n00b processor question. Yes, I'm a huge n00b.

[SomethingClever]

The AMD 64 3000+ socket 939 with 512K L2 cache. Winchester.

It's going to pwn my current P4 1.8, correct?

I hear it's easy and safe to overclock the chip to something like 2.4 as well. Thoughts?

Finally, recommend a mobo to go with this chip.

Finally... the biggest n00b question in the post. I keep reading things like "The only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor" associated with the 3200+ chip. Does that mean my 3000+ won't run Windows XP? Or does it mean it won't run the new 64-bit windows that's allegedly coming out at some point? Or does it mean neither? d4mn 1m 5uch 4 hug3 |\|00b.

Yes, I've asked before, I've procrastinated horribly... I really need a new box because mine is sounding like a dying elephant.

[bengali]

the amd 64 chips are compatible both with XP and the next generation,the 64-bit windows. so your safe both now and in the future...

[NoTalent]

[ QUOTE ]
The AMD 64 3000+ socket 939 with 512K L2 cache. Winchester.

It's going to pwn my current P4 1.8, correct?

I hear it's easy and safe to overclock the chip to something like 2.4 as well. Thoughts?

Finally, recommend a mobo to go with this chip.

Finally... the biggest n00b question in the post. I keep reading things like "The only 64-bit Windows Compatible Processor" associated with the 3200+ chip. Does that mean my 3000+ won't run Windows XP? Or does it mean it won't run the new 64-bit windows that's allegedly coming out at some point? Or does it mean neither? d4mn 1m 5uch 4 hug3 |\|00b.

Yes, I've asked before, I've procrastinated horribly... I really need a new box because mine is sounding like a dying elephant.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, it will be faster.
Yes, you can overclock (even more if you get a 90nm part)
Yes, it is 64-bit capable (939 parts are)
Yes, it will run the 64-bit windows when the darn thing comes out... [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[AncientPC]

1) Yes.

2) Yes, I have the exact same chip @ 2.4Ghz.

3) Mobo really depends on your expectations. If you're going to be a gamer, you should probably invest in the DFI board for nForce4 SLI and 2 vid card support.

Otherwise you're best off with an nForce4 Ultra chipset board. Just seach for nForce4 Ultra chipset under AMD motherboards on Newegg.com.

The Chaintech mobo is on the lower end and is what I have. The only problem it has is that its onboard Gigabit ethernet is kinda funky (it works in 1/2 the motherboards) so I've thrown in a regular ethernet card. Otherwise it's completely fine and great for the price.

On the other hand you might want to look into the socket 754 AMD 64's. If you're the type of person that upgrades your PC regularly then a socket 939 CPU may be good for you, but if you're the type of upgrader that buys a new mobo everytime you buy a new CPU the socket 754 may be more cost effective in the long run.

I thought I had the threads as favorites on Anandtech but apparently don't and I'm too lazy to find them myself.

Basically the socket 754 AMD 64's, while run a bit hotter than the socket 939's, can overclock just as fast as their counterparts and are just as stable. The performance difference between the two chipsets is negligible (~5-10%) in most cases.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're going to be a gamer, you should probably invest in the DFI board for nForce4 SLI and 2 vid card support.


[/ QUOTE ]

As for two video cards... couldn't I run two on any board with available slots? Or would they both need to be PCIe?

For example, say I just got one of the nVidia Ultra boards. And for a primary video card, something like the nvidia 6600 GT or thereabouts... could I also plug in an old, janky 64 meg PCI card into one of the mobo's PCI slots to run the second monitor?

Or, it looks like that particular vid card should have a couple outputs at least. VGA + DVI? Do DVI to VGA converter cables exist?

Apologies for the continued noobery.

[BusterStacks]

He is talking about SLI which is basically combining the performance of two video cards. Don't worry about this, it is way overkill for your application. Also, the Athlong 64 does not respond extremely well to overclocking, but you may be able to get a slight gain. If you are looking for gains to be had by a 64-bit chip over a 32-bit one, you aren't going to find much. Even the 64-bit windows is just kind of "meh" at this point and doesn't really do anything.

In terms of processing power, yes any Athlon 64 is gonna pwn a p4 1.8, but in practice, I can't really think of a situation where you would notice it. The processor is not a bottleneck in currect systems. If you are buying a new computer for various reaons though, yeah this is a good chip.

[SomethingClever]

[ QUOTE ]
He is talking about SLI which is basically combining the performance of two video cards. Don't worry about this, it is way overkill for your application. Also, the Athlong 64 does not respond extremely well to overclocking, but you may be able to get a slight gain. If you are looking for gains to be had by a 64-bit chip over a 32-bit one, you aren't going to find much. Even the 64-bit windows is just kind of "meh" at this point and doesn't really do anything.

In terms of processing power, yes any Athlon 64 is gonna pwn a p4 1.8, but in practice, I can't really think of a situation where you would notice it. The processor is not a bottleneck in currect systems. If you are buying a new computer for various reaons though, yeah this is a good chip.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I can't really run Doom 3 on my current computer whatsoever. I'm hoping to do so on the new one.

I'm worried about hooking up my second monitor. It looks like the Chaintech 6600 GT has VGA, DVI and TV out.... but both my monitors are VGA. Actually, the nicer one has a couple other weird inputs, but I'm not sure what they are. RGB perhaps?

The way I've got it working now, I have a crappy old 2nd video card (PCI) installed to run the 2nd monitor. Would this still work with the new PCIe board? Or would that be suboptimal?

Edit: Obviously, I know that the PCI card wouldn't work in a PCIe slot... but there are regular PCI slots on those boards too.

[AncientPC]

SLI is when you want to combine the processing power of two video cards to give you a boost in 1st person shooter games. It really is not needed for anyone except the hardcore gamer willing to shell out $500 - $1,000 for just two video cards.

If both your monitors are VGA, you can just buy a VGA <-> DVI adaptor at Newegg.com for a few bucks. I got ripped off when I picked one up at a local Fry's for $15 + tax.

The crappy video card in a PCI slot will still work on the PCIe board (they still have 2-3 PCI slots). I'm not sure what you mean by suboptimal, you won't be using the second video card for anything but desktop / workstation usage.

[Terry]

I think MonarchComputer.com is pretty much the place to buy an AMD system ... at least, it's where I've been buying for years.

Even if you don't intent to buy from them, the configurator is a great tool for research since it only lists components that are compatible. You can't make a mistake.

Personally, I like Asus motherboards for overclocking.