mobo and cpu recommendations

[mrmaynarduk]

hi all firstly like to say im new to the forum... so hi all :xsmile:

im looking to upgrade my mobo and cpu but i can not decide on what is goin to be the best for the budget i have. my budget is around the 120-140 mark. im looking just for a mobo and a cpu. i have some 1066 ram to go in the new mobo and a 9800gt but i would like to keep these rather then upgrade them to. ive allways been a amd man so id like to maybe stick with amd. i have atm a amd 2.0duo which has become a little outdated and i have been looking at the 2.8-2.9ghz duo cpus. i have been looking now for a few weeks and i just cant come a conculsion on what is goin to be best for the budget i have set my self any help much appreciated ;)

many thanks

also any views on intels much appreciated :thumbs:

[A Ginger Sheep]

give us full specs.

[Lambda]

I'm assuming the 1066 ram is DDR2?

If so..

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM3AMDChipsetMotherboards/Asus/90-MIB920-G0EAY00Z.html

with

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Processors/AMDAthlonX2AndX4/AMD/HDZ550WFGIBOX.html

or http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Processors/AMDAthlonX2AndX4/AMD/ADX435WFGIBOX.html

[mrmaynarduk]

hi thanks for your replys. yes the ram is ddr2. pc noob what do you want to know the full specs of? hope this helps... tsunami dream case, 1066 balistix tracer 240 ddr2 ram, hiper 580 psu, sata hdds, palit 9800gt pci-e gfx. hope that helps somewhat many thanks

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

koolPC has a phenom 2 x3 720 black edition for sale in the members market that could be worth a look to see if you can get a deal on that.

otherwise the x2 550 would be the better gamer but the x3 425 athlon 2 would be good too..

personally i would recommend this mobo
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM2AllChipsetMotherboards/Biostar/TA790GX128M.html

and this cpu
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Processors/AMDPhenomX4/AMD/HDZ940XCGIBOX.html

ok its £30 over budget but it will last you a little while. the only downfall is that its not an am3 cpu so if you wanted to upgrade again in future you cant drag over the cpu.

[A Ginger Sheep]

was looking to see what mobo you have, what socket and what cpu do you have in it. if its am2 then a p2 would be a good upgrade and if you dont a compatiable motherboard then death made a good recommendation and i would defs take a look at that p2 x3 that koolpc has on sale. would be a very good upgrade. +1 for death's post basically.

[mrmaynarduk]

ok realy appreciate your replys guys

i think i will go for the biostar mobo for sure seems to be a great board for the budget..but the cpu is a little far fetched so i was woundering would the biostar am2+ mobo

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...790GX128M.html (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM2AllChipsetMotherboards/Biostar/TA790GX128M.html)

be suitable with the am3 435 cpu? using ddr2 ram

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...35WFGIBOX.html (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Processors/AMDAthlonX2AndX4/AMD/ADX435WFGIBOX.html)

much appreciated :xsmile:

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

ok realy appreciate your replys guys

i think i will go for the biostar mobo for sure seems to be a great board for the budget..but the cpu is a little far fetched so i was woundering would the biostar am2+ mobo

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...790GX128M.html (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Motherboards/AMDAM2AllChipsetMotherboards/Biostar/TA790GX128M.html)

be suitable with the am3 435 cpu? using ddr2 ram

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/p...35WFGIBOX.html (http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Processors/AMDAthlonX2AndX4/AMD/ADX435WFGIBOX.html)

much appreciated :xsmile:


would be fine mate, but i would suggest getting the x3 425 and a cooler as it will easily be able to OC to 3ghz +

oh btw that mobo will need a bios flash but thats shouldnt be too much hassle

[mrmaynarduk]

:) thanks for your quick reply mate. thats great news :thumbs: sorry to be a pain and keep asking questions but whats a bios flash? and how do thay work? its been awhile since ive done any work on a pc so im a little rusty :rolleye:

thanks again

[system7]

:) thanks for your quick reply mate. thats great news :thumbs: sorry to be a pain and keep asking questions but whats a bios flash? and how do thay work? its been awhile since ive done any work on a pc so im a little rusty :rolleye:

thanks again
Think he's gone to bed, m8. LOL

Most new motherboards come with latest bios for support of latest processors. You can usually update bios even with a partially supported new CPU, so don't worry about it.

Athlon X2 or X3 CPUs are all good value. Get what you like. I'd get the higher clock myself. But overclocking cheapies is always an option. :xsmile:

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

bios is the integrated software which effectively recognises all the hardware and settings

as new hardware is released the bios needs updating should you wish to use newer hardware correctly. bios updates are usually done via motherboard driver software or various other ways *like removable storage etc) there will/should be all the information you need to do this in the motherboard manual.

[mrmaynarduk]

thanks guys for all the help and info :thumbs: much appreciated :)

i went ahead a bought the biostar mobo and the athlon 2 x3 435 today :D

but as i read deeper into installing the mobo im getting more and more worried because im attempting to just change over the mobo and cpu but keep my original harddrive with my curent os installed :(

another option i have is to just format my harddrive. but i realy dont want to do that as i would loose alot of software ect also games that i no longer have the disks for...but i would rather loose the games ect for a less troublesome installation if thats the case but im still not sure it is goin to be less trouble as the more i read up on im still goin to get issues? can anyone give me any info or tips on this subject please?

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

hmm i have often just taken a hard drive and plugged it straight into a new system and once the boot order is set it works all fine. though personally i would recommend a format anyway. as it gets rid of all those old drivers which you may not need and might conflict with the new hardware. it is a hassle to reinstall everything esp if you have a lot but in lthe long run its worth it.

hmm im not really sure but there are ways you could back up your data.. i thinkyou will have to ask someone who knows more about that though as thats all too complicated for me :) lol

[mrmaynarduk]

lol ive just thought a little this is what ive come up with... ive got 2 hdds so what i will do is put all my data games ect on the secondary hdd as that hdd i wont be formatting so i can then install a fresh copy of xp onto my primary hdd and then drag them back onto my primary once xp is installed..could this work? im 90% sure it will but im still a little rusty on this subject. also is there any thing i need to do prior to installing a fresh copy of xp? as its a new mobo and cpu? sorry for all the questions but im rather worried about doin this and it not working as this is my only means of internet connection in the house so once ive formatted it im in the dark as for info or issues that mite pop up :(

[system7]

It's a bit iffy upgrading an existing install of XP on a new motherboard. XP Pro is easier.

With XP, you do a repair install from an XP CD which allows you to install drivers from scratch. You then need to activate with a license number. The 25 digit COA sticker off a prebuilt often works with OEM Windows. Retail Windows will let you migrate to a new motherboard anyway.

Technically, OEM licenses are tied to a motherboard, Retail versions are more flexible.

[mrmaynarduk]

ok thanks. the os on my hdd atm is one i installed a few years back from the xp disk its not oem. so if i put the xp disk into my cd drive and boot the pc up and go into the repair existing system would that work? also would it work without the 25 digit code as its not oem or would i still need the code?

[system7]

It sounds like this should be straightforward then with retail windows license number. Start your install and at about the 4th screen you are offered a repair option, not to be confused with recovery console.

That preserves existing programs and files. You then run windows update, and then install the Biostar drivers. You'll type in the COA number at some point and activate within 30 days. It's not totally robust, but you lose nothing by trying it. A fresh install is the next option.

Edit, correction: Install chipset drivers, ethernet and then run Windows update. I never do all the drivers straightaway since sound in particular is iffy on old versions of XP.

[mrmaynarduk]

ok thanks for advice system7.. can i just run a few things by you? just to be sure im doin this correctly.. so im goin to leave current os installed on my hdd.. fit my new mobo and cpu into case ect. boot pc with xp disk in cd drive and go into repair xp? do i need to remove my old chipset drivers ect from the hdd or leave them alone? and thay will be writen over by new drivers ect?

[system7]

Yup, you first go into bios and check everything is recognised and date/time correct, and set defaults, set DVD/CD to boot before HD then save and exit, then go on to boot Windows CD. The repair install is straightforward, but has pitfalls occasionally. It rewrites a fresh windows install around the existing program and document file structure, so old motherboard drivers get deleted. You then need to treat it as a fresh install with your motherboard drivers disk and windows update.

[mrmaynarduk]

:D :xgrin: :D :D lol all done :p thanks for the help system7 :thumbs: much appreciated :D

i havent updated the bios as of yet as the t-bios update program says its the lastest version.. but when i right click on *my computer* it says amd processor model unknown so im not sure that it is the lastest version of the bios :confused: so im slightly confused on that one..apart from that all went well :) its a huuuuge improvment on my old mobo and cpu :D

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

if you run cpuid it should tell you what bios version you have

also it might not have had an update recently and the x3 cpu's have only been out for about 6-8weeks? i think biostar and many other board makers release updates quarterly

[I3R0K3N7FEET]

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/t-series/introduction.php?S_ID=377

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/t-series/bios.php?S_ID=377

[mrmaynarduk]

ahh ok i will try this new update then many thanks :thumbs: :)

[mrmaynarduk]

ok i jjust installed the new bios update.. restarted pc and it said somthing had failed and i had to press f2 to load defults or del to entre setup so i press f2 started windows then had to reinstall my gfx card drivers for sum reason.. so i done that and restarted pc...went into hw monitor..and it starts beeping at me saying check cpu temps :confused:

[system7]

I know this is an old thread, but did you ever get your BIOSTAR TA790GX 128M MOBO bios to fully recognise the Athlon II X3 435, mrmaynarduk?

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/t-series/cpu_support.php?S_ID=377

Biostar seem to be a bit useless on bios updates! Upload Date: 2009-08-04 is 4th. August 2009. Hardly impressive. :huh:

[Aegis]

Hi,

I have this board and had the same problem as you with it not recognising the cpu, it also kept telling me the bios was up to date, which it was not.

After a bios update all was well.

BIOSTAR :: TA790GX 128M :: Overview (http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/t-series/introduction.php?S_ID=377)

Click on bios and it will give you the latest bios, which is the one steve mentions,

Biostar do not make it easy to update, on the bios page click on the reader icon next to the download button and it will tell you how to update the bios., it is a lot off messing around.