Socket A processors

[Bartzy]

I'm going to upgrade my computer and the first thing on my list is a good processer, and I'm having a heck of a time trying to find Socket A processors and i'm not in the mood to get a new motherboard. I checked Tiger Direct and they only had one and it was the one I already got. Does anyone knw where I can get one?

[SpicEwEazle]

Socket A has been out of production for ages. The only place you're likely find them is second hand, or maybe, just maybe in some backwater pc store. Even then compared to Am2/939 or conroe they suck big time, and will have a hard time playing upcoming titles. Add to that the fact that they are agp8x only(also a dead format) there is pretty no point investing any more money into it. So save up and buy yourself an new sysem.


also I'd like to add that there is no such thing as a "good" processer for socket A anymore. Don't expect to be able to play any of the latest/upcoming titles all that well unless you turn down everything, without forking out and making the move to pci-E

[Bartzy]

lol, you jsut shot down my dream of not having to get a new motherboard or system all together, but i guess i do have a few thousand dollars in my bank account.

[Lozza]

AGP isn't quite dead... not just yet...

It is more expensive anyway.

PCI-E isn't much better performance wise but the cards are much cheaper and there is more to choose from. If you want cheap but cheerful computer, get an AM2 proc. If you want performance gear, then go LGA775 and conroe E6600 or E6700. That also means you will need a new power supply, motherboard, DDR2 RAM, and graphics card.

I would get-

E6600
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
ATI X1900XT / Nvidia 7950GT
2GB of DDR2 800
Seasonic S12-600

That would last you a couple of years at least.

(personally I would wait for Revision 2 Conroe's and DX10 graphics cards - R600 from ATI or G80 rom Nvidia)

[DaveP]

well, if it's any consellation, a new Proccessor, Mobo, and GFX setup just cost me only £350

(ASRock socket 939 Mobo, amd x2 4600+, 7600GT)

[yanks26]

Go to newegg.com
I think i saw that they had a couple socket a's to choose from.

http://www.newegg.com/

[SpicEwEazle]

AGP isn't quite dead... not just yet...

It is more expensive anyway.

PCI-E isn't much better performance wise but the cards are much cheaper and there is more to choose from. If you want cheap but cheerful computer, get an AM2 proc. If you want performance gear, then go LGA775 and conroe E6600 or E6700. That also means you will need a new power supply, motherboard, DDR2 RAM, and graphics card.

I would get-

E6600
ASUS P5W DH Deluxe
ATI X1900XT / Nvidia 7950GT
2GB of DDR2 800
Seasonic S12-600

That would last you a couple of years at least.

(personally I would wait for Revision 2 Conroe's and DX10 graphics cards - R600 from ATI or G80 rom Nvidia)


well I don't think he's looking to spend that much. the 6400 is the sweet spot for conroe, and you can still get by quite happily on 1gb of ram. 7950 x2 is also a big waste of cash this close to the release of dx10.

[Bartzy]

well the processor i got runs at a normal of 1.1 GHZ, and i have it overclocked to 1.6. One of the socket A's on that Newegg site runs at 1.6 normally, so i should be able to overclock it at about 2.2 GHZ. plus it's only 30$

[[FFTF]Eurofighter]

well the processor i got runs at a normal of 1.1 GHZ, and i have it overclocked to 1.6. One of the socket A's on that Newegg site runs at 1.6 normally, so i should be able to overclock it at about 2.2 GHZ. plus it's only 30$

I got an AMD sempron 2600+ socket for a couple years and trust me its not worth buying a new one now. Buy a S939 and get this motherboard. http://www.asrock.com/product/939Dual-VSTA.htm
And dont say asrock sucks cause they usually do but this motherboard doesnt... I've read soooo many good articles about it and people saying it is great. It's got DDR, PCI-e X16 AND AGP X8 both running at full speed! Also! Its capable of using an AM2 socket!!! and DDR2 800!
because you can put this: http://www.asrock.com/product/AM2CPU%20Board.htm
in it. And it works perfect too! It even has great overclocking possibilities!
The motherboard only costs 50 euros and the expansion slot (you dont have to buy it) only 30 euros.
Sounds great to me. :cool:

[SpicEwEazle]

well the processor i got runs at a normal of 1.1 GHZ, and i have it overclocked to 1.6. One of the socket A's on that Newegg site runs at 1.6 normally, so i should be able to overclock it at about 2.2 GHZ. plus it's only 30$

not worth the money, nor will you gain any appreciable benefit.
also given that your cpu is at 1.1ghz that would make it something like a palmino core. This also means your mobo would most likely be ddr333 and not dual channel. There could even be a chance that you mobo is so old that it's agp 4x.

basically you can do nothing with what you've got that would be worth spending money on. STOP BEING A CHEAPSKATE AND BUY A NEW SYSTEM!!!!!!

also do not go asrock.It's cheaper to buy AM2 outright now, then go with an asrock board. The choice of most sensible people is conroe, or if your budget is incredibly small AM2. DO NOT buy a new 939 processor.

here are two possible systems for you.

AM2 x2 4200
1gb-2gb of DDR2 6400
audigy X-FI
7900GT


or

Core 2 duo E6400
1gb-2gb of DDR2 6400
audigy X-FI
7900GT


motherboard for these depends entirely on you budget and if you want to OC. Just make sure they are DDR2 800 capable, also I'd sugget either crossfire or sli capable for more upgrade options down the track.

[RyanJacquel]

Don't listen to people that say socket A is crap or out of stock. Alot of places still carry socket A. I have an AMD Socket A 2900+ XP Athlon and it is the most stable CPU I have had. Think of it as a fine wine... it gets better with age ;)

[SpicEwEazle]

Don't listen to people that say socket A is crap or out of stock. Alot of places still carry socket A. I have an AMD Socket A 2900+ XP Athlon and it is the most stable CPU I have had. Think of it as a fine wine... it gets better with age ;)

ahh you're funny. I use to have a 2500+Barton, it was a champ for it's day, could give the p4s of the day a good run for it's money, however it performes badly when compared to my current cpu(A64 3000+ Venice, oced to 2.7Ghz). add to that limits to the type of ram you can use, no dual channel, slower performing architecture for the cpu and it is severly lacking when compared to a current system.Also Becuase the architecture is comparably bad an increase in clock offers very little increase in performance in current games. So yes Socket A is like a bottle of wine....... a wine that has been stored incorrectly and gone bad.

BOTTOM LINE: SOCKET A DOESN'T CUT IT ANYMORE

[RyanJacquel]

ahh you're funny. I used to have a 2500+Barton, it was a champ for it's day, could give the p4s of the day a good run for it's money, however it performes badly when compared to my current cpu(A64 3000+ Venice, oced to 2.7Ghz). add to that limits to the type of ram you can use, no dual channel, slower performing architecture for the cpu and it is severly lacking when compared to a current system.Also Becuase the architecture is comparably bad an increase in clock offers very little increase in performance in current games. So yes Socket A is like a bottle of wine....... a wine that has been stored incorrectly and gone bad.

BOTTOM LINE: SOCKET A DOESN'T CUT IT ANYMORE


It's funny because I run almost any game at medium/high settings and achieve 30/70fps, f.e.a.r I ran at mostly high settings and was only 10 fps lower then my friends brand spanken new computer (home build super gaming system).

The socket A is yes old and a bit outdated, and if you had the money I would say get a 939, but the 939 is still a bit sketchy because its a bit newish, were the socket A has been perfected and will likely never crash on you.

[SpicEwEazle]

It's funny because I run almost any game at medium/high settings and achieve 30/70fps, f.e.a.r I ran at mostly high settings and was only 10 fps lower then my friends brand spanken new computer (home build super gaming system).

The socket A is yes old and a bit outdated, and if you had the money I would say get a 939, but the 939 is still a bit sketchy because its a bit newish, were the socket A has been perfected and will likely never crash on you.

lol, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

socket A has not been produced in a long time (i think the last batches were made 2004-2005). both in-game and synthetic benchmarks put it well behind A64's and newer p4s(noone has bothered to test them with current cpus). They also did not support dual channel DDR, and the architecture of the cpu was less efficient. MHz doesn't mean nearly as much these days.

Now as to your second statement"but the 939 is still a bit sketchy because its a bit newish". First off it is not new, I got my first one end of 2004. 2nd, production has stopped on 939 X2, and Athlons. It has now been replaced by AM2. THird 939 was well and truly perfected as of revision E6+, and it's not like they keep working on cpu's once prodcution has ended. Finally why would you buy a 939 now when the production has ended, unless you were upgrading a current 939 system?

Also, the fact the his original socket A was 1.1Ghz means it wasn't even a Barton(the final and best Skt A revision), it was more likey a palmino core. This has other implication, like memory timings etc.

basically his system is so old that if he wants and upgrade to give him a noticable benefit he needs to replace everything.

[[FFTF]Eurofighter]

bartzy I think you're a lil confused now cause every one tells you someth else. I got a tip: go to this website: www.tomshardware.com and post your question on the forums. When you post a question there you will be sure people with knowledge (no offense guys but im not sure if you all know what you are talking about) will give you a good awnser and might propose you a better solution.

[RyanJacquel]

lol, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

socket A has not been produced in a long time (i think the last batches were made 2004-2005). both in-game and synthetic benchmarks put it well behind A64's and newer p4s(noone has bothered to test them with current cpus). They also did not support dual channel DDR, and the architecture of the cpu was less efficient. MHz doesn't mean nearly as much these days.

Now as to your second statement"but the 939 is still a bit sketchy because its a bit newish". First off it is not new, I got my first one end of 2004. 2nd, production has stopped on 939 X2, and Athlons. It has now been replaced by AM2. THird 939 was well and truly perfected as of revision E6+, and it's not like they keep working on cpu's once prodcution has ended. Finally why would you buy a 939 now when the production has ended, unless you were upgrading a current 939 system?

Also, the fact the his original socket A was 1.1Ghz means it wasn't even a Barton(the final and best Skt A revision), it was more likey a palmino core. This has other implication, like memory timings etc.

basically his system is so old that if he wants and upgrade to give him a noticable benefit he needs to replace everything.

Hey spaz, never once did I say they were still in production nor did I say they were BETTER then any higher socket... so cool your "i know everything" jets and re read what I said

[SpicEwEazle]

Hey spaz, never once did I say they were still in production nor did I say they were BETTER then any higher socket... so cool your "i know everything" jets and re read what I said

I'm not saying I know everything,
O and i did read what you said