Possible to upgrade this guy?

Yup, looks like an upgrade is doable:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Manchester 2.0GHz Socket 939 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADA3600DAA4BV - $49 with free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103222

SAPPHIRE 100219L Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 AGP 8X HDCP Ready Video Card - $100 with free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102711

Total - $150 to your door (if you're in the US, that is)

Buying a quality PSU when you first built that system looks like it paid off in the end to allow you to upgrade without buying a new one.

I would personally try to sell it on CL or fleaBay for $200+ (maybe part it out) + your $300 = build a new, much faster rig. Dumping money into an obsolete system is a waste.

But, to answer your question:

$47 - 2 x512mb RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820141218
$48 - X2 3600+ (re-use your cooler since you don't overclock)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103222
$175 - 512mb 3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814103051

If you get the cohones to overclock, buy this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 2b64%2bPro

Just found upgrading older computers that the new hdd, especially the above Seagate, seem to boost overall performance but like I said, this would be the last upgrade. Plus you can always use the hdd in a new build

Ok, I have a couple of questions:

If someone could answer these questions I would really appreciate it:

First Question: It seems that Newegg has a very slim selection of 939 CPU's. Are there any other sites that sell hardware besides Newegg and Tigerdirect?
Second Question: How much better is the Athlon 64 X2 3600+ 2.2GHz, than my current Athlon 64 3500+ 2.2GHz? Twice as good, three times?
Third Question: Is there 939 CPU's that are better than the Athlon 64 X2 3600+? If so where can I find them?
Fourth Question: On Newegg, it looks like the Athlon 64 X2 3600+ does not come in a package. Can I use my current heatsink and fan (from my Athlon 3500+)?
Fifth Question: If I use my current heatsink and fan, will my new X2 3600+ overheat?
Sixth Question: My friend who installed my current CPU and heatsink fan, used a thermal compound. Will it be difficult to remove my current CPU and install the new X2 3600+?

Seventh Question: About the graphics card. How much better is the HD 2600XT than my current BFG 6800? Are there any charts?
Eighth Question: Are there any cards for AGP better than the HD 2600XT? If so where can I find them?
Ninth Question: Some cards have a 4 pin molex, some have a 6 pin connector. Can my PSU support both?

Tenth Question: Can I have two sticks of Kingston RAM, and another two sticks of Crucial RAM? As long as they are all 512mb? Is it ok that they are different brands of RAM?

Eleventh Question: I've been doing some research, it seems that the ATI X1950 is the fastest AGP card. Can my PSU handle a X1950, a new Athlon X2 939 socket, and 2 GB of RAM (All other stuff is listed in my first post on this thread).

Twelve Question: If I put in another 1GB of RAM, a new ATI graphics card, and a new Athlon X2, can I just leave my current XP install and hard drive the way it is? Or would I have to reformat and install XP again, and back up all my information?

Thirteenth Question: If I make the changes in question 12, would I have to mess with the BIOS? Or can I just put all the hardware in and download the drivers for the graphics card and be good to go?


Thanks guys, this really helps me out!

1) Yes. But it's probably not worth it to go for a processor more powerful than the one I listed.
2) Double [almost] (your current processor is a single-core 2.2Ghz, the one listed above is a dual-core 2.0Ghz)
3) Yes, again, not worth the extra cost (unless you want to risk a used one on eBay). The most powerful S939 processor is the 2.4Ghz Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Toledo or the FX-60 @ 2.6Ghz
4) Yes, it does not include a heatsink or fan, your current HSF should be fine, although you can pick up cheap units like the Freezers from Arctic Cooling on Newegg as well
5) Probably not
6) Thermal compound is not difficult to remove, buy some ArctiClean to properly perform removal. You will need to apply fresh TIM when you install a heatsink each time, I would recommend Tuniq TX-2
7) Much. None that I'm aware of (as it is two generations seperated)
8) Yes, the X1950Pro and X1950XT found on eBay. IMO they're not worth it. However if you want to be able to play Crysis at 800x600 or 1024x768 it MAY be playable (depending on your definition thereof)
9) Yes. Yes.
10) Typically motherboards have no problem recognizing different ram, but you may have to manually set memory timings (to the looser of the two sets) to make them run in dual-channel mode
11) Probably. Please list the combined 12V rail rating.
12) You will not have to reinstall XP. You may have to install AMD drivers for the OS to recognize the second core, though (not sure, never gone single->dual core)
13) N/A

Kyle

I completely disagree with the video card suggestion. Absolutely terrible. The 8800GS (when more are available) or the HD 3850 are much better buys (albeit a little more expensive). The 8600GT won't be that big of a step up from what he currently has, the 8800GS or 3850 will be a much more justifiable step.

www.ewiz.com

The 2600XT might not be a good choice. I don't know if things have changed, I'm sure they haven't, but the last I heard the AGP 2600s were not supported by ATI, and thus the drivers they produce don't work. You would have to use the drivers released by the card manufacturer, which can be erratic, or omega drivers, but those can have problems with them too. I would look into the 3850. Twice the performance of the 2600, and official support from ATI I believe. Not sure what the cost will be though. Might be cheaper to scrap the whole thing and use the PCIe version with a new build, they charge a premium for the AGP versions sometimes. That with a cheap 939 and another GB of RAM will get you by another couple years. Then you REALLY will HAVE to build a new one. Price out what it would cost to do the upgrade, then see what it would be for a new build plus what the old will sell for. It might be cheaper to just start over. Intel's 2xxx chips are pretty cheap these days...

http://www23.tomshardware.com/grap [...] &chart=296

Here's a rough idea of the performance difference between the 6800 and the 2600. Yours is the one at the bottom with 3.8FPS, the 2600 has 13.4

Then look at the 3850 near the top with 26.9

Thats why I recommend you wait for that card. assuming it's affordable...

So which card would you recommend now that that deal is gone (provide link if possible)?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspag [...] 9206843568
here is the link for the video card

OK, so I've decided on that card. Now I have a couple questions about it:

1. Can I just use the following steps to get up and running?

Uninstall my current drivers for my 6800.
Shut off computer.
Unplug power cable to 6800.
Take out 6800.
Put in HD 2600XT.
Connect power cable to HD 2600XT.
Turn on computer.
Go to saphires website and download newest drivers for AGP.
Install drivers.
Restart computer.
Done?

2. Now I have to think about that new CPU. Could someone please give me a link on how to uninstall my current CPU (that was installed with thermal compound), and install the new Athlon X2?

3. Do I need to download any drivers for my new CPU?

4. Do I need to change any BIOS settings for either the new graphics card or new CPU?


Thanks again guys!

I was just in your shoes recently, with an A8V and 6600GT agp.

The Socket 939 3500+ is a decent processor. Upgrading the processor will help with games, but given your budget your best bet is to concentrate on the video card.

1. Ditch the AGP motheboard. There are still a number of socket 939 PCI-E motherboards at cost effective prices around $40 to $70. Try to stay with nForce4 based boards.

2. This allows you to go for either a budget $80 to $100 8600GT/GTS
or $200 8800GT 256MB.
The 3500+ imposed bottleneck will go unnoticed (less than 5%) on a 8600GT, as I can testify having done UT3 on a 8600GT+core2duoE4500 vs a 8600gt+3500+ comparison on my machines. The will be roughly a 10% penalty for the 8800gt, but it so much faster that a 10% penalty is not worth crying over, and you can bring it forward with you when have the money to overhaul the system to current gen CPU.

3. Add another 1 Gig of your ram to your system as games like Unreal3, Call of Duty 4, and Company of Heroes run significantly better on 2 Gig of ram.

The biggest mistake is to stick with an AGP video card. Been there, done that, got a ATI X1950pro, and VIA and ATI don't get along real good, random crashes that never end, though not too often, but enought to annoy and crappy ATI drivers that hang up the system etc. etc. etc. Luckily I've been able to sell x1950 pro to recover some of the cost of the misadventure.

Any machine that runs AGP needs to be replaced, not upgraded.

I agree with Noya:
Sell everything, make as much as possible, add it to your existing 300 and make something worth putting this effort into.

If you can even get $200 for that machine then you can make something decent for $500….