OK, noob question here...

[littleman00]

I'm about ready to upgrade an older Socket 939-based PC. I have an AMD 64 3400 that is running a little hot (on full load it hits around 73 degrees), and I want to switch it out for an AMD X2 Dual Core. Nothing fancy, just something faster and hopefully cooler than my 3400. If I switch the processors, do I have to wipe the hard drives, or is it basically plug-n-play (aside from any changes to the BIOS, jumpers, etc)?

 

[jaffa]

Short answer: No.

As far as bios goes, depending on the mb it should adjust automatically, but check your manual to be sure.

I assume your running Windows XP, 99% of the time it's just a clean swap! I've only had one instance of a new CPU causing XP to fall over.

 

[leo2kp]

Actually I think you do. You'll be going from a single-core to a dual-core processor and I believe the OS has to have the multithreaded kernel installed to use the second core. I may be wrong, but it's something to think about. Google it?

 

[littleman00]

thanks for the info

 

[jitpublisher]

The motherboard must support dual core-probably not an issue but check to make sure.
Windows XP does support dual core processors, not an issue if you have XP.
If you meet those requirements, it is a simple drop in replacement.
When you boot, you will get a message from Windows stating new hardware has been found, and ask you to reboot. You should after reboot see to 2 CPU's in your device manager, and 2 CPU charts in your task manager. If not, come back here and we'll help you from there.

 

[roallin]

I switched from a Athlon 3500+ (socket 939 single core) to an Opteron 185 (dual-core) and everything worked fine. XP noticed the new hardware and installed the software for it.