need help finding a cpu upgrade

[kaitlin4599]

hello i have an HP pc with a dual core socket AM2 motherboard heres the info from the HP site »HP Compaq dc5850 Small Form Factor PC (ENERGY STAR)
Serial Number: 2UA8321FGG
Product Number: AM500AW

here is the mobo info from SPECCY Manufacturer Hewlett-Packard
Model 3029h (XU1 PROCESSOR)
Chipset Vendor AMD
Chipset Model 780G
Chipset Revision 00
Southbridge Vendor AMD
Southbridge Model SB700
Southbridge Revision 00

i asked on the HP forums but to be honest they dont know crap right now i have a dual core athlon x2 5800+ cpu and i wanna upgrade to something better so can some one please help me find a cpu thats better then the athlon 64 x2 but that will run on my board i upated to the latest hp bios and i did look at the downloadable manual but the cpu upgrade list isnt specific so please help me find the best cpu for this board that will help me run games better then my current cpu thanks

 

[trents]

kaitlin,

If the motherboard has a 780G chipset then technically, it is an AM2+ and not an AM2 motherboard. That's the good news as it would technically afford more options to upgrade and also give better performance since it would support a much faster HT bus. If the bios supports it, the AM2+ boards will also run AM3 CPUs like the Athlon II X2 240-270 processors. That would give you a significant performance boost over the Athlon 64 X2 you currently have. I picked up an Athlon II 270 a couple weeks ago off ebay for $25 shipped. You would need to email HP to get some specific answers about whether or not the board's bios supports specific CPUs. In other words, email HP and ask, "Will this motherboard recognize an Athlon II X2 270?". The TDP (power draw) of the Athlon II X2 270 is actually less than your current CPU because of a the smaller, more effecient fab process so your cooling should still be adequate.

 

[kaitlin4599]

sadly they refuse to offer me any help because my pc is no longer supported as my pc came out in 2008

 

[kaitlin4599]

is there a way i can find out who makes my board so i can go to there site to see whats supported

 

[ATMINSIDE]

From here, it shows factory options for the Phenom X4 9600B, 9750B, and 9850B. That's the fastest you could use.

 

[kaitlin4599]

well would upgrading to a 2.5 four core cpu be better game wize seeing as how all of my games require a 2.6 dual core or better cpu i dont wanna upgrade to a 2.5 4 core cpu if gaming wise my 3.0 dual core would be better

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I would go for the 2.5 quad core, because your OS/game won't be fighting for cores.

Most games now use two cores. You'll definitely notice a faster computer with the four cores over two.

 

[kaitlin4599]

but resident evil 5 require a minimum 2.7GHz dual core cpu so how would a 2.5GHz 4 core cpu be better then a 2.7 dual core

 

[trents]

HP may have installed a third party board in the computer or they may have had it manufactured by a third party for HP and put the HP brand on it. This may help if the former is the case: Download and install CPU-z. Click on the "Motherboard" tab. It will give the manufacturer's name, make, model and bios version.

 

[kaitlin4599]

the board manufaturer is listed as HP and the model is listed as 3029h

 

[trents]

Well, that's what I was afraid of.

 

[kaitlin4599]

is that a problem

 

[trents]

is that a problem

You're stuck with whatever upgrade information and whatever bios updates HP chose to put out. If the motherboard had turned out to be made by a name brand third party like Asus you could find more info and might find you have more options and later bios versions that would give you more options.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

See my earlier post for processors that were an option for that computer.

 

[trents]

See my earlier post for processors that were an option for that computer.

Thanks for the post. Yes, we saw it but I was thinking if we really knew who really manufactured that board there would be even more options than you listed.

 

[kaitlin4599]

so far my attempts to find out who made the board have been unsucessful