AM2 CPU Upgrade

[Jayson82]

Hello,

I am saving up to buy a new gaming rig but in the mean time i am thinking of just upgrading some components in my existing tower.

Here are my current specs.

ALiveNF6G-VSTA - Old
AMD AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ - Old
4 Gigs ram - New
Geforce GTX 275 - New
650w PSU

The ram, graphics card and motherboard will do for now till I get my new rig but its the CPU I am thinking of upgrading.

After checking out the specs on my motherboard it can support up to AM3 but any CPU after AM2 like AM2+ and AM3 will downgrade the system bus from HT3.0 (5200 MT/s) to HT1.0 (2000 MT/s).

So my question is what would be the best CPU to temporarily upgrade to?

Should I go for AM2+/AM3 and what ever my budget can afford or should i stick to AM2 and get the best one that they made in that slot?

Any help would be great thanks

Jason

 

[may1]

If you are going to build a game rig in the near future, I suggest you just stick to the current setup. That way you will have more money to buy a better rig.

Having said that, if you intend to reuse the current tower's components in the gaming rig you wish to build, then I suggest getting a x4 965.

As a matter of fact, if you just change the mobo and CPU, you will get a gaming rig good as new. Not>@????

 

[Jayson82]

Hmmm could change both the motherboard and cpu hmm ill think on that thanks

Now ill just have to figure out what to get heh

Jason

 

[randomkid]

Hmmm could change both the motherboard and cpu hmm ill think on that thanks

Now ill just have to figure out what to get heh

Jason

You got new DDR2 RAMs. If you buy a new motherboard, you want to re-use your new RAM, right? If yes, you have to buy just another AM2/AM2+/AM3 motherboard. So do not be in a hurry...

The only reason you would like to buy a new AM2/AM2+/AM3 motherboard is if your current motherboard has a low TDP that can not handle the high end Phenom 2 cards? Do you know the TDP of your motherboard? ( I can not see it in the AsRock website - http://www.asrock.com/MB/overview.asp?Model=ALiveNF6G-VSTA ).

 

[Jayson82]

Just found the CPU support list it might not be updated but shows the cpus it does support.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=ALiveNF6G-VSTA&s=AM2

I might just buy an upgrade to my cpu then save for a new motherboard/cpu/ram

From that list im guessing an Opteron or one of the high end athlon 64x my current one is a 4200+ so i am guessing a 6000+ But i am worried about the power supply.

Will adding a more powerful cpu draw more than my psu can provide? My psu is a 650w

Jason

 

[randomkid]

Just found the CPU support list it might not be updated but shows the cpus it does support.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/cpu.asp?Model=ALiveNF6G-VSTA&s=AM2

I might just buy an upgrade to my cpu then save for a new motherboard/cpu/ram

From that list im guessing an Opteron or one of the high end athlon 64x my current one is a 4200+ so i am guessing a 6000+ But i am worried about the power supply.

Will adding a more powerful cpu draw more than my psu can provide? My psu is a 650w

Jason

The 650w PSU is more than enough. But I am reluctant to agree on the 6000+ because it might not be portable to any future build you want to make. Might as well investigate further if PHenom II can be accomodated by your current motherboard.

The site you posted do not show AM3 but it does say that 125w CPU's are supported so your motherboard's TPD is 125w at least. So that is a good start as it will be enough for even the top PII.
Now, we consider AM3 in the first place, because on another page it does say your motherboard supports so it is a matter of whether a BIOS has been released for AM3 support. I am quite in a hurry so can not search for it for now... Try to check it out also...

 

[randomkid]

I checked on the available BIOS here:
http://www.asrock.com/MB/download.asp?Model=ALiveNF6G-VSTA&o=BIOS
No PII support so your best choice indeed lies on the Athlon 64 X2 if you want to stick to your motherboard.

 

[FALC0N]

The only Phenom supported was a B2 Phenom I. Might work with B3 too, but not official.

Your really better off with a new board rather than trying to upgrade this one. You can get a quality board and processor for cheap if you look.

I saw a board and processor for around $80 just yesterday.

 

[loneninja]

I would personally pick up a decent AM2+ board such as one based off the 785G chipset, they're realitively cheap and will support new AM3 processors. This way you can get a good new cpu and still use your current ram.

 

[Jayson82]

Thanks for the replies after thinking and checks a bit more i have decided to get as high an AM2 chip as i can i found a 6000+ really cheap so i am happy about that.

If i go with any am2+/am3 chips on my current motherboard the system buss drops down like crazy so that just leaves me with AM2

and if i do have to replace the chip motherboard and ram i would rather wait and save up to get a really nice set that will last me for quite a while instead of a shorter length upgrade.

Thanks for your replies made me decide what to do.

Jason

 

[randomkid]

Thanks for the replies after thinking and checks a bit more i have decided to get as high an AM2 chip as i can i found a 6000+ really cheap so i am happy about that.

If i go with any am2+/am3 chips on my current motherboard the system buss drops down like crazy so that just leaves me with AM2

and if i do have to replace the chip motherboard and ram i would rather wait and save up to get a really nice set that will last me for quite a while instead of a shorter length upgrade.

Thanks for your replies made me decide what to do.

Jason

That's a fine choice and free you up from any concern. Good luck!