CPU upgrading newbie here

[pilgrim2u]

I have a compaq 6000z. It now has a amd 2200+ I now have 1 gig of memory.
Is going from 2200+ to 2600 or even 2800 a waste?
What determines my cpu upgrade path(ceiling)?
This came from BelArc:
FIC AM37 MB
Board: KM266-8235
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Phoenix Technologies, LTD AM37308 12/16/2002

I do not understand the "bus" speed factors.
Barton chips are bargains now it appears.
It appears tons of deals on the 333 bus chips, few deals on the 266?

from newegg
$ 206.00 :-(
AMD ATHLON MP 2600 /266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL
Specifications:
CPU: 2.13 GHz
Type: MP 2600 +
Cache: 256K
BUS: 266 MHz
Socket: A Retail (Box with Heatsink and Fan) Model#: AMSN2600BOX

thanks all

 

[Doh!]

Originally posted by: pilgrim2u
I have a compaq 6000z. It now has a amd 2200+ I now have 1 gig of memory.
Is going from 2200+ to 2600 or even 2800 a waste?
What determines my cpu upgrade path(ceiling)?

In general, going from 2200 to either 2600/2800 will be more of a waste if you don't run any CPU intensive programs. Even if you do, for example 3D games, the video card may not take full advantage of a faster cpu. A motherboard is the biggest factor in determining the cpu upgradability. At the moment, with your current motherboard, getting the recently released bartons is not really a good idea since you would have to increase the fsb to run the cpu in spec. and agp/pci probably won't be able to handle the increased fsb (I don't think the agp/pci lock is available on KM266 boards). Even if you run the barton at 266 and increase the multiplier, you're not fully optimizing the cpu as it would be running at a slower fsb. If you want to upgrade right now, I would get a new board (nforce2) along with a faster CPU.

By the way, the cpu you listed is for a MP (multiprocessor) system. You may find a regular XP CPU at a lower price.

 

[pspada]

He's correct, that's a MP Athlon, not a XP. The XP is cheaper. But the most important question about upgrading for you is to see if a standard ATX motherboard will fit properly into your case.

 

[Cogman]

you should not post on mutiple forums. I belive it is agenst the rules...

 

[selfbuilt]

I agree with Doh! ... you will not see much of a benefit going from a 2200+ to a 2600+ while remaining on the 266 bus with that motherboard. In my experience, there's a definite performance boost going to the 333 FSB with appopriate memory and a decent chipset. I would save your money until you can upgrade the whole system ... there's much point in buying a faster processor that would only give you a marginal performance increase at best (and wouldn't be used in a later upgrade anyway, due to the lower 266 bus).

Frankly, you system is fine as it is. But if you were looking for a new system today, a good configuration would be Nforce2 chipset mobo with a barton processor (333 FSB) with at least PC2700 memory (PC-333), or better yet PC3200 (PC-400) and o/c the barton to the 400 FSB (which the vast majority seem capable of, with a good HSF).

But depending on the rest of your system (e.g. graphics card, HD ?) and how you use (non-gaming?), you may not even see much of a difference from what you have now. Anyway you slice it, though, going up to another 266FSB processor won't do much.

 

[pspada]

Another possibility is to get a Barton now and raise the mulitplier if your m/b can't handle the 166fsb to get good performance now - the extra cache will help performance right off the bat. Then if you get a newer m/b in the future, you'll be able to take advantage of the 166fsb then.

 

[NYHoustonman]

I would wait, that processor is still good by today's standards.

 

[pilgrim2u]

thanks all for the input

sorry for the double post :-(

I now know what the MP is besides more expensive

 

[videoclone]

Do not upgrade .. its a wast of time and money your CPU is good enough to last a few more months .... if you must satisfy the gobbly gooblies inside your belly that make you want to upgrade you PC .. then maybe a better videocard .. or bigger hard drive .. or as RAM is so cheap 2 sticks of 512MB DDR 400 who knows how long these low price's will last... and later on use that ram in your new system....

dont worry about your bored not running DDR 400 .. the motherboard just clocks it down to what it can handle ... and in your case that would be DDR 266 ... ... i'm sure with the 2200+ you can hold off a little bit longer untill the AMD64 CPU's comes out.

food for thought