CPU Upgrade

[BigRed CC Dually]

Hi, I need a little advice from the experts here. I am thinking of upgrading my CPU from an Athelon 64 4000+ to one of these two at Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103002
or this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103582

the first link is to an AMD Opteron 185 Denmark 2.6GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 110W Dual-Core Processor – Retail for $235 and the second link is to an AMD Opteron 180 Denmark 2.4GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 110W Dual-Core Processor – Retail for $169

Is the $66 difference worth it for the Opteron 185 vs. the 180? Will I even notice a significant difference with either over the Athelon 64 4000+ that I have already?

I have upgraded the BIOS of the A8N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard to accept the newer CPUs.

I would like to be able to do more than one thing at a time well. For instance when a virus scan is in progress all other things slow down noticeably, I especially notice a slowdown then transcoding files to burn a homemade video DVD and try to do something else at the same time.

My system is almost 2 years old now and I would like to put a little more pep into it as a totally new build is out of the question at this point.

Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to provide.

[Alaron]

The 200Mhz difference is not worth the cost. I'd stick with the 180. I made a dual-core jump to add some life to my system. Went from the 3200+ to a 4400+ and the difference was noticeable in multi-tasking.

[BigRed CC Dually]

Thanks for the quick response Alaron. I am assuming it will be a simple swap, old CPU and heatsink/fan out and new CPU heatsink/fan in, correct? I'm happy to hear it will make a noticeable difference. The socket 939s are a dying breed and parts are getting scarcer.

[Alaron]

Yup, since you've already flashed the BIOS, you're ready to go. Once the new CPU is in, make sure the BIOS recognizes it properly and enjoy. :)

[BigRed CC Dually]

Thank you one again.

[BigRed CC Dually]

Wow, this has to be the easiest upgrade ever. Old processer and heatsink came out and the new went in 1., 2., 3., easy as you please. The Opteron 180 runs a lil' warmer than the Athelon 64 4000+, about 5C deg. Man the heatsink is MUCH more than the old one was, this one uses copper heatpipe technology and the mass of the aluminum heatexchanger is rather substantual compared to the Athelon 64's.

I didn't even have to reactivate Windows XP.

Alaron, thank you so much for your help. Now to find a cheap socket 939 motherboard so I can put together a system out of the old processor and used parts I have laying around to give to a good friend of mine that doesn't have a computer.

[Alaron]

Glad to hear you're up and running. Finding a quality 939 board is very tough these days though. eBay might be a worthwhile option.

Be sure to update your sig. :D

[brizey]

Wow, this has to be the easiest upgrade ever. Old processer and heatsink came out and the new went in 1., 2., 3., easy as you please. The Opteron 180 runs a lil' warmer than the Athelon 64 4000+, about 5C deg. Man the heatsink is MUCH more than the old one was, this one uses copper heatpipe technology and the mass of the aluminum heatexchanger is rather substantual compared to the Athelon 64's.

I didn't even have to reactivate Windows XP.

Alaron, thank you so much for your help. Now to find a cheap socket 939 motherboard so I can put together a system out of the old processor and used parts I have laying around to give to a good friend of mine that doesn't have a computer.

So was it worth it? I am in basically the same boat. Two year old 3700+. I too was thinking the 180 instead of a 185 and maybe a video card would tide me over for another year.

[BigRed CC Dually]

"So was it worth it? I am in basically the same boat. Two year old 3700+"

I think so, at least in my case for what I was looking for in the original post, better multitasking. It seems to be about the same speed as the Athelon 64 4000+, maybe a dab quicker, but could be my wishful thinking too:) There is no lag now when doing a spyware scan and something else for instance.

[brizey]

"So was it worth it? I am in basically the same boat. Two year old 3700+"

I think so, at least in my case for what I was looking for in the original post, better multitasking. It seems to be about the same speed as the Athelon 64 4000+, maybe a dab quicker, but could be my wishful thinking too:) There is no lag now when doing a spyware scan and something else for instance.

Thanks. I may just hold off or just do a video card. I really don't do much multi-tasking--it is more of an entertainment machine. I guess the newer games (like EE3 that I just bought) utilize both cores if available, but I think I may just keep the money and put it towards a a next gen intel board and a 45nm cpu later this year.