Hi,

Im thinking of upgrading from PIII, 1GHZ Athlon to PIV, 2GHZ

Has anyone made such an upgrade and do they have any tips or advice?

I'm not quite sure what to buy. Do I need a whole new motherboard?...do I need it to be made by the same manufacturer?.....will anything be incompatible like CD-RW, RAM etc?

Thanks for any advice.

That all depends on the hardware you've got already. Waht is the motherboard? You might also need to buy a more powerful fan, a bigger power supply etc ...

- wil

Wow I never knew AMD and Intel got together and made a "PIII, 1GHz Athlon"

1) You'll need a new motherboard.
2) You'll need a new power supply (since P4's require a new connector from the p/s).
3) You'll probably need new ram (rambus), though there might be motherboards now that take sdram. I believe there are also motherboards which take DDR now, which would be a cheaper solution than RDRAM.

Everything else should be fine.


Adrian

>>Wow I never knew AMD and Intel got together and made a "PIII, 1GHz Athlon" <<

Haha....it was late

Thanks for the advice.

Well I was surprised yesterday to find out that AMD has an Athlon 4 out. Did I miss something... ie Athlon 2 and Athlon 3?

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

Not sure about that, but I just read about the new AMD Athlon XP (how convenient ), which supposedly gives the p4 2ghz a run for its money, even at only 1.4ghz...

And concidering it's almost 1/2 the price, it's something I'm definately concidering for my new PC...

- Mark

Astro-Boy!!
http://www.zip.com.au/~astroboy/

I knew I didn't imagine it.... here's one place that lists an AMD Athlon 4 under the names "Palomino" and "XP"
http://www.bcd2000.com/...Amd+Palomino&Tp=

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

Athlon 4 is the mobile version of AMD's newest CPU's.
Athlon XP is the desktop version of AMD's newest CPU's.
Athlon MP is the multi processor cabaple version of AMD's newest CPU's.
Palomino is the code name for the cores of all the above processors.

I myself prefer AMD over Intel now. Intel's processors are just not worth it anymore. Though if you want the least chance for trouble (if you're building your own system), then you might want to go with Intel. I just upgraded to an AMD XP 1600+ myself. Cheap and fast .


Adrian

Dual AMD 1600 MP is tempting. 2 Months time it will be cheap as well.

Cheers,
Michael Bray

Mmmm, may just be buying an Athlon XP rather than P4

>>
Q: How much faster is an AMD Athlon XP processor 1900+ vs. a 1.9GHz Pentium 4 processor?

A: Based on the suite of benchmarks that AMD is using to show relative performance, the AMD Athlon XP processor 1900+ delivers up to a 25-percent performance advantage versus the Intel Pentium 4 processor operating at 1.9 GHz on a broad array of real-world applications.

Q: How does the AMD Athlon XP processor 1900+ perform compared to the 2.0GHz Intel Pentium® 4 processor?

A: The AMD Athlon XP Processor 1900+ is the world’s highest performance processor, delivering an extraordinary computing experience to end users. We believe our top of the line processors have industry-leading performance across a broad array of applications.

<<

Sounds like I may not need a new motherboard either - just a bios upgrade as I already have an Athlon

What motherboard brand/model do you have? You said that you had a P3 above...


Adrian

That was a typo.

I have a 1000mhz Athlon.

I whizzzz'd of an email to AMD, here's the reply:

>>
The upgrade ability of a system is dependent on the motherboard. Consequently, it is best to check with the motherboard manufacturer or system builder, such as Compaq, IBM, HP, etc. to determine which processors a specific motherboard will support. If a motherboard is Socket 7 or Super7 compatible and the BIOS and jumper settings support the specifications of the AMD-K6® family processor in question (such as voltage requirements, bus speed, and clock multiplier), it may work. However, it is best to contact the motherboard manufacturer or system builder to confirm compatibility. AMD-K6 family processors cannot be upgraded with an AMD Athlon™ or AMD Duron™ processor, as the AMD Athlon™ and AMD Duron™ processors require Slot A or Socket A platforms.

It is highly recommended that motherboards evaluated by AMD be used with AMD processors. Many motherboards will work with lower speed processors, but may not be stable with higher speed processors, since timing issues become much more critical, as well as voltage, current, and thermal issues. A list of these motherboards can be found on AMD's recommended motherboards page located in the link below:



Athlon Motherboards

http://www1.amd.com/athlon/mbl

<<

I'm drooling......

http://www.asus.com.tw/.../a7v266-e/index.html

You know, today I figured out that I could put together an UNBELIEVABLE system for the price that I bought my p100 for 5 years ago

Nice Eclipse case (on casters)
Tyan thunder motherboard (onboard scsi adapter with 2 channels, 2 10/100 nics, 5 64bit pci, AGP Pro)
DUAL AMD 1800+ MP chips with nice volcano fans
1.5G of pc2100 ddr
15000 rpm 36G scsi drive
scsi cd rom
64M geforce 3 card

$2700 with tax and shipping.

I so wish I needed to buy a pc right now

--mark

$2700 USD is a little pricey for a system w/o a monitor, even though it's got scsi and dual MP's. I don't think I'd pay that kind of money.


Adrian

Yeah it's a bit on the pricey side (i'd still do it though...I have a nice dell 19"). Like I said though, I'm comparing that to the crappy p100 I once paid that for :)

You paid $2700 for a p100 5 years ago?

Am I going to have to buy new ram with this motherboard?

It is currently SDRAM and I need DDR

Damn the costs are mounting....

Yup, IIRC.

Was a packard hell p100 (or was it a p133?) with a 2G drive, and a 15" monitor.

that was like mid-1996 I think

Well, you did say that you currently have an Athlon 1GHz. There is that possibility that your current motherboard will work with an XP. Why not go that route? It'd be much cheaper (since all you'd need to get is the CPU, and a free BIOS flash). What make/model motherboard do you have?

And yes, you would need to get some DDR if you got that motherboard. And while I'm at it, if you look at the reviews from Toms hardware, it turns out the ASUS KT266A motherboard (the one you linked above), isn't that great of a motherboard...



Adrian

My motherboard (FIC First Mainboard AZ11E) says it supports double data rate but it only explicity mentions PC100/133 SDRAM and VCM. What's VCM? Does that mean that I can or cannot use DDR ram?

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

You can't use DDR with that motherboard since it uses the VIA KT133 chipset which doesn't support DDR. VCM is virtual channel memory or something like that. Never seen such memory. On a side note, you won't be able to use a Athlon XP with that motherboard either.


Adrian

Where the hell do I find the motherboard model - I've scanned the whole thing and can't find it.

Brewt, I guess I misread my manual... this is what it said,

Athlon XP.. well, not a problem.... I'm happy with my Duron 900 system I built back August.

Paul, if you buy your computer from a REAL computer shop, you will almost certainly get a users manual and the box your motherboard came in. It should also be somewhere on the board itself -- where exactly, can't help you there.

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

>>Paul, if you buy your computer from a REAL computer shop, you will almost certainly get a users manual and the box your motherboard came in. <<

I bought it from Gateway.

Ok this was printed in bold white on the motherboard:

MS-6330 Ver 2.1

I searched on Yahoo for MS-6330 and it looks like my motherboard is:

MSI K7T Turbo (MS-6330)

VIA KT133A Chipset

http://www.motherboards.org/...rs-choice/583_1.html

ewww... There's part of your problem :-) They don't expect their users to know anything about computers... so they don't tell them how to upgrade, just to how to buy new systems.

Tell me, did you get stuck with one of those useless funky shaped cases with access to only one 3.5 and 5.25 slot?

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

Not sure about the US but Gateway are good over here.

>>Tell me, did you get stuck with one of those useless funky shaped cases with access to only one 3.5 and 5.25 slot?<<

Nope

So good they have just announced that they will be pulling out of Europe altogether <g>.

You'll be telling me that I should buy a Packard Bell from Dixons or Currys next!

- wil

I don't give a toss how good they are, I want to know whether I can upgrade.

But err as I'm the Gateway customer then I guess I do know how good they _really_ are and am not basing my comments on fresh air like some of us

Isn't Gateway merging with HP or someone?

Sorry Paul.... maybe a gross generalization about "complete system" deals as you don't usually get all the technical docs.

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

You're usually lucky to get dics...

Sorry, it's just that it could be difficult to get hold of anyone anymore. You might have to phone a number in America or something as their website states that they have completly retracted from the European market. Tell me, is a good sign of a solid cpmany ;-)

- wil

Actually, MSI has a series of motherboards which have the model number MS-6330 . They are based mainly on the KT133 (100MHz FSB) and the KT133A (133MHz FSB) chipsets. If it's a KT133, then you won't be able to get a XP on it, but if it's a KT133A then there's a possiblity it will work. MSI has bios updates to support the XP if it's a KT133A, but you're probably going to have to get bios updates from Gateway (as they have custom bioses). Best bet would be to call up Gateway and ask them.


Adrian

Not only that, I believe Gateway has dropped their line of AMD processor based systems (ie. back to all Intel).


Adrian

Or was that Compaq?

--Philip
Links 2.0 moderator

Yes.

- wil

Thanks for the advice. I'll give them a call.

Hmmm why does it have to be so complicated :)

Im tempted to go for this boxed an ready Athlon 1900+

https://aac.avnet.com/AMDstore/shop.jsp

It looks like it comes with a heat sink and fan so Im hoping it will work. What do you think.

AXP1900BOX AMD ATHLONXP DESKTOP MODEL 1900+ BOX PROD W/HEATSINK/FAN 266

I hope someone reads this post. I also have a gateway, with the MSI board, MS-6330 Ver 2.1. I have upgraded to a new case, and now I don't know where to put my power LED, Reset SW, and HDD LED at. I also don't know what pins to plug in my front side USB plugs onto the board, as nothing is labeled. I haven't been able to get help from Gateway yet, all the last technical guy sent me was a link to view what I allready see. Any help from people here would be appreciated. Please reply directly to me, as well as posting here, if you would as I don't know how often I will be able to come to this site. My email is MattB509@juno.com



sincerely,

Matt

Here's my deal. My computer locks up contantly on boot-up, or anytime it feels like it. I've downloaded a clean BIOS but it continues to lock up. I have a Gateway Model 1100. I want to replace my bad motherboard (MS-6330 Ver. 2.1) with a direct replacement. The pictures I've seen of boards for sale have a serial port located below the printer serial port. Mine is to the side of the printer port. So...where can I get a board just like the one that came with it that I can install without modifying the case, or anything else? I just want to get this thing fixed.