Can the Athlon 64 Dual Core be reused on a new mobo?

[Sprocket7]

I like AMD. But the whole Phenom situation appears 'too much' for me just now - at least until the Series II/AM3 situation settles a bit more and additional mobos come to the fore and by then we could all be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first Bulldozer chips. Who knows. In the meantime I'm desperate for new kit that can see me through the interim and reduce my total upgrade cost later on - say in 12-18 months time.

My current Athlon 64 DC 2.2GHz is 'good enough' and retaining it a while longer will enable me to spend more on items that will both a) make an immediate difference and b) will not require upgrading in 18 months time.

Can I do that? And which board should I investigate for the interim?
Will it remain stable with a modest OC? What can I expect from it?

The following need replacing immediately:
A K9N??? MSI board that resolutely remains unidentifiable due to wear.
4 variously-sized 'small' HDD's. Currently use a 500GB external drive that's about to burst!
Liteon DVD that sounds like my Grandma's old spin dryer!
4x500MB RAM cards.
MSI NX7300LE Graphics.

My immediate priority is to order a new 22" screen for a dual screen setup. The Dell 2209WA seems my best bet, (my first post on these forums confirmed it will fit under the shelving above my desk). I'd like to use it alongside my existing and very serviceable Samsung 19" SyncMaster 193v until the second Dell arrives (hopefully this summer). Dual screens will make a dramatic difference to the constant 'Windows Juggling' I'm plagued with when working in simultaneous Adobe applications which form the basis of much of my work.

With the above in mind, I need your comments/suggestions for a mobo and RAM upgrade (be nice!!) that will mean an improvement but will not cost the earth.

The kit I wish to get now that will also form the 'good foundation' I mentioned earlier includes:
Samsung SHS222A DVD/RW.
Antec 193 case.
Antec CP850 PSU.
Sapphire HD 4870 1GB.
WD 6401AALS X2

I'd like to stay with XP Professional SP2, avoid Vista altogether and eventually install W7+SPwhatever with the new chip & board later. Looking forward to your response.

 

[bz2klag]

I'm currently looking at this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157154
(or other Asrock similar)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

But I'll probabily wait awhile 'til AM3/DDR3 is supported by cheap AM3 CPUs such as
the A II, and just go AM3.

 

[grndragon57]

You can use your AM2 64 X2 in AM2/AM2+ motherboards, but not in AM3 motherboards. If for your eventual CPU/RAM/motherboard will be AM3/DDR3 wait until you make a decision on the CPU/RAM before you upgrade the motherboard. If you are going to use the Phenom II with DDR2 memory then you can upgrade the motherboard to an AM2+ motherboard and use your 64 X2 until you decide on the CPU.

That Antec PSU is a great deal if you are also getting the Antec 193.

 

[Sprocket7]

No go on the RAM (1066MHz) recommendation I'm afraid.....

I've just taken my PC apart to get the definitve ID on the board. It's an MSI K9N Neo (Version 1 I reckon 'cause nothing comes after). According to the MSI site it supports DDR2 upto 800MHz!!! And contains 4 Sata II ports (Nvidia nForce 550) with transfers upto 3GB/s and a single PCI Express x16 slot on the ATX Form Factor.

Reckon you're both right and will leave the mobo well alone for now while I focus on the immediate concerns - screens and storage. If I'm going to wait then AM3/DDR3 is the obvious way to in the future. Especially since RAM does hold its own pretty well compared with other components. For both these reasons the AM3/DDR2 would appear to be unnecessary expense in this case, I'd rather put it towards on the Sapphire HD4870 now and get a second with my proposed AM3/DDR3 kit in future..... Don't you agree?

Would you also agree that it would do anything but good to ditch the 4xRAM cards and replace them with 2 X Corsair memory 2GB Twin X XMS2 6400 C4 DDR2 4-4-4-12 800MHz for £30 each?

One query I do have concerns the PCI Express 2.0 x16 bus interface required by the Sapphire. My current board only supports PCI Express x16. Does mean the card will run slowly or not at all?

In which case the suggested mobo could tide me over very nicely and then I could use that RAM you suggest!!
P.S. Can't locate a seller for the ASRock A780GMH here in the UK right now.....

 

[grndragon57]

4 sticks of Ram can hold back an overclock, but if I was in your position I'd stick with what I have until I upgraded the CPU/motherboard and save the money towards the DDR3.

PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1.1. I don't think a single 4870 is enough to fill the PCI-E 16 bandwidth.

 

[Sprocket7]

You do surprise me Grndragon57. Even if they are 4x512Mb at 800MHz?

but if I was in your position I'd stick with what I have until I upgraded the CPU/motherboard and save the money towards the DDR3.

So you reckon my current board can cope for a while longer...... (The board and chip will need a blow out before putting them in my nice new Antec).

PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1.1. I don't think a single 4870 is enough to fill the PCI-E 16 bandwidth.

It would be nice if it did. Are you sure?

I'm looking forward to seeing and not hearing the two Antecs and it's a way of spreading the cost of the next upgrade and still enjoy the benefits meantime. I'm happy to spend the extra now 'cause I feel they will see me out! The '193' especially. I've rarely dumped any PC component in the past, preferring to donate it, which often meant installing it, to elderly friends in need - the youngsters wouldn't touch it of course!

Before I forget - re storage.
I'm looking at a pair of Western Digital CAVIAR BLACK 640GB SATA/300 7200RPM straight up. Possibly a third when I upgrade the board and chip in the future.

 

[gvguy39]

yes, the PCI-E 2.0 is backwards compatible with PCI-E 1.1 if you were unsure. The Motherboard in my sig is pci-e x16 1.1 and the graphics card is pci-e x16 2.0 and works without a hitch.