AMD64 Upgrade-Please Help?? Hi Guys, I am looking to upgrade my old XP2400 to the 64bit platform. A couple of questions before I pull the trigger..... For budget purposes I was going with the following socket 754 setup, what do you think or is their better on the market at this time for around $300? ABIT KV8 Pro Socket 754 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail GeIL Value 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model GE1GB3200BSC - Retail AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Newcastle Integrated into Chip FSB Socket 754 Processor Model ADA3000AXBOX - Retail Am I amking the right decision by going with the VIA chipset over the Nforce? Looking to hear what you guys think?? Thanks!
TBH, while there is nothing 'wrong' with socket 754, you have to be aware you will be buying into a 'dead end' platform as its being discontinued for Athlon 64. The advantage of going 939 pin is now alot greater as it supports future technologies like the new dual core CPU's that are coming out and even PCI-E/SLI on Nforce 4 boards. IMO I think its now worth spending a little extra and getting a 939pin board as it could save you money in the long run with a greater upgrade path. As for chipsets, I think the nforce ones are probably a better bet. For 754's check out the Norce 3 250gb, all 939 pin nforce 3's have this chipset I belive. If you did choose the 939 pin route, then you have a choice between Nforce 3 and 4. Which you go for depends on whether you want PCI-Express. If you are buying a new Graphics card in the near future, then an Nforce 4 Ultra board would probably be a better bet. If you are sticking with AGP for a while, then Nforce 3 is fine. As for pricing, im not too sure what it costs in your part of the world... in the UK there isnt a huge difference between a 939pin 3000+ setup and a 754 one, but im sure (are u from america?) one of the american gurus could help u there.
Thanks for the Repy Mike.... Any ideas on a comparable 939MB,chip and 1g memory for around my price range? I will still be using my AGPgfx card for now until I can afford an upgrade. I know Abit makes a Nv8MB with the 939 socket (Nforce) for the same price but I am not sure it is as good as the rating on the Kv8pro (Via) 754 socket?
That's not too bad a deal, actually.. 939 will probably cost you about $50 more. The upgrade thing is true, all the new dual-cores will be 939 only, but supposedly by Q2 or Q3 of next year there will be a new socket anyway (as well as DDR-2 support), so it depends a bit on how long you intend to keep this new system as-is. Nforce and Via perform about the same, both to seem to overclock well. Nforce is probably favored a bit more for features, but nothing you'd really notice.
I purchased this board when it was first released (rev1.1); and I am very pleased with the performance and stability of this system built around the Abit KV8 Pro. BUT, if “ I ” were to build a system at this point in time, I would defiantly invest the money into socket 939. It will offer much greater upgrade opinions in the next 2 years. On the other hand, you won’t be disappointed with the performance/price ratio of socket 754. For me, the determining factor would be the video card. If you own a newer high end AGP based card and didn’t plan on upgrading it for the next 12 to 18 months then Socket 754 will serve you well.
if you don't intend on upgrading soon buy 754 if you do 939 all this stuff about dual cores is right but amd is believed to be raising the fsb even more to get faster and smoother transfer so any budget 939 board you get will surely struggle with dual core so bear in mind when you upgrade next you will probably still need a new mobo