I'm considering upgrading from my S939 3500+ to an Opteron 180

[LW07]

Alright, here are my questions.

First, will I be able to just take out the 3500+ and install the 180 and be able to boot into windows from the start, or will I have to upgrade the BIOS to my motherboard(My motherboard is a Abit KN8 Ultra) before installing the 180 to avoid problems?

Second of all, will I need to reformat or reinstall windows, or will I be OK? Can I get by with just a repair installation if any of that is necessary?

 

[myocardia]

You'll definitely want to update your BIOS. Also, while it's possible to "make do" with your old Windows install, reinstalling works wonders, and isn't complicated, unlike what's required to not reinstall. And yes, a repair install is usually as effective as a full reinstall, but your mileage may vary.

 

[Big Lar]

Check to see in the forums what bios for your board supports DC, the 1 you are running may be ok, you never know.
I had a 148 opty in mine, and merely exchanged chips and was good to go. I did instally the DC patch/s, but I really didn't see any gain by it.

I've been running this OS without a reformat for about 15 months now, prob had 4 different chips in here, 2 different scsi controllers, went from nvidia to ati, etc. No need to reformat all the time, unless you change Mobo chipsets, and even then you can get away with it, with a normal running setup.
I use CCcleaner to clean up my registry, and it works wonders. Hope this helps.

Larry