ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM should I upgrade or buy a new PC

[beebeethecat_03]

Hi
I have this board ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM and am wondering what the fastest cpu is for the machine.
The system currently has a AMD 64 3800+ 2.4 GHz. Is it worth upgrading the cpu or is a new system
in order. It takes win7 at least 1 1/2 minutes to boot and my CAD program takes even longer to load.

 

[buzznut]

Here's a link to the CPU support page over at Asus:
http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?SLanguage=en-us

Looks like you can go up to AM2 6000+ CPU, although I think those are hard to find in the retail channell. You could try ebay, but they tend to be a little overpriced in my opinion.
For the CPU, I would look at the 5000+ CPU or 5600+ which are easier to find for around $50.
It would be helpful to know what else you are running in this PC, for instance a faster CPU won't do much for load times, those are more dependent on your ram and Hard drive. This would make it easier to determine if you need a more serious overhaul. Ultimately though, AM2 is a pretty dead end socket and before dropping too much money on this older hardware I would consider your needs moving forward.
I think you'll see quite a boost in performance for the CPU upgrade however, probably worth $50.

I'm guessing your ram is ready to be upgraded.

 

[beebeethecat_03]

Hi
I added a total of 4 gb of RAM recently and have on order a new HD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB.
I have solidworks CAD and CAM software. These are large programs that are the slowest of all my apps.
I`m no expert on cpu so I assume I have a single core processor. The one you recommended are dual core.
How much of a increase in speed could I expect.
I have been looking around an the AMD socket2 seem to difficult to locate
Thanks for the help!

 

[buzznut]

Yeah, there are a limited number of am2 CPU's available now, the 5000+ and 5600+ the most readily available. The 3800+is a single core CPU, and a slow one at that.

I think the 5000+ runs at 2.6Ghz and the 5600+ at 2.8Ghz, this would make the CPU at least twice as fast although that doesn't mean the whole system will be 100% faster.
The HDD, without knowing what you're currently running should also improve your overall system speed. I'm guessing these two upgrades together could translate into a system that feels twice as fast as it does now.

I found the one quad core on your CPU list, the X4 9450e for $80 on Amazon.com. But really, I would consider getting a new mobo that can handle up to AM3 for anything faster than a dual core athlon.

Here's a suggestion for what I'm talking about:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157204

 

[beebeethecat_03]

Just ordered the cpu: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Brisbane 2.9GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor. I hope its correct.
Never installed a cpu ....are there any tip or tricks I should know regarding installation.
PS...Thanks for the help: Buzznut

 

[beebeethecat_03]

Best answer selected by beebeethecat_03.

 

[Mousemonkey]

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