Upgrading S939 CPU

If you are simply using for office and web use, you really do not need to upgrade your CPU. But if you are using for some monster spreadsheet calcs or databases then, yes upgrading should provide you some performance boost.

If your PC seems slow to you, then try re-installing Windows. A clean install can do wonders for performance.

However, $70 isn't really all that much money, unless you are a starving student.

Okay, that nice but you really didn't supply much relevant information. If the only thing your family is going to do is surf the internet and some office work, then you really don't need to upgrade.

If there will be some "lite" gaming involved, then yes, upgrading the CPU can extend the life as long as they are not very demanding games. But it also depending on your graphics card too.

If you plan on upgrading to Windows Vista, or the next operating system expected in late 2009 / early 2010 (I forgot the code name), then upgrading the CPU can also prolong your PC's life.

If you're just talking web surfing and word processing type applications I don't even think the X2 is necessary. I used a 350MHz Pentium 2 up until about 2 years ago for stuff like that.

Edit: You will not be able to game on that machine in 2012, no matter what you put into it.

dual core for 70 bucks is a no brainer, regardless of what you do. Windows uses enough resources by itself, 2+ cores is the best way to go.

I have a San Diego 4000+ and it runs real fast with an XP64 O/S - you can still get them for a good price

The 3800 is a Manchester too, but it does have a larger cache.

The only problem is that buying this turns my $75 (forgot shipping on the cooler) upgrade into a $90, which doesn't seem that small anymore. Is the cache that important?

You can find 4400 x2 with 1mb cache for 99 bucks on newegg and tigerdirect. I have one right now. its stock is 2200 mhz Just up the FSB to 218 for 2400/440 ram speed. Its rock solid on the stock cooler and it gives the power needed for apps,games. Also try using windows xp 64, and maybe even re-flashing your 7600gt for a bit more power.

If you overclock, those chips can hit 2.8 - 3Ghz. Sorry, I've never bought anything from Tiger. I know you don't want to do it cause its a PITA, but reinstall windows

Yes the 4400 x2 does come in am2. But i have an asus a8v deluxe mobo. which is s939. I have a 4400 x2 939 cpu. you can even find the very rare 4600 and 4800 x2 for 939 on e-bay if your feeling risky. If you don't wish to spend any extra money beyond the cost of the cpu, (like an aftermarket heat sink) don't overclock past something reasonable like 10% (2200 oced to 2400)

I play all the current games and i personally use a 4400x2 939/74 gig raptor/2 gig value select corsair ram/x-fi extreme music/7800 gs 256 meg.

Recently i ran into a similar problem you did about needing it to last for a few more years. overclocking can reduce the life of any comp component if over-done. But like i said don't oc it too much, don't up the voltage (which is the main factor in less life) and there no need for some 50 dollar cpu heatsink for extreme ocing if your not going that far. I just upped the my fsb on my mobo from 200-218. and locked the agp/pci setting to stock and now my ram and cpu are oced by 10% no voltage increase and only 2 degree difference in temp. I did something similar with a video bios tweak with nbitor and nvflash. all of it breathed new life into my machine.

But nukechebi0, you have something else to face. And that is this: If you took my suggestion and got yourself a 4400 x2 (providing you can find them still) for 100 bucks. Thats still 100 bucks toward old tech. I have personally found (as of yesterday) an am2 cpu,mobo,and 2 gig of ram (ddr2 pc 800) for a around the same 100 bucks for on older 939. (just as an option.) Links are below.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231111

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103732

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] &name=ASUS

Everything i linked is name brand, gskill ram, asus mobo, etc etc.

You have options bro. lots of them. for the price of that 100 bucks, You can do alot. I'm glad you took the time to ask for some direction on what to do on the forums, and now that you have some direction, You have to decide just exactly how much you wish to spend for a machine that does lite gaming and supports the newest software till 2012.

My personal 2 cents? You need a machine that has upgradeablity, like the new parts i listed. Supports a 64-bit os, is a minimum dual core, has the ability to hold or support 4 gig of ram, and a hard drive with enough speed and space to do everything you need.

A single core 2 gig machine with any videocard nowadays is just fine for basic web surfing and e-mail, even 99% of most apps. But if you wish to do lite gaming moving to the parts i listed as a start or at least some variant will leave you room to upgrade later like an am2 phenom, or slap another 2 gig set of ram in your rig for 4 gig total later down the road considering how cheap ddr2 is. Older parts like 939, or ddr1 or agp are going away. and as such, you will only be spending more money to keep your old machine usable for new software and games.

Microsoft has already stated that they are not making any more 32 bit OSes. the new windows 7 due to be released in 2-3 years will be 64 bit only, and make full use of 4 gig of ram. etc etc. you get the point and who knows, maybe by 2012 they might even have windows 8.

Your need for a machine to surf,use apps, run vista or better, and for e-mail is just fine as it is. If you wish to get a 4400 x2 (providing you can find them still) (4200 x2 is good also just less cache) too keep yourself on-par is a good cheap move, + some lite overclocking.

however as i pointed out, the cost of new parts in general for what your needs are is very very cheap and leaves you many more options for upgrades (cheap ones too) later down the road. As long as you make sure your machine can handle 4 gig of ram, a 64 bit os, and has adiquate hard drive space, it will last till 2012. I hope my advice is at least somewhat helpful in your future decisions. Have a great day and just send me a private message if you have further questions. Have a great day and good luck!

So I found an Opteron 165 on buy.com for 107.99 and free shipping.

Would it be worth double the price of the X2 3600+ Manchester?

X2 3600 +

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103222

Opteron 165

http://www.buy.com/retail/Product. [...] 0&GSCID=18

Also, could someone list other reputable sites to buy from? It might be worth my time to look at sites I haven't yet.

I think wickedsnow made some very good points. I'm seeing "feature-creep" entering into your plans and raising the price. I think you have two good choices:
1. Buy the cheapest dual-core S939 you can find. Nevermind cache, or clocks, or whatever. This is a basic machine, and offloading background crap to another core will make it notably faster at what it does. Save your money. Trying to extend it by spending just a little more, just a little more, ad nauseum, is a losing battle.
2. Scrap the whole thing. Spend only a little bit more, as wickedsnow suggested, and buy parts with a future. They'll do the job now, and not become obsolete as quickly (though of course they will). There is no such thing as "future-proof," but I do believe in "future-resistant."

If it were me, I'd choose #2. Whatever the machine does well now, there will no doubt be one more thing you'd like it to do tomorrow. Under option #1, you'll reach a point where it either won't be possible, or you'll realize you spent a lot of money and really don't have a lot to show for it.

I have the Opty 165, great chip, and if your adventurous and have a good motherboard, it can be clocked to 2.8-3.0Ghz on air. Runs great, and has me sittin pretty untill socket AM3 or whatever Intel drops next. Take a lesson from the new Intel chips, more L2 = better performance.

The Manchester core X2's are good chips too, and youll probably get more Ghz per $$, but if your looking forward, I would go with the bigger cache.

I want this to be the last upgrade I ever put inside the computer, if that helps.

I already have 2GB of RAM.

Would full systems specs help?

Grab the 3600 X2. Don't try to analyze any further. It will be a nice upgrade, and doesn't cost much. If you need to do more, and more costs money, then it's time to start all over with a new platform.

I replaced an A64-3700 with the x2-3800 and it feels quicker in everyday tasks in xp sp2 home. Was easily worth the cheap price on newegg a few months ago.

you really plan ahead, wow

I was going to overclock later in the computer's lifespan.

Okay, so tomorrow, I am going to get the CPU and some Arctic Cooling MX-2, recycling the adequate stock heatsink that came with my 3200+.

CPU is the X2 3600+.

Any last comments by anyone before I purchase?

I don't think I could have that happen...