Upgrade XP1600+ to XP2400+

[ellisz]

Hi all,

I currently have an EPOX 8KHA+ MB with a XP1600+ chip. I want to build a new computer for my brother in law and maybe update mine in the process. I plan on getting in on a Fry's deal in the future for an ECS pro MB and XP2400+ chip. I think this is the fastest processor I can run with a 266 FSB?

Anyway, what is involved with swapping one cpu for another but keeping the MB the same? Re-format? Is the chip typically hard to remove. I have read that alcohol works well for cleaning the cpu. Would I need a Bios update? I think Epox shows 2 new Bios but not any information regarding what they fix/do.

Also, I have an Evercase 4252 case and the PS that came with it is 300W but was only approved for an XP1700 at the time. I was considering getting the 300W Fortron because it is quiet and is supposed to be a good PSU. I just wonder if 300W is enough. From what I have read, the Fortron 300 PSU is under rated. I have 2 CD drives, floppy, 2 HD's(100GB and 60GB), ATI 8500 vid,firewire and network cards, 2 case fans etc. Will the 2400 chip make a difference?I have recently changed my case fans to panaflo L1's in order to quiet things down a bit.

This computer was my first and it went perfect thanks to all I learned here at anandtech. I just want to be prepared.

Thanks

 

[ellisz]

bump

 

[DAPUNISHER]

That 300W Fortron will be fine with your setup, For removing thermal compound isopropyl and a lint-free cloth are fine. You can just swap from the 1600+ to the 2400+ no reformat or reinstall is necessary, and if the bios doesn't correctly ID the 2400+ then go ahead and flash to the latest revision otherwise "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

 

[ellisz]

Thanks alot for the reply. That is what I wanted to hear

Sad thing is after looking at Newegg lately, I have a list of wants and wonder if I need a new MB. Alot changes in 2 years.

I think I will just have to suck it up. I set the PC up to capture and edit video and I have not done it as much as I thought I would. Kids

Thanks again.

 

[robcy]

AMD makes a 2600+ with 266fsb, it runs at 2133mhz. Its only 133mhz faster that the 2400+ but its still faster. If you MB recognises the 2400+ then it should recognize the 2600+. If not then get the latest BIOS.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: robcy
AMD makes a 2600+ with 266fsb, it runs at 2133mhz. Its only 133mhz faster that the 2400+ but its still faster. If you MB recognises the 2400+ then it should recognize the 2600+. If not then get the latest BIOS.

Not a good idea unless you can provide him with a reputable source to purchase a 266fsb 2600+ because the only 2 places on pricewatch with it at a 103-104$ price have absolutely terrible ratings and I wouldn't deal with them under any circumstances. I also don't think the 133mhz is worth 2x$ more even if there is a reputable vendor carrying it at that price point.

 

[blackhawk]

I have that same mb(love it) and just installed a 2400 in it yesterday, no problems. I run the last bios from epox and their site said it supports up to 2400. It replaced an 1800 so good improvement on performance but not sure how much value it would be to you.

With the via 400 or nf2 mb, the multiplier becomes unlocked as well, I ran this at 166fsb on my epox 8k9a+ till I installed the barton 2800.

 

[dguy6789]

FYI, the 2600 333fsb is 2.08Ghz, and the 266FSB is 2.133, the 266 is faster.

 

[robcy]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: robcy
AMD makes a 2600+ with 266fsb, it runs at 2133mhz. Its only 133mhz faster that the 2400+ but its still faster. If you MB recognises the 2400+ then it should recognize the 2600+. If not then get the latest BIOS.

Not a good idea unless you can provide him with a reputable source to purchase a 266fsb 2600+ because the only 2 places on pricewatch with it at a 103-104$ price have absolutely terrible ratings and I wouldn't deal with them under any circumstances. I also don't think the 133mhz is worth 2x$ more even if there is a reputable vendor carrying it at that price point.

Just a statement that there is a faster 266fsb than the 2400+. The Fry's combo of 2400+/ECS PRO is pretty good, and will run great.

I purchased my 2600+ from e1micro and got the 6-9 day shipping. It arrived in FL from CA in 4 days. They had great customer service, and answered all of my questions promptly. The transaction was thur Yahoo shopping which made me feel safe.

About the 2400+ vs 2600+, I had previously purchased a 2400+ that would only do 142FSB(2130mhz), and the new 2600+ does 150fsb (2400mhz) at 1.65V. I can not go any higher due to cheap ram. I cant wait to see what it will do on the new nf2 I am going to order, with some decent ram . So I guess I am speaking from PERSONAL experience, since it seems to have worked great for ME.

 

[ellisz]

This is going a bit OT but how much benefit, if any would it be to upgrade the MB to an Nforce chipset or faster VIA?. 266A was the thing when I built mine and the VIA chipset which had caused problems with video capture for some was not a problem with the 266A. I think I would have to buy newer RAM to replace my PC 2100 stuff and that would suck.

I just have to wait for my Frys deal to come back since I missed the last one. I want to build a PC for my brother in law and give hime the ESC Pro MB to use his old SDRAM and take the 2400+ chip for myself. He would get my 1600+. For costing him nothing, he will make out good and get rid of his Duron/cheap MB that someone else built for him. I almost don't want to change mine since it runs awesome but I ain't giving him 2400 when I have a 1600

 

[robcy]

The ECS with its 745 chipset is a faster board than the 266A. The diffrence is marginal, but there. The diffrence between all of the chipsets (266A, 333, 400, 735, 745) are fairly moot when run at 133fsb/266DDR. Only when your fsb increases do they begin to seperate. The NF2 will always be a little ahead of all of them. The 735/745 have proven them selves to be very stable, and with great performance. If you are going to stay with a 133fsb CPU and not overclock then keep the DDR you already have, since AMD CPU's run best with equal FSB/MEM frequencies.

 

[ellisz]

The ECS Pro is a 735 Sis board. I opted for the Epox back then due to better reviews/scores at the time. The Epox has more RAM slots and was supposed to be easy to overclock. I have never really dabble in this area but always wanted to. Never took the time to research it. It was my first build so I was happy it worked I have 768 MB of ram now but I am also in the process of quieting it down. Maybe when I get the quieter PS in and the new chip, I will try to tweak it a bit.

With Dell selling PC's so cheap, I don't want to drop a lot of $$ on this upgarde.

I have the following:
Maxtor 60GB 7200 RPM drive
WD 100 GB 7200 capture drive
2 Crucial 256 sticks PC2100 DDR & 1 Kingston 256 PC21 DDR
CD Rom & Lite on 32x CDRW
Pinnacle Fire wire card w/Studio 8
ATI Radeon 8500
Belkin NIC
Evercase 4252 case w 2 Panaflo's(1 intake, 1 exhaust)
300W PS came with case

 

[robcy]

The upgrade to a 2400+ will be worth while. The diffrence between it and 1600+ is pretty big. At 133fsb you do not need new ram, unless you finally jump off the edge and overclock. The 2400+ will require a better HSF than the 1600+, I do not know how that will effect your quiteting efforts. Your 300w PSU might be reaching the max with the items you listed plus the 2400+, especially if its the cheap kind that come with some cases. Overall your system should run pretty nicely.

 

[ellisz]

I am going to get the Fortron 300 PSU. Supposed to be quiet and underrated power wise. The combo should come with the retail chip so it should come with a better CPU fan/HS. I will put the 1600/cpu/HS that I have in my computer now into the one I am building with the ECS board.

Would any OC'ing be possible with my setup and a new PS and the 2400 retail chip?

 

[robcy]

I do know how good of an overclocker the 2400+ is overall. I guess it depends. The one that I originally got was not that good, but its only 1 example. I am guessing it will at very least do 2600+ speeds. Either way you will need better ram, unless you overclock by the multiplier (like 16X133-2133mhz or 17X133-2266mhz) only. The better way to get a performance boost is to raise the FSB (12X166-2000 is faster than 15X133-2000), or a combo of both (13X166-2166 or 14X166-2333). There you will be limited by the DDR2100 you have. The system should run very nice normal, and any overclocking is just gravy.