did release the cpu lever).
I then put my new cpu in the socket, noting which direction the gold triangle was in relation to the socket. At this point I applied thermal paste in a thin layer on the cpu and mounted the heatsink. After mounting the heatsink, I plugged the fan into the "cpu fan" header on my motherboard.
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]At this point I replaced my motherboard into the case, and reconnected the cards, and wires, which is only necessary if you removed the board (duh, lol).
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]Once making sure everything seemed ok, especially that the heatsink was making proper contact and the cpu fan was plugged in, I switched the psu power switch on and pressed the power button. I then made sure that the cpu fan and all other fans were working properly, and that it wasn't making any beeps or other noises out of the ordinary and hit the "del" button to enter my bios (you can't take too long looking at the fans or you'll boot to windows and miss the bios).
Once in the bios, I made sure the settings seemed right, and rebooted, this time noting the hardware detected at POST. It correctly read Opteron dual core cpu, 2cpus, so I knew the bios had correctly identified the cpu. It then booted to windows and came up with a hardware detection message. The message was something like "acpi multiprocessor pc detected, installing the new hardware." It then said I had to reboot to make the changes take effect. I then rebooted. This time, upon opening dev. manager in windows, it displayed the "computer" field as acpi multiprocessor pc instead of the usual acpi uniprocessor pc. I also noted that under the "processors" field, it listed two cpus, one for each core.
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]I then opened task manager, and noticed that it had two cpu usage graphs. I then knew windows had detected the cpu was dual core, instead of single.
[CENTER]
[/CENTER]I then opened up my av scanner and prime95 and ran both at the same time, and it runs both very fast now. Before, I could only do one intensive task at a time and have reasonable performance. So far all seems well, and I'm impressed by the speed. Currently installing the amd x2 cpu driver and the win xp hotfix for dual cores. Update to follow and also I will post some pictures as well.
Gaming Test.
With my original athlon 64 3000+ and 7800gt, I'd get 6907 in 3dmark05, but now with the dual core(at stock, no oc'ing yet), I get 7139, nice!
Vnf4ultra
