Worth changing an AMD 3800+ to a 64 x2 4400+ ???

I just inherited an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Toledo 2.2GHz CPU. Currently I am running an Athlon 64 3800+ Venice 2.4GHz.

I'm hoping to guage the benefits of swapping the CPUs vs the hassle.

My most CPU task intensive processes are processing RAW photos in several programs inculding photoshop. I spend some time playing games (half life and such), but not the most.

My first big question on the hassle side is will I have to reinstall all of my software. This is doable, but I see as a real pain. Teasing out my data from my apps, and then getting all the seetings back where I want them is daunting.

Sure I'd like the speed boost, but can anyone give me a sense of how much of an improvement I'll actually see.

Thanks
Avram
awalts@yahoo.com

you should see an improvement.

To install the x2 4400 pretty much go to amd,s site and download their
(dualcore optimizer) then swap cpu,s.

You shouldnt have to do anything else.

Unless I missed something, both those processors are socket 939. No motherboard change should be needed. Therefore, no software/OS reinstall will be needed.

You will want to add the AMD dual core driver, and tweak some windows settings. A motherboard BIOS and drivers upgrade is also a good idea. These things are no big deal.

The main advantage you will see with X2 is in it's ability to handle multiple tasks smoothly. Windows will use both cores for many tasks when it can so you also will see a speed improvement. This will be enough to notice, but will not be drastic. For free it's worth the trouble.