K9A2 CF processor upgrade ?

apophis

Hi all, i am looking for info on the best AMD quad core processor upgrade for a MSI K9A2 CF motherboard, it would be aimed mainly as a gaming option, its my sons pc and i`m really not expert enough to pick what might turn out to be a disaster if i pick incorrectly as a novice in pc specs. Apparently he thinks quad core is the way to go as his new mafia 2 game is the bee`s knee`s and he`s read in the game specs "quad core recommended".
any help greatly appreciated.

apophis :cool:

BeciMester

http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodcpu2&prod_no=1333&maincat_no=1
Anything from this list. Seeing that it supports the Phenom II (maybe with a BIOS update), the best of those would be the 965 if I'm not mistaken.

apophis

thanks for the reply BeciMester, had a look through the list (or maze as it is to me), would there be an issue with watts levels, as i see 95w and 125w versions of the cpu.
thanks again,

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

I don't see a 95W X4-965; the fastest 95W quad AMD have is the low-power version of the X4-955.

The biggest issue is: can your PSU handle it? What PSU do you have and what spec is the PC in question (especially any graphics cards in there)?

apophis

hi Solitaire, thanks for replying, the power supply is a coolermaster silent pro 700W and he`s running a 1gb ddr5 sapphire vapour-x radeon hd 5770, windows xp, and a Zalman ultra quiet cnps9700 led cpu cooler, 4GB of g-skill pc6400 800mhz memory, 120mm cooling fans front and back. In a NZXT HUSH case.
excuse my way of presenting the specs but i am reading them off the origional order invoice.
as a side note i contacted the company who we purchased the pc from and they "think" a 125W proseccor should be ok.
again any opinions would be very welcome.

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

It should be fine so long as you don't try to overclock it very far; the mobo's VRMs have no heatsinks and probably couldn't take the strain of a CPU boosted to gobble up over 150W! :eek::o

apophis

thanks for your reply again solitare, he will not be overclocking it at all, it will be ran from its stock settings, its just that in my googling i saw some scary stories about the 125w version killing the board.
so if i run it as is do you think i would be safe enough.

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

So long as there aren't many horror stories about that particular mobo blowing from 125W CPU usage you'll be fine. If you're really worried you could get the new and improved X4-955e with the reduced TDP (95W)

apophis

many many thanks solitare, thats the info i was looking for, while googling i came across a post on a forum where a guy rang MSI and was told just what you said, the 125w cpu should be fine as long as you dont overclock, MSI had no info on any overclocking of the processor.
again many thanks solitare,

apophis :cool:

apophis

Hi again all, (especially solitare), i was looking around and came across this option,
(AMD Athlon II X4 640 Quad Core - 3 GHz - Cache L2 2 MB - Socket AM3)
as opposed to what i was first going for, what do you think of this option,
sorry for the persistent questions but i want to make a good informed choice before i buy.

many thanks,

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

You save a few quid over a Phenom but lose a chunk of performance due to the very poor cache. And nowadays the lower-end Phenom X4s are only a little dearer...

apophis

thanks again solitare, what about this one, it keeps the watts down to 95w, is quad core 2.8 ghz and has the L3 cache

AMD Phenom II X4 925 - 2.8 GHz - AM3 Socket

hopefully this one is more suitable. And i wont be annoying you again.

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

That one is better, as is the slightly more expensive X4-945e. The X4-955e is the best 95W CPU AMD has currently, but I haven't seen any out in the wild yet...

apophis

thanks again Solitare, i would be lost without your input for this problem. but i am learning as i go along with help from guys like yourself,
i hope you don`t mind if i happen to return for more advice.

many thanks again.

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

Of course not! That's what we're here for

apophis

Hi again all, and solitare, i have decided to go with the phenom ii X4 (94w), could i ask you something (again) as regards the processor, when i am installing it do i need to update the bios before the install or can i swap it over and then do whatever has to be done.
many thanks, (again)

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

1. Check your BIOS version.
2. Check the BIOS version the new CPU would need for compatibility.
3. If 2. is greater than 1. then make sure you update the BIOS correctly before swapping CPUs!

apophis

Hi solitare, i have checked the bios number and it matches my existing bios (1.C0), which i updated not long ago, so do you think i can just do the swap and it should work.

apophis :cool:

Solitaire

If you mean v1.C then that's the most recent BIOS anyway - you're good to go

apophis

now you see what i mean about being a novice, yes i mean (1C) , many thanks solitare i would have been lost but for all your help, it was really appreciated considering where i started on this issue.

apophis :cool: