athlon 63 x2 & mem upgrade

[penguin32]

Hi all
Some time ago i bought a MSI K9NGM2-FID AM2 motherboard and populated it with a athlon 64 3200+ and Corsair value select 2x512 1GB DDR2-667 kit memory. It has served well.
Looking on Ebay now top end components are a lot cheaper.
Question 1: if replacing or supplementing the memory does it all have to be identical to work effectivly in dual channel mode. Or could i add another 2x512 or 1x1GB of the same speed 667 but different brand in the other channel?(there are 4 slots)
Question 2: have seen an athlon 62 x2 6000+ that the motherboard would support ADX6000IAA6CZ, think its 125w TDU, will this run hot and require a lot of cooling? will i need a more substantial power supply? i only have one HD connected no vidio card (use mB graphics).

Do these look like worthwhile upgrades or am i wasting my time. Not sure what i will us it for in future but think these changes could give a longer life span

thanks in advance

 

[spaceman]

ddr2 is more expensive than ddr3
an athlon ii/2 core phenom/basic am3 board and 4gb of ddr 3 would likely fall in the $150 range,maybe better with rebates.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Don't waste your time...the new stuff's so cheap, it's better to build a new system. Check this out --> link

but, If you're into gaming, I'd upgrade the vid card. The 5450 isn't good for gaming.

 

[jvroig]

. Or could i add another 2x512 or 1x1GB of the same speed 667 but different brand in the other channel?

Yes to another 2x512. It doesn't have to be same brand. For 1x1GB, no. You have to populate both channels evenly to employ dual-channel.

have seen an athlon 62 x2 6000+ that the motherboard would support ADX6000IAA6CZ, think its 125w TDU, will this run hot and require a lot of cooling? will i need a more substantial power supply? i only have one HD connected no vidio card (use mB graphics).

Your 3200+ probably came with the stock aluminum-block HSF. The 6000+ comes with a better (but noisier) stock HSF, the one with heatpipes. As long as you don't use the old heatsink for the 6000+, cooling will be ok (but noisier, let me stress that). As for power supply, whether it is enough or not will depend entirely on your PSU model. Try dropping by the PSU subforum here and ask the experts there. I would hazard a guess that as long as your PSU is rated 400-500W, and it isn't one of those cheap, no-name brands, you would be fine.

Do these look like worthwhile upgrades or am i wasting my time. Not sure what i will us it for in future but think these changes could give a longer life span

It depends on what you are expecting. If you ask people who equate "gaming performance" with constant 45-60fps, then your upgrades don't cut it. If your expectations (and perhaps what you are used to) is more conservative (~30fps, and don't mind the occasional-but-not-too-often dip in frame rates), then it may be just fine. I am of course assuming you plan to play modern games, not those released 5 years ago.

Perhaps you should also mention how much you are willing to spend on an upgrade, and how much the RAM + X2 6000+ will theoretically cost you. From there, we can compare how cost-effective other alternatives are.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

What jvroig said. Can you list the PSU model, though? That would help.

If you live near a Micro Center you could score a decent computer for about 160 bones. Pick up one of the Athlon II X2 640 bundles for $100, add in 4GB DDR3 for $40, and find a cheap PCI-e card there for about $15. My MC has a ton of $15-$20 video cards that will do good for non-gaming purposes.

 

[penguin32]

First thankyou all for you thoughts, very helpful and I am now getting the picture.

I live in the UK, $1.6 to the pound, i doubt i could get a new bits for less than £150.
On Ebay i could get an athlon 64x2 6000+ for £25 and 4gb ddr2 800 for £35.
I think the real exchange rate for compter bits is $1+£1

I own up to having a cheap box 400w psu and suspect the above components might start to stress it, so far its been fine though.

I mainly do graphics work so end up doing a little waiting at times

jvroig
""
Quote:
Originally Posted by penguin32
. Or could i add another 2x512 or 1x1GB of the same speed 667 but different brand in the other channel?

Yes to another 2x512. It doesn't have to be same brand. For 1x1GB, no. You have to populate both channels evenly to employ dual-channel
""

would the timings of another 2x512 need to be the same?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I worked on someone's computer once that had an Athlon 64 X2 6000. It was unstable, and ran hot (70+C). I tried replacing the heatsink with the quad-heatpipe version, and temps were actually no better! So I put the heavy-duty aluminum block back on. I ended up replacing the PSU for the client on a whim, hoping that it would lead to better stability. It ran fine for them for nearly a year, and I just recently heard that it "crashed". Unknown whether it's a software or hardware problem at this point.

So in short, I do not recommend using this processor. It runs at thermal limits, at the edge of stability. It's old, and runs hot.

 

[jvroig]

would the timings of another 2x512 need to be the same?

No

I mainly do graphics work so end up doing a little waiting at times

Does your motherboard support any of the original Phenoms? It sounds like you'd be better off even with just a Phenom X4 9750 instead.


Since you already have DDR2 RAM, I think a good way to approach this upgrade would be to get an AM2+ motherboard and an Athlon II chip you fancy - preferably an X4 one, but even a cheap Athlon II X2 255 will be slightly better than a 6000+ performance-wise, and far better power consumption and temps. You'd gain an immediate, noticeable performance boost, even if it takes you another month or so to add in additional RAM if budget is tight.

 

[penguin32]

Thanks again for helping

I think the plan now is to lookout for a reasonably quick low power athlon 2x possibly BE version and either 2 or 4GB ddr2 800 on ebay. I will keep the cost well down.
And then ponder a new system at a later date.

The MB is AM2 and does not support Phenoms.

cheers

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you have a Microcenter nearby, you can get a combo deal with an AMD Athlon II X4 640 and an AM3 mobo for like $100-$120, and then just get 2x2GB DDR3-1333 at Newegg, there are some deals for like $25 AR.

Spending money on DDR2 nowadays isn't wise, unless you already have the CPU and mobo.

 

[jvroig]

He mentioned being in the UK (post right above your first post here), so both Microcenter and Newegg aren't options for him. (Those of us outside of the US seem to pay a little bit more for electronics. Not sure why that is, or if it even makes sense, but that's how it is.) Since his priority is keeping costs down (very tight budget), his conclusion to just get a compatible, higher-performing CPU and add RAM is sensible enough. Before jumping on a new mobo+CPU upgrade, I pretty much did the same thing - upgraded an X2 5000+ to a 7750, straight swap after a bios update, then added RAM. It worked well enough, and the upgrade cost only spare change.

 

[penguin32]

unfortunatly the one thing we dont have is cheap computer stores in the uk, scanning the web is the only way to get a half decent deal.
You are always between a rock and a hard place buying or upgading its either expensive or so out of date. I look at upgrading the cpu from the perspective that some of the models I am now looking at cost $450 when they first came out a few years ago!

Cheers all