Motherboard Upgrade - Advice please.

Hi all. Been a while since I was on here last. Always when I am about to upgrade a part of my PC...

Anyway, I was advised last time to get a 32 bit motherboard beacause the 64bit boards were a bit new and expensive so I have a 3200+ Barton in my Asus motherboard. So I want to upgrade in the next few months to a 64bit motherboard and AMD processor.

Are there any changes due I need to be aware of and can a new board and processor combo be suggested?

Well, you might want to consider the Core 2 Duo line from Intel. Not only does Intel blow it's own Pentium brand out of the water, it leaves AMD in the dust... Core 2 is 64-bit like the Athlon64 line.

Also, both camps are now on board the DDR2 bandwagon, which is the main reason for AMD introducing the Socket AM2 platform. AM2 doesn't really introduce much more than that. It's not that the Athlon64 is sluggish, but Intel's Core 2 Duo is simply a faster chip for the money. Socket 939 boards can be found, but since AMD will not be releasing any faster speed grades on any level, it would not be advisable.

For AMD:

The Asus M2N series would be my bet for a motherboard, along with an X2 dual-core of your choice. The X2 3600+ is under $80, which is a good place to start. You should easily be able to snag a CPU and motherboard in the $200-250 range, and possibly less.

Also, you'll need to look at a new video card if you're using AGP. New motherboards are equipped with PCI Express (PCIe) slots, which are incompatible with AGP and PCI-based cards. In fact, PCIe is here to replace both in one swoop.

i agree, (just for a second opinion)

Ok. Thanks guys.

I'm thinking that taking the Intel route would be better because I could bang in the latest CPU or Quad Core in 9 - 12 months time because Intel motherboards are still using the socket 775 where as AMD may have finished their line of AM2's...

Would this be what you are saying?

I don't want to overclock - well I use the thing for internet and games so I don't see the need for it.

A UK supplier is doing a range of bundles. I've used them in the past and although not the cheapest, they provide good customer service.

Components » Bundles - Overclockers UK

Add in a 320MB 8800GTS for the graphics and a CoolerMaster Real Power Pro 850w for my Stacker 830 case and I should be on the way.

Do you have any particular combo you're looking at? They're all fine, but depending on what you're looking for, one may suit you better than others?

Thanks BigB.

I don't really have one in mind except reading about your thoughts on processor speeds, I may go for an E6600 CPU. I have used Asus before and I guess brand loyaltymean I'll go for another Asus board.

I'm clueless about memory but I guess the bumdle would be this one:
Intel Core 2 DUO LGA775 E6600 2.40GHz Retail / Asus P5B Deluxe / 2GB GeIL PC2-6400C4 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle

I may try overclocking but as I've never tried to overclock this XP Athlon 3200+ Barton on my PC I guess I'm unlikely to try.

I've decided on a Enermax Infiniti 720w PSU over the CoolerMaster RealPower Pro 850w because Custom PC magazine says it's better they are a similar price.

I want to be DX10 ready and be able to upgrade to Vista once it's sorted out SP1. So a GeForce8800 is also on the list.

Just one other question. I have 4 drives on my PC at the moment and OI'd like to keep them. Only 2 are on SATA and the other 2 (including my C:) are IDE. These newer motherboards only appear to support SATA so what should I do?

That combo is fine. You only need PC5400/5300 if you're running stock, but for overclocking, having PC6400 isn't a bad move.

For the drive situation, you can either move entirely to SATA or pick up a PCI-based IDE controller card. They run around $15 US for most of them, and is your cheapest option. Most IDE controllers on Intel chipset based boards use a JMicron controller. There's one minor thing to be aware of: if you run an optical drive off of this controller, you will need to install the driver for it, or the controller will be stuck in PIO mode...which is painfully slow.