New here just want to start off saying hi and thanks for giving me a place to bang my head against the wall with others ;].

My problem is I have a Socket AM2+ x3 Phenom 8400 CPU @ 2.10Ghz and want to Upgrade to a:

AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W, without changing the main board as I have heard horror stories with Vista 32 bit and formating etc due to changing mobo (not to mention last mobo I tryed to change went all bad lol)

I Spoke with Gateway Tech. Support (which didnt seem to know much but made a decision anyway) that I could use this CPU as it is AM2+ and they didnt "think" there would be a problem with the 125watts. But he did give me this web site with some of the mobo's info: Cant post links to sites untill after 15 Posts so ill copy and paste entire site below and if you notice where it shows Phenom it has (95w) in brackets next to it. But I have seen some of the Athlon 64 x2's are 125w aswell and it doesnt show the (95w) next to it on the site. This is the only reason I think there might be a problem and just want to double check with you guys before I throw down the cash.. what ya guys think?

C - CPU Socket

Part Number: 4006272RFoxconn (Bengal) RS780 Motherboard

This is the processor (CPU) socket on the motherboard. This 940 pin socket supports the following AMD® processors:

Socket AM2+
Athlon 64
Athlon™ 64 X2
Phenom® (95 W)
Sempron™

Thanks in Advance

Motherboard: Part Number: 4006272RFoxconn (Bengal) RS780 Motherboard (as it shows from above link but couldent find anything on FoxConn's site for it)

System Specs:

Gateway GM5688E

AM2+ Phenom x3 8400 @ 2.10

4GB Mushkin Extreme Performance DDR2 667 (Upgraded)

BFG NVIDIA 9600 GT OC (PCI Express) (Upgraded)

575w Logisys PSU (Upgraded from 300w)

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 (On the way)

Intel EXPI9300PT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI-Express Gigabit (On The Way)


To the OP: Fixed your posting problem; no idea why that was happening but hopefully this is what you wanted to put.

thanks for fixing that reflux I couldent figure it out lol

Ok, here are my £0.02...

Here's your motherboard...

Gateway Support - Main View

Do you really need the faster CPU? I'll be honest with you here, an extra 400mhz isn't exactly going to rock the socks off your games and applications, and the extra core is only going to benefit a small number of programs. What do you use the PC for? If you're doing a lot of video encoding then it might be worth it.

As for the technical issues surrounding the upgrade, I've heard a lot of problems with wattage/motherboards on these new Phenoms. I'm afraid I don't know whether it will work, but if Gateway's website specifically lists the RS780 as taking only the 95w Phenoms, I think the BE is out. Best way to know for sure is to get one and try, but I think you'd be best off just keeping what you've got.

Welcome to the site btw

ahh your killn me bro if I knew that board supported ddr2 800 i wouldent have went with the 667 lmao/random profanity.. Yea I didnt trust Gateways support so Im glad I asked. I use this rig mostly for COD4 and it runs it fine @(1680x1050 and all low settings, runs good at high too but im a performance junkie) like upgrading from stock crap, becoming a hobbie i guess. I have read a few reviews on this Phenom x3 8400 and alot compare it to a celeron, which I hate lol. What do you think about switching to a AMD Athlon 64 x2 6400+ Windsor 3.2 GHz and an aftermarket cooler

Its cheaper, alot of great reviews on newegg and free shipping lol. It is 125w aswell but it only shows 95w on the Phenom on mobo specs

by the way that site you found for my mobo has way more specs on it than the one the tech gave me...ty

Hmmm, yeah, those triple-core CPUs are alright, but then you consider the low clock speed and that AMD is behind Intel in terms of performance per clock and you end up with a bit of a dud. I don't know how much you know about PCs but you could have built a faster system for less than what you paid for this by now lol. Intels are ruling the roost at the moment.

The Athlon 6400+ is actually a pretty good chip. It's pretty much the fastest AMD chip in single or poorly threaded applications, and even in video encoding does quite well against the Phenoms. It sounds like a good idea, but you need to think about what you use your PC for, and whether there's a situation where an application might need more than two cores. Dual core is enough for most stuff though.

Check out the Tom's Hardware CPU charts...

CPU Charts 2007 - Tom's Hardware

Also, be certain that the mobo will run it. I haven't heard any wattage problems with the Athlons - I think it's manifested by having more than two cores, but check up on it.

All this pc is used for is COD4, burning xvid to DVD(No Encoding), and surfing the web so Quad Core wont really help me on a day to day basis. Caught a hell of a deal on the pc so $ wise im doing pretty well. Thanks again for the help ill check out the chart and go from there. Tryed to hook you up with some rep but get error on page?

OK, well let us know how you get on and if you have any trouble Don't worry about the +rep, the system is a bit b0rked.

Just got the AMD x2 6400+ in yday and its a very nice step up from the Pheom x3 8400. Load times are much faster in all programs and games so far, also increased my Aquamark 3 Score from 57,000 to 88,000. Windows only recognized 3 gigs with the Phenom now it recognizes all 4gigs of my Mushkin...w00t

Attatched some CPU-Z screens since I cant link to them. All i need now is A Strong Mobo and Aftermarket cooler but i need Micro ATX so its gonna be kinda hard. Any suggestions other than buying a new case? ;]

Thanks for the help

Attached Thumbnails

     

If you feel the need to upgrade the board, I would look at the new AMD 780G chipset, it has a decent integrated video card that you pair with a low end ATI card using XFire (OR a high end card, but loose the XFire) and it will play most new games at low to medium res, and older games at high res...plus it supports the 125w Phenoms.

You allready have a good video card, so it realy isn't a big factor.

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards The gigabyte seems to be popular, though there are more to choose from.

Newegg.com - AM2+/AM2, Micro ATX, AMD Motherboards, Motherboards, Computer Hardware

NVIDA (GF8200) also has a similar version too, probably somewhere in that list.

Here are a few articles that may help you decide.

AnandTech: AMD 780G: Preview of the Best Current IGP Solution

AnandTech: IGP Power Consumption - 780G, GF8200, and G35

But I have to ask, why upgrade the motherboard now?

And why do you think the cooling needs an upgrade...you trying to OC this? If so, your allready at 3.2GHZ, you MIGHT get another 200-300MHZ with the new board and cooling at best, hardly noticable!

Have you tried to OC the board you have...there are utilities from AMD and other sources (Set-FSB etc..) that will allow you to tweek it a bit if your bios does not.

You would have been better off with the much cheaper 75$ black 5000+ (2.6GHZ) that will OC roughly to the same speeds, with just changing the multiplier instead of messing with the FSB (Actually..HTT) if you were going to change the motherboard anyways....too late now, but it's best to plan any upgrades all at once then piece things together, even if you can't afford to do them all at the same time.

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor - CPUs / Processors

There are several coolers that are better then stock that will fit your system..here are a few.

Low Profile CPU Coolers

Thanks for the reply, next one I will def plan out, this one has just been kinda fly of the moment.

CPU Temps:
Idle:43c
Load:60-62c
with the stock cooler/paste
(Only looking for a small oc)

Did plan on going with the Intel E8400 but decided to give AMD a shot (First AMD)

As for the motherboard, I was under the impression the motherboard made the system. I didnt plan on changing it at first but after seeing major improvments with the 6400+ vs the Phenom wanted to keep em coming lol. I didnt realize you could overclock with the original board though, thanks for pointing that out for me.

Appreciate the help