Request for advise: A78NX Deluxe, CPU Ugrade

[Bill Tarkington]

Am runing the version 2, A7N8X Deluxe with an AMD XP 2600 CPU and two 512
DDR SDRAM in dual channel mode. This combo only lets me run the FSB at 166
rather than than 200. As I understand it, I can upgrade to the AMD XP 3200
and run FSB at 200. Question is, does this gain me any appreciable
performance increase? New CPU seems to go for about $170. Then again, will
this MB run with any of the newer Athlon 64 CPU's if willing to go the cost
of one of them, and is it worth the investment relative to any performance
gain? I ask this second question only because the MB user manual indicates
it will run with Athlon 3200 or higher cpu's. Intuitively, I have doubt
this board will accept the Athlon 64. Serious comments and responses are
invited to respond and in doing so, assist my education which got behind the
power curve due to long illness. Thanks, Bill.

 

[DanO]

No, the Athlon64's will NOT run on the A7N8X MB's. These use totally
different MB Chipsets.

If you want some more performance, why not overclock your system up to a
200MHx FSB? You'll need DDR400 memory, and if you CPU is unlocked, you can
tweak the multiplier down should you run into stability issues. This is a
lot cheaper than $170, assuming you have the fast memory already (which
you'd need for the 3200 anyway.)

 

[peter]

You did not specify what speed your memory is..166? 200?
Also the deluxe comes in 2 revisions version 2 has the 400(200x2) FSB chipset
What have you got??
I am running the ver2 with 400ram and a Barton 2500.With this combination I can
OC beyond 200FSB but I have it set at 200x11 without any problems and good
moderate temps.
peter

 

[Doug Ramage]

I am running a rev.104 of this mobo, which won't do 200FSB.

However, with an XP2500-M, mine is quite happily running at 2263Mhz (181 x
12.5) which is more than a XP3200. Idle temp is 34C at 1.6vcore.

 

[COCA COLA KID]

Buy a Mobile 2500XP
I'm running one in an A7N8X-E Deluxe a 12.5x200fsb with PC3200 ram

 

[Blaedmon]

why wont your 1.4 do 200fsb? Mine does.

I am running a rev.104 of this mobo, which won't do 200FSB.

However, with an XP2500-M, mine is quite happily running at 2263Mhz (181 x
12.5) which is more than a XP3200. Idle temp is 34C at 1.6vcore.
--
Doug Ramage

combination
I can at again, behind

 

[Doug Ramage]

I wish I knew.

Even on a rev 2 board, it can be a bit of a lottery.

 

[Blaedmon]

I'd say it was ram related or psu, one of either. Bad ram can bite a systems
ass fairly hard.

 

[Doug Ramage]

PSU is an Enermax is 365AX. RAM is PC3200 from Crucial and TwinMOS (not used
together).

So unlikely to be either. Others have suggested better Northbridge cooling.

I am resigned to it.

I have bought a DFI LanParty mobo which should cure this. Plus an Asus PC-DL
de luxe for my main dual Xeon m achine.