[bruceb3]

I'm currently running a MSI K8N Neo 2 board with a 3500+ Winchester processor, 2 gigs pc3200, NVidia 7800 GS AGP, & Windows XP Pro. I really don't want to have to replace my motherboard, processor and memory to upgrade. I did see an Opteron 185 dual core running at 2.6 ghz. Will this processor work with my board and will I see a big difference? Also, I saw an Athlon 64 x2 4600+ that runs at 2.4 ghz. It cost $100.00 more than the Opteron. Which is the better processor and why. Thanks!

[Advertisements]

ok, heres the deal

opteron is either the bargain bin procs, or the server procs. either way, get the X2.

all you need to do is to go online (newegg?) and find your mobo and find out what the socket is. i think you might have socket 939.

[fortune82]

ok, heres the deal

opteron is either the bargain bin procs, or the server procs. either way, get the X2.

all you need to do is to go online (newegg?) and find your mobo and find out what the socket is. i think you might have socket 939.

[bruceb3]

It's not that simple. Not all socket 939 procs will work in all 939 motherboards. I took a chance and bought the Opteron 185 from Newegg. The worst case would have been I would have had to track down an Asus 939 board. All the Asus boards I checked work with the Opteron 185. When I went to the MSI website after I ordered it, the site just said "testing" for the Opteron 180, so I was taking a chance. I'm happy to report that I just popped the Opteron 185 in and everythings sweet! It's significantly faster than my 3500+ Winchester. I still haven't installed Microsofts "Dual Core Optimizer". I opened about 6 programs and ripped a dvd and noticed no slowing down. Everything opens really fast, too.

[bruceb3]

By the way, the Opteron is a dual core running at 2.6 Ghz out of the box (same as the FX-60). It's even a Windsor core. The only difference is it's not unlocked like the FX. It's a server processor which some folks say are better silicone.