Is the Opteron 180 the best available cpu for the GA-K8NF-9 sct939 Motherboard ??

Hi,
Thanks, for your help. I have been trying to find the info on my own, but, as you can imagine, most things are aimed at the leading edge. Not the foot-draggers, as I`m sure the big companies perceive us. Even though, we were once the people buying their leading edge products. I discovered some time ago, that despite what they were saying, I did not need to be on the leading edge.

A little later, due to circumstances beyond my control, I could not afford to be on the leading edge. Discovering that fact before my disability, made it easier to deal with when I no longer had a choice. But, even I, had not expected to get so far behind the leading edge. When I bought this system new some 9yrs ago, I had intended that this time, I would get it upgraded after 3 or 4yrs, but, life got in the way & I had to keep putting it off for other priorities.

If it is not too much of an imposition, can you tell me if the "GeForce 7950 GX2" is the best "GeForce" graphics card I can try to get for this system and a 2nd alternative in case of supply trouble. ?? Also, will these improvements require me to replace my PSU, I`m afraid, I have no idea, what the PSU size is. I cannot open my tower case myself. Once I have the parts, I will have to get them taken to a shop & have them, insert them in my case for me.

Thanks, David J.G.

Hi Satyam,
Thanks again. Sorry for my tardiness, my illness can get in the way. I`ve been trying to look things up, but, I swear, I`m going cross-eyed. To borrow a statement from "Monty Python", "my brain hurts". I found an "NVidia Comparison" chart which confirmed that the "GeForce 7950 GX2" is compatible with my "Motherboard", but, I could not find similar ones for the cards you suggested. The Geforce 8800 showed up in another comparison to out-perform the 9800 GTX, but, again I could not find whether it is comparable with my motherboard.

Do you know, which cpu, preferably "Amd", is the most advanced, yet able to operate "Windows XP" 32 bit & the majority of my old games ?? If so, which motherboard would it require & should it be able to fit in my tower case ??

As it might be easier to do that and it will be more up to date, than the original idea. Hopefully, there would not be much of an increase in cost except for the insertion work. I know, I want to have my cake & eat it, but, then which computer-user does not. Computers were supposed to be all about just that, if I`m not mistaken. The impossible made possible, with computer-wizardry. Just look at the special-effects industry for instance.

Originally, we were told computers would be backwards compatible, so that, you could continue to use older software, if you wanted to. It would be up to the software companies to bring out better software, to pry you away from your once favourite older programs or games. However, perhaps they are hoping no-one remembers that now. In these current trying financial times, it should be obvious, that people cannot continue to be constantly renewing anything. Which seems to be the system, all the big companies are relying on, whether it be computers or anything else.

It is being said, "that it will be sometime before software uses all the ability, of hardware created a few years ago" and "that programmers are not being as compact with their code because of this". Which means when the public has to improve their system, they spend more money than they otherwise would have had to.

Thanks David J. G

Hi VarmintCong,
Thankyou for your interest in my problem. As it happens, I was already considering, what other options I might have to contemplate. Just in case, the first solution was just too impracticable. As I have said previously in the forum, the plan was not to go beyond 4yrs, without upgrading this time. But, as with most plans it still got away from me, as before.

I have rather a large computer museum in my loft as it is, this time, was supposed to be different, I promised myself. So , as I have mentioned to "Satyam", I was thinking of another way to re-use my current "Tower case". Maybe, I have just been lucky in the past or I have just not had the time, to use the computer as much, as others do. But, I have never had a part fail except my "On/Off" switch on my "Atari St" through over-use. As I was still fit & well then & therefore, too busy working. Grabbing a 1/2 hour or an hour when I could, hence wearing out the switch. Until recently, when my "Dvd drive" gave out a loud pop, as that of a child`s very loud cap-pistol, frightened the begeebers out of me. Did not help, part of my illness is nerves related. You can still see the finger-nail marks in my ceiling.

So now, except for internet-access, I am reduced to playing "Freecell" & "Spider-solitaire" as my choices, until I find a solution. As the computer & the T.V. are the only things I use to occupy my mind. I am having to rely too heavily on the t.v. except for the continuous search for an update. I now use my computer more, I am more dependent upon it & order "Home Deliveries" from the "Supermarkets" using it. So, I would be grateful, if you could look at my reply to "Satyam" & let me know, if you have any further idea`s.

Thanks David J. G.

Hi Satyam,
Only twice while I was at school, did I come across the situation, were more than the majority of kids the following day, were doing nothing else, but, talk about the programme that I had enjoyed the night before. The first time was just after I started at "Infant" school, the programme in question, was my first "Sci-Fi" programme & set me on the path of interest in that genre & therefore later, computers. The episode was called "An Unearthly Child" & the programme celebrates 50yrs this "November". I have never missed an episode since that first one.

The Second, was while I was at the "Technical High School", in the early half of the `70`s, it was "Monty Python`s Flying Circu...s !!!! Luckily, despite the fact, that they could not understand what I saw in it, my parents allowed me to stay up & watch it. Yes, in those days, it was not the law, that teenagers could stay up as late as they liked, hard to believe now. I used to think, that the terror that the "Comfy chair" inspired, was hilarious. That was until, I have become practically tied to one myself, now the terror is understandable, choice is everything.

You can see clips on "You-Tube". Did you know, that 3 members of the future "Monty-Python" team, first did what was supposed to be a children`s programme, called "Do Not Adjust Your Set" in the `60`s, which I used to watch. Someone else involved, went on to be in the very good comedy trio, "The Goodies". Another, later well known comedy-actor that was in it, was "David Jason".

You can also see clips of this show, they had an unusual band that filled the musical interlude between sketches, "The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band", I kid you not. Terry Gilliam did the animations, as later, in "Monty-Python". The only time, the band decided to try & do a potential hit-record, was a ditty called "I`m an Urban Spaceman" which I believe did make the "Top-20" at the time. They also recorded "Monster Mash", I believe before "Bobby (Boris) Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers".

Yes, but, everyone of them including "Eddie", has admitted, that they were influenced by "Spike Milligan" & "The Goons" from the `50`s. They did for comedy, what "The Beatles" did for popular music. Otherwise, none of us, would have been able to enjoy the varied comedy & musical talent, we enjoy today. Boundries in both mediums, were pushed beyond stretching point.

I have a "TssTcorp CD-R/RW SH-R522C drive, which I am hoping still works, but, I dare not try it, in case it follows the "DVD" drive & puts my whole computer out of action. The Tower-case itself & Mouse & Keyboard.

As I need to replace the Cpu, graphics card & DVD Rewriter & most likely the PSU. The current HDD 127 gb is one that a friend gave me because the two originals were having problems. I do have an external HDD attached "Seagate 500 gb". I doubt, I will reach games released in 2010, for the last decade, I have been buying my games 2nd hand from "Amazon", as I must make the most of the money, I have. My most up to date "Football Management" games, which I have not played yet, are the 2007 versions. I have no idea, how much they will charge for fitting the items. I was hoping to spend between £250-£300 inc. fitting, but, the older parts, seem more expensive than I was expecting, possibly because many others are doing the same. I have no interest in "Wi-Fi" or online gaming.

The other alternative would be to buy another "Refurbished" computer, ready with the system I want, If they are available, most of those seem to be "Intel". But, I would still need to know, which is the most advanced cpu, that will work with "Win.XP" & the majority of my older games, likewise the graphics card. So, that I could try to find a "Refurbished" one, suitable for my needs.

Thanks again, David J.G.

Hi Satyam,
Firstly, I must apologise for not being in touch sooner. As you may have guessed, my illness is partly responsible. I had found some different info out, just before you apparently replied to me. But, then was put out of action for some time. The intensity, of searching for info, in the shortest period of time possible, is probably responsible for my enforced absence. I know, it sounds absurd, but, this illness messes me up on so many levels. This is also why, I cannot play some of the type of games, I used to love & also, partly why, I do not use on-line gaming.

I am sorry to hear of your accident, I hope you are healing well. As to where to buy the parts, I have never got this far in my efforts to upgrade, previously. However, I was looking at "Amazon" & "E-Bay", as the only places that these parts showed up. I cannot believe, that I miss named the record, I mentioned to you. It should have been "I`m the Urban Spaceman" By The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band inc. Neil Innes.

The first time I ever saw "John Cleese", was in a sketch, which was in the first "Political Satire" program on "British T.V." which was in the "60`s". The name of the program, was "That was the week, that was" presented by David Frost now "Sir". The theme tune, was sung by the lovely "Millicent Martin", who I believe also took part in some sketches, the last time I saw her, was on "Frasier", playing the mother of "Daphne", the live-in nurse for his father. I believe she has been living in the U.S.A. for some time now.

The sketch I am referring to, is renowned amongst people of my age-group in the U.K., it depicted the different social classes, as they were then seen. "John Cleese" was the upper-class business man, in bowler hat & pinstripe suit & the tallest. The two comic actors who were with him in the sketch, were called "Ronnie Barker" & "Ronnie Corbett", "Ronnie B." played a middle-class business man with a trilby hat & was medium-sized, "Ronnie C." was the lower-classed man in a flat-cap & mack & was the smallest. The latter two, as a result of "David Frost" bringing them together in his show, went on to be one of Britain`s greatest comedy duo`s, known as "The Two Ronnies".

Another surreal sketch from this show, was "Ronnie B." & "Ronnie C." as men walking through a narrow passageway in opposite directions. All the sounds were of car movements & horns, representing their movement & disgust at being blocked in the alleyway. Peter Cook & Dudley Moore also came through at this time, I remember watching their T.V. show in B/W called "Pete & Dud", again some quite surreal comedy. I believe the sketch, were "Dudley Moore" is supposed to be an actor, going for a part & "Peter Cook" is the producer, came about during this show. The gag revolves around the fact, that "Dudley Moore" is hopping on one leg, the left one.

The good news, is a friend of mine, paid a visit & discovered that my "DVD" drive is not out of action. Apparently, the game disk had shattered in the drive, he said, "that this happens occasionally", but, I must admit, I had not even heard of it before let alone, had it happen to me. The bad news, is I found a website, that says, the above mentioned "CPU" is not supported by my "Motherboard". Website is http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Gigabyte/GA-K8NF-9(Rev_1.x).html. Hopefully, this will be of some help, to anyone else who is looking to upgrade a 939 sckt motherboard. Perhaps, transpose different motherboard name, in place of my "Gigabyte", to get relevant results. I am sure you have guessed, but, this is the first time I had accessed a "Forum". But, from what I can gather, this thread is no longer relevant. So, I have some ideas where to go from here, but, I guess, I will have to open another thread first. If you can let me know, if this is the case, then I will open another.

Thanks, David J.G.

Hi Satyam,
Sorry, I did not get an e-mail from the website, to say that you had replied. It is only because I decided to look at the website itself, that I found your reply. Glad to hear, your accident has not left any permanent damage. Firstly, I have to correct myself yet again. After mentioning it to you before I looked up "That was the Week that Was", to find to my astonishment, that it only lasted for "Two Series".

But, was followed by a similar show, with most of the same people called "The Frost Report". Now, I know it was almost 50 yrs ago & I was very young at the time, but, I could have sworn, it was "That was the Week" all the way through, as I remembered the theme tune so clearly. No idea, what the theme tune for "The Frost Report" was.

As mentioned before "John Cleese", was in the sketch & he was apparently, the first member of what was to be "The Pythons", who stepped in front of the camera. If not all, then nearly all, were involved behind the scenes on "That was the Week", including "John", in writing sketches & such. Another good comedy talent, involved behind those scenes was "Marty Feldman", who later had some success with his own t.v. show & in some comedy films. The last one, was "YellowBeard" the pirate, during which I`m sorry to say, he died prematurely.

The Actor "Kenneth Cope", who was later better known for his portrayal of "Marty Hopkirk", in "Randall & Hopkirk ( Deceased)", was also in "That was the Week". As well as the "Pythons", "Peter Cook, Roald Dahl, Dennis Potter & Bill Oddie ( later member of "The Goodies") & great comic writer & actor "Eric Sykes" were amongst the many script writers for the show. The show I referred to as "Pete & Dud", was in fact called "Not only...But Also", "Pete & Dud" being the names in the sketches. "Peter Cook & Dudley Moore" also did the original version of the comedy film "Bedazzled" in 1967. The sketch I mentioned before I mis-remembered, it was the right leg not the left.

Thank you, for your efforts on my behalf, they are interesting & have given me more to think about. As I mentioned to "VarmintCong", who was also good enough to try to help, I was looking at alternatives to my original hope & I found some. As the older parts are more expensive than I expected, I have had to consider another "Refurbished" system. I have found some & would like your opinion, on their ability to do what I am looking for & whether they are balanced systems ? How they compare to your own suggestions ? Personally, I do not think, I will need more than a "Duel-Core", as the purchasing of new games now is very unlikely. Any I did get, would be second-hand & therefore, probably 4 or 5 yrs old. I have built game collections for 8 previous platforms, which I still have 7 of them now. So, I would rather just make use of the P.C. games I now have. Some of which, I have only tested to see that they work, even though, I have had them several years.

The two most promising systems I came across are the following :-

A Multimedia / Gaming System, AMD Trinity A4-5300 Dual Core 3.4 ghz cpu, ATi Radeon HD 7480 D Grahics, 1 TB HDD, 8Gb 1333mhz DDR3 Ram, USB 2.0, DVD +- RW drive, ( Sckt FM2 so most up to date, so I might manage to upgrade next-time.) £289.95 with free P&P. No operating System, I have some suppliers lined up for Windows XP Pro 32 bit Service Pack 3. extra £58.80 + free P&P.


Dell Gaming PC Precision 490, w/Palit High End Gaming/Videocard, Intel Xeon Dual Core 3.2ghz cpu, Palit GeForce GTX465 1Gb 256 bit GDDR5 video card, 4Gb Ram, 400 Gb HDD, DVD-RW drive, Microsoft Windows 7 Support, Windows XP Pro Pre-installed, Microsoft Open Office, AVG Anti-virus Free Edition, £250.00 + £8.89 P&P.

The "AMD" system is perhaps more up to date, has a bigger HDD than I need & twice the ram that will work with Win.XP. Although, it came up on a list of XP compatible computers, nothing is mentioned on the site & you quite often get things coming up on lists, that do not conform to your original request. Will my old games be too beneath it, to work.
The "Intel" system seems to have a good graphics card currently ranked 40th on 3/7/13 with 1 Gb Ram. Whilst my current GPU is ranked 576th on same date, with 256 Mb Ram. Has as much Ram as the Win.XP already installed can use, a more manageable HDD. Potential to change to Win.7 should I wish to.

If the majority of my P.C. games, could work on either of these systems then I could use this current system, for any older ones that would not work on new system. Plus as my Internet computer to avoid mucking up new system.

I am glad that I have something I can contribute, as I am now so out of it, on the computer front. Being a child of the first T.V. generation in Britain, growing up in the 60`s with only 2 channels in B/W. You had to go up to the set & change the channel, no remote`s then. The first decade, were the majority of households in Britain acquired a t.v. I have spent the majority of my life watching t.v., not just British programmes, but, U.S. & the occasional European ones as well. Also, many films starting with B/W through to most recent shown on "Sky". Programmes did not start till early evening, except for children`s hour at dinnertime, then only went through till midnight & the reminder to turn off your set. In between was just the test card, which nowadays of course, has been made redundant.

I have just found out today, that a gentleman, whose creations helped to make my childhood so enjoyable, died last "Boxing Day". I refer to "Gerry Anderson" of "Fireball XL5, Stingray, Capt.Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, U.F.O., Space 1999 & Space Precinct" fame. Only 4 yrs after, the other great influence on my childhood, "Oliver Postgate", of "Ivor the Engine, Noggin The Nog, The Clangers & Bagpuss" fame. Today`s children have no idea, what a difference these men could have been making to their childhood, were they still able. Although, hopefully, they will get to see video`s or DVD`s, of these classic kids programmes that they can enjoy. No doubt bought, by parents, with fond memories, of shows they enjoyed themselves. May both of them R.I.P. & long be remembered for their wonderful work.

Thanks, David J.G.

Hi Satyam,
Thanks, I have always preferred "AMD" as I dislike monopolies, but, finances are tighter now, so I think, I will go with the "Intel" system. I now know, which "CPU & Graphics card" I could get, to improve my current system & I may still do that, depending on how many of my games, don`t work on the new system & future finances.

As regards "British" t.v. comedy, if you could mine it, I think, the early 60`s, would have been referred to as a rich seam. The majority if not all, would admit to being influenced by "The Goons", which was a B.B.C. radio comedy show from the 1950`s. There were 4 members of the "Goons" originally, "Spike Milligan ( who had the original idea & wrote most of it ), Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe & Micheal Bentine".

There was as far as I know 1 film, called "Down among the Z-Men". There was at least 1 Top-20 single record, as they were then known, released in the 60`s called "The Ying Tong Song" & the reverse side had "I`m walking backwards for Xmas". This was how, I came to know about them. These song titles should show you, that they had "Surreal" roots. Prince Charles was a fan & as part of a celebration for "Spike", paid homage, with his own take on one of the characters from the show, whilst serving as a helicopter pilot. As follows:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IfhC587Wiik , ( hope that was right ).

According to your age reference, if you started watching t.v. & films in 1987 then you would have started, at the same age as me, back in 1962. The expression "be careful what you wish for" comes to mind, as then we only had 2 t.v. channels & most "Britons", would have liked to have had a few more choices. The "American`s", apparently, were saying, "how lucky we were to have such good programmes". As by then, they had at least 100 channels or more & had found out the cost of that mistake.

We now also have too many channels, what was the result, you`ve guessed it, "How are we going to fill all these channels with programmes, 24 hrs a day". We`ll develop cheap reality & game shows, where the general public, get a chance at their 15 mins of fame & in return, we get cheap substitutes for professional performers & entertainers, who have honed their craft over the years. Result, too many programmes that need to be avoided.

It was fair enough, when they first gave members of the general public, the opportunity to prove they had the talent or skill to be a performer on t.v. But, then, they weeded out the people who were tone-deaf & yet convinced, they were going to be the next big pop-star. So, when the show was shown on t.v., only the best of the best where there & quite often went on to be successful. Now by showing the process all the way through, including mis-guided people, who do not have the talent they think they have. They have made the inability of these people part of the entertainment, which I think is wrong.

I watched "Lost in Space" as a kid in the 60`s when it was first brought over from the U.S. Back then, there was no guaranteed time period between first being broadcast in the U.S. & when we got to see it. I don`t know whether you know, but, "Will Mumy", who played "Will Robinson", that the robot was always warning of danger. Played "Lennier", in "Babylon 5", between 1994-8, it is a very rare thing, for the same actor to be in two such successful t.v. shows, especially "Sci-Fi" ones.

Recently, I have been collecting bookmarks, of all the t.v. shows I have watched & enjoyed, over the last 5 decades. The quantity is heavily weighted in favour of the 60`s & 70`s, now most of these are programs that were on in the evening, except the kids shows in the 60`s. I have spent just as much time, if not more, over the last three decades , since I became dis-abled, yet that is not reflected in the quantities. Which proves, there have not been so many good shows, to watch in recent years.

The following are the "Sci-Fi" programs I watched in the 60`s:-
"Dr. Who, Fireball XL5, My Favorite Martian, Thunderbirds, Stingray, Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons, Adam Adamant, Star Trek, The Invaders, The Champions, Department S, Randall & ( Hopkirk ) Deceased & U.F.O.". Only the "Gerry Anderson" shows, "Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Stingray & Captain Scarlet" were puppet shows, the rest were live action with actors.

Out of these, at least 9 are from the U.S. I also watched either a show or films called "Quatermass", but, I think, they were repeats from the 50`s. As you can see, the idea of computers & having to use computers, was quite prevalent in these shows. It was being placed in my sub-concious, long before I thought, I might be using any.

Hope this has given you more to work on,

Thanks again, David J G

Hi Satyam,
As I said before glad I have some info that is of use to you. Your financial situation, is none of my business, however, I do not know, how much it costs to download T.V. series. But, you should compare it, with the cost of buying "Dvd"s second-hand from "Amazon". As money saved on these purchases, will then be available for others, on "Dvd"s or future computer upgrades. I only buy "Second-hand "DVD"s of very good or good condition & I have had no problems. I also, have no idea whether "Amazon" is a viable option, but, I just thought I should suggest it.

Even, if you are in a relatively good-paying job, do not wait as I did, to find out where you could have saved money until after the fact. The bruises from kicking yourself later, are not worth it !! That is not to say, don`t buy so many things, but, always buy them at the best prices you can. Patience, no matter how hard, can save you money !!
You start out, partly because of advertising, wanting to have everything, that is brand new & up to date. But, as I said before, I have learnt that travelling slightly behind the leading edge, is more financially viable & something you can, get used to.

Anyway, "I`m sure, I am preaching to the choir" to use an expression. I did not want to overload you, so, I will leave Comedies & Secret Agent shows from the 60`s till later. Though, some of the shows that I have given you, crossover with "S.A." & some of the shows, I am holding back as Comedies & "S.A." crossover with "Sci-Fi". Also, other assorted shows. I believe one of the last things "Gerry Anderson" did, was to do a remake of "Captain Scarlet" using "CGI", I think in the "2000`s". I have seen some episodes, but, either because I am biased or not, I`m not sure but, I prefer the 60`s puppets.

The theme tune from the 60`s show, is iconic & I do not know why, he did not use it on the new one. Make sure you hear both the beginning & at the end of an episode. I just found out recently, why, I always thought, "Capt.Blue"s voice sounded familiar, it was "Ed Bishop", later lead character in "U.F.O.". A very good British actor, called "Francis Matthews", did the voice of "Capt.Scarlet", using his "Cary Grant" impersonation, which is why, as I got older, I thought the latter had done the voice. One of the people, who plays one of the original characters, of "James Bond" fame, from"Dr.No" - "A View to a Kill", does a voice for one of the characters in "Stingray".

Hope you enjoy them as much as I always have, "Gerry Anderson", had the knack, for doing shows that the parents & therefore "Adults" in general, could also enjoy. A good plot, well thought out & executed, is much more preferred, to overwhelming "CGI" usage. I suppose, another expression comes to mind, "everything in moderation". "CGI" is of course good when used properly & can enable, film & now t.v. shows, to do more things than they could afford to do before. However, it should not be used as the "be all & end all".

I feel, you are missing out on "Fireball Xl5", my first vision of a robot & see-through at that, "our Robbie" (used to be able to imitate the voice). Then, also, the hover-scooters, thought, I would have had one by now, ah !! well, another dream gone south. You may notice, the scooters made a re-appearance in "Thunderbirds". Actually, now I think about it, I think, something similar, showed up in "Capt.Scarlet" at least one episode. But then, who could blame or be surprised, if "Gerry Anderson" was one of the first to appreciate re-cycling. He was on tight budgets & the miniature modelling part, was pioneering a new science. Where would "Star-Wars" et al, have been later, I wonder, without "Gerry Anderson".

Anyway, when I get the new system going, I will let you know how it goes. You let me know, how you enjoy these shows & whether, you want to hear of the others, I mentioned earlier.

Thanks, David J G

Hi Satyam,
Forgot to give you some instructions :- "Stand By For Action" -- "Anything Could Happen, In The Next 1/2 hour".

Relevance will become apparent later.

David J G

Hi MU_Engineer,
Thanks for your interest & suggestions, sorry, it took so long for me to get back to you. But, if you read some of my earlier posts, you will know, I am dis-abled. I have been suffering from the "British-Heatwave", anything over 14"c is starting to get too hot for me, since I got my illness.

My original plans fell through, must have made them sound too good in my post, when I got back there, all gone, at my price. Perhaps, you can help me though. You said, "you are mainly into servers now" ? I have been looking at "Workstations" in particular the "HP XW9400" with dual "Opteron 2220" 2.8 ghz cpu`s. I`ve been trying to find out if there is only one version of motherboard for this model ?

The only one I have seen mentioned is the "Tyan S2915", do you know, if this is correct ? As, if it is, it looks like the most advanced graphics cards, I could get for this system are "Radeon HD 4870 1 Gb" or GeForce 9800 GX2 SSC Edition 1 Gb". According to this compatibility chart:- ftp://ftp.tyan.com/video/S2915_E.pdf .

It also says, on this other site:- http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=3211286&prodTypeId=12454&prodSeriesId=3211286&objectID=c00790935 that, if you want to use two graphics cards they have to be the same. Yet, I have seen other posts, on other websites, where people are claiming to be using 2 different cards on this system, one of which was the "Asus GTX 480".

Can you shed any light on this for me ? It was also mentioned, that it was possible, somehow, to have Windows XP & Windows 7 available on the same system, is this true ? As, I am looking to keep using, all my games, that are 5yrs & over in "XP", while perhaps, being able to use some more up to date ones in "Windows 7".

Any help you could give me, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, David J.

Hi Mu_Engineer,
Thanks, that is very helpful, I have ordered the system, it is a refurbished one, obviously. Could not believe it, when I saw the retail price in those articles. I think, it will make a good gaming system, if I can spend some money on it, now & then, to continue to upgrade it. Obviously, I was concerned about upgrade-ability, although, the memory side, was one of the attractions.

Funny enough, it was the fact, that I was desperately trying to find a system with "Windows XP", to gradually take over from my Sckt 939 system. That led me to the "Workstation" as a possibility. To enable me, to continue using, all the games I have collected already, as future purchases could be scarce. My original choice had "Intel Xeon" cpu`s, but, I am happier to be supporting "AMD" now, in my small way.

Hopefully, mine has the right board then, so I can look at upgrading the "CPU`s", sometime in the future. Although, someone mentioned to me, "that the "Cpu`s & Memory" are touchy on these boards". That they had trouble, "with the older versions of the board because they don`t like the newer quad-core cpu`s". They said, "when you upgrade the memory, you need to be sure to buy buffered "DDR2", but, not the fully buffered "FBDimms" for "Intel" systems. They recommended, the "HP/Micron DDR2 667 ECC".

But, you think, that the "2915" only has trouble, if you try to use the "Six-core 2400`s" ? My XW9400 comes with the following:- Dual core Opteron 2.8ghz, 8 Gb ( 4 x 2 Gb) PC2-5300P DDR2-667 ECC, 1 500 gb Sata2 HDD, 1 NVidia Quadro NVS graphics card,1 DVD-Rom Optical drive, 7 Full length Expansion slots, 6 USB 2.0 interface Ports, the other asst ports, 800 W Wide-ranging, active Power Factor Correction PSU, 8 Dimm slots, 1 DVD-RW Optical drive. The latter one, I managed to get added into my system, by trading in my "Pre-installed Windows 7". So, that the system, would still go through at the same price on e-bay. I am currently looking at the "Radeon HD 5850 1 Gb GDDR5" card to replace the "Quadro", after your comments.

With the memory, I know, it is best to buy it in pairs of modules at a time. But, are there any restrictions about mixing sizes of ram modules ? I would rather look, at getting a pair of 4 Gb modules, on two occasions in the future. Bringing total memory up to 24 Gb with all "Dimm" slots filled, than have to continue as the system has started out & wind-up with only 16 Gb. A pair of 8 Gb modules is going to be financially unlikely. Is this memory as fast as normal desktop memory ? If not, are their alternatives ?

I managed to up my budget to £500, so I dabbled on e-bay & have got a "cpu, grahics card & 2 Gb of Ram" to upgrade my "Sckt 939" system, as well as find this new one. Until, I can follow your instructions & get "Xp" onto the new system, I can continue to use my improved current one. Then, it will be for "internet use" & those games that will not move across to the new system & back-up, so I never have to suffer withdrawal symptoms again. As I use my computer & the t.v. to keep me occupied & now, I am practically housebound, for "Supermarket Home Deliveries". I recently suffered a five day no computer period, frightening, how much it now means to me.

With the graphics cards, is their any restriction, as regards the PCI-e x-16 system bus of 2.0 & 3.0, compared with the "S2915" motherboards ??

Thanks, for your help, I am very grateful.

David J

Hi All,
For anyone else interested in my original question, wishing to improve their "Sckt 939" system.

For the motherboard mentioned, the choices of cpu upgrade turned out to be the following:-

Opteron 170, Athlon 64 X2 4800+, FX-60

Due to the difficulty now, of finding these available, I settled for the "Athlon X2 4800+ when I found one on e-bay.

The only graphics card that I could confirm was compatible with my motherboard, was "GeForce 7950 GX2" which I am pleased to say, I successfully won in my first e-bay auction, for less than the price, I was expecting.

I also bought another 2 Gb of memory, to increase my system to 4 Gb, which is as much as "Windows XP" can cope with, anyway.

This should have been done 5 or perhaps even 6 yrs ago, but, as I mentioned in my other posts, sometimes life just gets in the way. Reluctantly, other problems claim first call on your available finances, which is, dare I say it, more sensible, even if, you desperately wish that was not the case.

My system, was bought new as a custom-build 9-10yrs ago, I got what at the time, was just ahead of medium performance. Which is why I had hoped to upgrade it 4 or at least 5 yrs later. Best laid plans !!!

It has & still does give great service as it is, but, then all my games are 5yrs + because I knew, I could not upgrade for sometime. So, I stopped looking at what were the newer games, to avoid torturing myself. I know !! ,there was a time, I would have thought that was impossible too.

I am very grateful, to those who posted to try & help me. As, I had never upgraded before, finances meant I always left it too late & had to get another system. I hope, to keep in touch. The following websites helped me with this system also:-

http://www.cpu-upgrade.com/mb-Gigabyte/GA-K8NF-9(Rev_1.x).html
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=103&gid2=43&compare=geforce-7950-gx2-vs-geforce-6600
https://www.google.co.uk/#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&cad=b&fp=a6b47d77af5c551e&hl=en&q=amd+processors+939
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/333498-28-socket-gaming
http://uk.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=1860#ov
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Athlon+64+4000%2B
http://www.nvidia.com/content/geforce_gx2_sbios/us.asp?vendor=gigabyte&sortBy=model
http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/gameometer
http://www.mrmemory.co.uk/memory-ram-upgrades/model/Gigabyte~Motherboard~GA-K8NF-9
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_microprocessors#K7_architecture_.281999.E2.80.932005.29

I hope, this will come in handy for others, who are running behind the "Tech" curve for whatever reason.
However, with the demise of "Windows XP" almost upon us, ( next April ), it may be a good time to re-consider doing as I have, finances willing & get a system to run "Windows 7". Even if like me, you do not intend to give up your "Win.XP" system just yet.

Now, that you have the option to run "XP" on a "Windows 7" based-system, as mentioned in "MU_Engineer"`s reply above, I think, it is worth it. Plenty of people still upgrading their systems, making it easier to get a "Win.7" capable system, at a reasonable price.

Best of luck with your computing,
Regards, David J.