some general build questions

[matic3060]

Hi everyone, just joined and i have a few questions. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm building a system for my boss and there are a few things I'm a little unsure of. This is just meant to be a simple home/office build...no gaming or anything like that.

A) Has anyone used the AMD Athlon x2 4850e 2.5GHz cpu? I chose this due to its low thermal rating since he keeps his tower in a confined space with minimal ventilation. How does it compare to the x2 5000+?

B) The mobo I chose for this build is the Biostar NF61S Micro AM2 SE. Will this board readily accept the 4850e without bios update?

C) He would like to keep the HDD from his existing system with Windows XP. I know I'm going to have problems putting it in a new system, but he has the XP installation disc. Am I going to be able to repair the installation with this disc without losing other data that is on the HDD?

Thanks in advance!

 

[gadgetnerd]

wouldnt tell a boss you can build a pc if you cant. he might fire you. if a issuie arises.

but for B replace the mobo with a named brand mobo not some that is cheap.

for A just get the AMD athlon x2 6400. i have the 6000 and its running good.

there cheap anyhow. and im sure a boss has money lol

 

[matic3060]

Well, I already built him one system for his office at work and he was so happy with it that he wanted me to do one for his home. I used a biostar mobo similar to the one I'm planning to use in this build (I would have used the same one again, but they're out of stock at newegg). Price is an issue. This was meant to be an upgrade, but after seeing his current system, the only thing I can really keep is the HDD. I have an x2 6400+, and while it is great, it gets very hot. As I mentioned, his ventilation isn't great so I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a cpu with a 125W thermal rating in. Could anyone suggest an inexpensive mobo ($50-60) that would be better than the Biostar and ready for the 4850e?

Thanks.

 

[Onus]

BioStar makes perfectly reasonably mobos. I've used a number of them within the past couple of years and never had a problem.
Since your boss isn't interested in gaming, consider a mobo with a 780g chipset on it. Its integrated graphics is good enough to play HD movies with a single-core CPU.

 

[sisley_111]

if the price is really a problem, a mobo with the 690G or event 690V will do the job. The asus M2A-VM is around 70$ in Canada, should be cheaper from newegg.

For the cUP support you'll need to go on the manufacturer website and check for the CPU support list for each mobo. Pretty sure that Asus support the -e series, like Gigabyte and other brand.

the 690G had a DVi-D and VGA output, so you can plug 2 monitors

 

[matic3060]

BioStar makes perfectly reasonably mobos. I've used a number of them within the past couple of years and never had a problem.
Since your boss isn't interested in gaming, consider a mobo with a 780g chipset on it. Its integrated graphics is good enough to play HD movies with a single-core CPU.

The Biostar that I mentioned above has integrated geforce 6100 graphics, which is plenty for his needs (he doesnt even plan to watch standard def movies). He just wants the thing to be fast and specifically requested dual core. The current system he has is a Gateway Yorkfield with Intel P4 2.55GHz cpu. The main issue that I'm worried about is that of trying to install the old HDD with the OS on it, as I mentioned in the original post. I have never attempted to do that before and I'm not sure what is going to happen. My worst fear is that he'll lose other data from the HDD.

 

[matic3060]

For the cUP support you'll need to go on the manufacturer website and check for the CPU support list for each mobo. Pretty sure that Asus support the -e series, like Gigabyte and other brand.

That's the thing, I went to biostar's site and they seemed to have no info on this mobo at all. That's one of the main reasons I posted here. I would hate to buy a mobo and find out that it doesn't support the cpu. Perhaps I'll just bite the bullet and go with ASUS or MSI for a little more $$. At least I'll know the thing will work.