AMD Upgrade from 2600+ to 3200+ (Is it worth it?)

[TC]

In a nutshell, it appears that the maximum size cpu I can upgrade to
with my current MB is AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (400MHz FSB) (Model 10)
(Barton).

My question: Is it worth it? Would I really notice the difference?

Here are my current specs:

Processor(s)
Number of processors 1
Number of cores 1 per processor
Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
Name AMD Athlon XP
Code Name Barton
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+
Package Socket A (462)
Family/Model/Stepping 6.A.0
Extended Family/Model 7.A
Core Stepping
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 1896.9 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 11.5 x 164.9 MHz
Rated Bus speed 329.9 MHz
Instruction sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE
L1 Data cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 512 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory
Northbridge nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400 rev. C1
Southbridge nVidia nForce2 MCP rev. A4
Graphic Interface AGP
AGP Revision 3.0
AGP Transfer Rate 8x
AGP Side Band Addressing supported, not enabled
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 1536 MBytes
Memory Frequency 164.9 MHz (1:1)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.5 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 7 clocks

System
System Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Name A7N8X2.0
System S/N xxxxxxxxxxx
Mainboard Vendor ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mainboard Model A7N8X2.0
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version ASUS A7N8X2.0 ACPI BIOS Rev 1007
BIOS Date 10/06/2003

Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 3 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology

Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build
2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

 

[Pen]

In a nutshell, it appears that the maximum size cpu I can upgrade to
with my current MB is AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (400MHz FSB) (Model 10)
(Barton).

My question: Is it worth it? Would I really notice the difference?

Here are my current specs:

Processor(s)
Number of processors 1
Number of cores 1 per processor
Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
Name AMD Athlon XP
Code Name Barton
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+
Package Socket A (462)
Family/Model/Stepping 6.A.0
Extended Family/Model 7.A
Core Stepping
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 1896.9 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 11.5 x 164.9 MHz
Rated Bus speed 329.9 MHz
Instruction sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE
L1 Data cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 512 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory
Northbridge nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400 rev. C1
Southbridge nVidia nForce2 MCP rev. A4
Graphic Interface AGP
AGP Revision 3.0
AGP Transfer Rate 8x
AGP Side Band Addressing supported, not enabled
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 1536 MBytes
Memory Frequency 164.9 MHz (1:1)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.5 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 7 clocks

System
System Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Name A7N8X2.0
System S/N xxxxxxxxxxx
Mainboard Vendor ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mainboard Model A7N8X2.0
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version ASUS A7N8X2.0 ACPI BIOS Rev 1007
BIOS Date 10/06/2003

Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 3 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology

Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build
2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

I doubt you will see any improvement for a 15% increase in CPU speed.
Additionally you may run into problems with the memory running it at
200MHz instead of the present 166.

 

[kony]

In a nutshell, it appears that the maximum size cpu I can upgrade to
with my current MB is AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (400MHz FSB) (Model 10)
(Barton).

My question: Is it worth it? Would I really notice the difference?

Here are my current specs:

Code Name Barton
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+
Package Socket A (462)
Family/Model/Stepping 6.A.0
Extended Family/Model 7.A
Core Stepping
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 1896.9 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 11.5 x 164.9 MHz

Northbridge nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400 rev. C1

Mainboard Model A7N8X2.0

If you upgraded to a mobile barton (XP2400 or higher, it
need not start out with a higher XP(nnnn) rating) then
overclocked it to about 2.4GHz+ on a FSB a little higher
than 200MHz (IF your memory can stay stable at the higher
synchronous bus speed (Not having to use asynchronous
speeds, staying with "100%" in the bios)), then you'd have
enough of a performance increase to notice.

It still wouldn't be a lot, and you could even try
overclocking what you have instead so the value of doing it
isn't very good. At this point it's time to replace the
motherboard too, and consider whether it's time to move to
PCI Express for video and/or DDR2 memory. Obviously doing
all of these now is the best long term strategy.

 

[Paul]

In a nutshell, it appears that the maximum size cpu I can upgrade to
with my current MB is AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (400MHz FSB) (Model 10)
(Barton).

My question: Is it worth it? Would I really notice the difference?

Here are my current specs:

Processor(s)
Number of processors 1
Number of cores 1 per processor
Number of threads 1 (max 1) per processor
Name AMD Athlon XP
Code Name Barton
Specification AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2600+
Package Socket A (462)
Family/Model/Stepping 6.A.0
Extended Family/Model 7.A
Core Stepping
Technology 0.13 um
Core Speed 1896.9 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 11.5 x 164.9 MHz
Rated Bus speed 329.9 MHz
Instruction sets MMX (+), 3DNow! (+), SSE
L1 Data cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L1 Instruction cache 64 KBytes, 2-way set associative, 64-byte line size
L2 cache 512 KBytes, 16-way set associative, 64-byte line size

Chipset & Memory
Northbridge nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400 rev. C1
Southbridge nVidia nForce2 MCP rev. A4
Graphic Interface AGP
AGP Revision 3.0
AGP Transfer Rate 8x
AGP Side Band Addressing supported, not enabled
Memory Type DDR
Memory Size 1536 MBytes
Memory Frequency 164.9 MHz (1:1)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 2.5 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRDC) 3 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 7 clocks

System
System Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Name A7N8X2.0
System S/N xxxxxxxxxxx
Mainboard Vendor ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mainboard Model A7N8X2.0
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version ASUS A7N8X2.0 ACPI BIOS Rev 1007
BIOS Date 10/06/2003

Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 2 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology
Module 3 DDR, PC3200 (200 MHz), 512 MBytes, Micron Technology

Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build
2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

You can try overclocking your existing processor. You are
currently at 166 x 11.5 = 1909MHz. You can increase the
CPU clock to 200MHz, which would give you 200 x 11.5 = 2300MHz.
You would need a Vcore of 1.65V or so to do that.

The very first test you run, after making a change in the BIOS,
is memtest86+ from memtest.org . Allow the test to run for two
complete passes (as noted by the pass counter at the top of the
screen). There should not be any memory errors in two passes.
Do not boot into Windows, until memtest86+ runs error free.

Chances are, your memory will cause problems. You can set the
memory speed manually in the BIOS, to "83%". It takes 83% of
the CPU clock. If the CPU clock is set to 200MHz, then 83% of
that is 166MHz, which is DDR333. That would be the same speed
as you are running the memory now.

By doing this overclocking experiment, you will be able to
simulate what it would be like running a 3200+. A 3200+
runs at 2200MHz, and you don't need to clock your
processor at 200MHz to get to that level. If the CPU clock
was set to 191MHz, then 191 x 11.5 = 2200, and that would
be roughly the equivalent of owning a 3200+ processor.

Also, remember that there are limits to how much
Vcore can be used. Too much Vcore makes the processor run
hot. 1.65V or 1.7V should be enough for your overclocking
trials. Use the least amount of voltage necessary for
stability. Once you pass memtest86+, you can boot into
Windows. When in Windows, use the Prime95 (torture test option)
from mersenne.org . Prime95 should be able to run error free
for hours, if you have adjusted things well. Otherwise, you
may need to reduce the memory speed a bit, or reduce the
CPU clock a bit.

Paul

 

[VanShania]

I had that samer processor and I overclocked it to 2300mhz. It does a better
job of recording video but it is still a slow system for editing. If you
have a good vidoe card like a 9800 pro/XT, it will still be alright for
games. But considering you can pick up a 939 processor and motherboard for
$200 or so and still use your ram and AGP vidcard , that would be the better
alternative.A64 3500+($110 CDN), Gigabyte GA-K8NSC-939($90). Load the raid
drivers with this board or don't install the IDE driver. Asus also has an
AGP board out yet.

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