What motherboard should i upgrade to?

Hey,

I have an Asus A8N-E mobo at the moment. It was manufactured in 2001 so im guessing its pretty old and thats the reason why i get terrible fps in games to a point its unplayable. Here's my specs,

Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Basic 64-bit
CPU
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 47 °C
Manchester 90nm Technology
RAM
3.0GB Single-Channel DDR @ 100MHz (2.5-2-2-5)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. A8N-E (Socket 939)
Graphics
1080A (1920x1080@60Hz) Resolution
ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (ASUStek Computer Inc) 49 °C
Hard Drives
7200rpm 32 mb cache 500gb
Western Digital WDC WD5000AADS-00S9B0 ATA Device (SATA)35 °C
Optical Drives
Optiarc DVD RW AD-7240S ATA Device
Audio
Realtek AC'97 Audio

I just installed this WD harddrive thinking it was my old one to blame for the horrifying fps. but aparently its not. So it's gotta be the processor and cpu.
So what should i do and what should i buy as i have no clue with mobo's

 

Although you appear to have a decent hard drive and video card, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In your case, it's time to tell your current board, processor and memory "You are the weakest links. Goodbye."

In addition to keeping the video card and hard drive, you should be able to get away with reusing your case and DVD drive. If your power supply is under 400 watts or more than a few years old, replace it as well (power supplies generally lose 10%-15% of their max. wattage output each year they are in use).

Here's what I recently built a home theater PC with. Although this is off a US web site, you should be able to find the same or similar models in the UK:

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131654

(has the newest goodies including USB 3.0, SATA3 and hybrid Crossfire)

Processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871

Memory:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409

Power Supply (don't skimp - get a good one):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

This should give you plenty of gaming speed for years to come.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks, ye i ordered a processor AMD Athlon II X2 Dual-Core (250) 3.0GHz Processor 2048MB Socket AM3 to go with my current mobo until i get a better mobo. My power supply is 400w. But ye thanks, when i get a bit of money i'll take a look at those items. Thanks for the help. x

 

Please be careful! The specs on your current board state it is a socket 939. The processor you ordered (like almost every other AMD chip currently available) requires a bord with an AM2/AM2+/AM3 socket. Attempting to install the new one in your current motherboard will destroy the processor, void the warranty and possibly damage or destroy the motherboard.

Here are links to the socket types:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_939

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_AM3

If buying a new board, the difference between AM2/AM2+ and AM3 is an AM3 board uses DDR3 memory (not DDR2). DDR3 is both faster and less expensive. I am not aware of any AM2/AM3 boards currently available that will allow you to resuse the old DDR style memory from your current board.

The X2 250 is a fast processor at a great price. I just don't want you to make a mistake that could cost you big bucks.

 

Ok well i just canceled that chip ye...mine is a socket 939 so that chip was wrong for it. seeing as its a DDR only. My previous one was AMD Athlon 64. But i ordered a slightly better one to be 64 bit compatible, the AMD athlon 64x2 dualcore processor.

 

Motherboards make VERY little difference to Frames Per Second in games. You are most likely suffering due to your CPU clock speed.

Also what 4*** series card do you have? 4830/50/70/70x2/90?

How much are you looking to spend?

 

i duno, it just says 4800 series. according to windows rating out of 1.0 to 7.9 my graphics card is a 7.2 which aint bad. I was able to play in ultra settings before i changed my hdd. My old hdd was a western digital 10krpm but with 8mb cache. but with little memory of 74.6gb but using windows xp as i cudnt fit w7 on it. now my hdd is western digital 500gb 7200rpm 32mb cache and im using windows 7 on it but i can't play in ultra and its still pretty bad on the lowest settings. I know my fps issues arent to do with my gfx card, even changing my res to a lower one doesn't change anything and changing my graphics to the lowest doesnt change anything either. So ye, it is probs due to the cpu speed or something along those lines. Fps is rather low, even in normal zones with barely anyone around. Seems like it has a problem loading up images fast enough. As when i go into cities it takes a while for npcs to load. Well i'm going to save up some money to buy a new am3 mobo with 4gb ram and processor bundle. Perhaps my current mobo is a little too old to run w7 on it? It IS a DDR socket 939. Very old indeed.

 

And i can't really spend alot. As i'm skint and jobless right now. So i'm going to have to save up. The am3 mobo/ram/processor bundle i was looking for is around £130.

 

Sorry to hear about the jobless thing. I've also been having some lean times lately so I feel your pain.

I agree your best bet will be to save up for the AM3 board/processor/RAM combo.

I'm curious as to what your other WEI (Windows Experience Index) ratings are - esp. those on the existing CPU and memory. Although anything above "7" on video is considered excellent, lower scores on the CPU or memory are likely causing your FPS issues (It's a bit like having a new turbocharged BMW or Porsche you can only drive on ancient cobblesone streets or on the M1, but only during bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic. No matter how good the video card is, other factors are killing its performance).

Here's to a better 2011. To paraphrase TV host Robin Leach, hopefully both of us will soon be in the land of six-core wishes and solid state drive dreams. :cloud9

 

ye my cpu and processor scores were like 4.9, pretty crap, my hdd is now 5.9. You know that AM3 processor i tried to cancel? well, i couldn't cancel it, but i might aswell keep it coz im going to buy an am3 mobo with 4gb ram. And then i'll overclock it slightly.

My current hdd ain't solid state either, Its just a normal sata.

 

Don't worry - most AMD boxed processors have a three-year warranty. The x2 250 is a relatively fast one, it won't become obsolete anytime soon.

5.9 is, in my experience, the standard score for a 7200 RPM SATA hard drive. My comment on the solid state drive was a bit tongue-in-cheek - although they cut boot up times, they're still currently somewhat on the expensive side.

Not sure what the hot online retailers are in the UK; however here in The States the big ones like NewEgg will sometimes have blow-out pricing on boards and memory. As your funds permit, keep your eyes open for deals.

The board and 4GB DDR3 in my first thread post currently add up to about $150 USD. If you dropped a few features (USB2 instead of USB3 and possibly giving up the HDMI output), you might be able to get both for around $125 USD. Just be careful to read user reviews before you buy: It isn't worth saving an extra $10 if you get a lousy product.

 

ye i checked on overclockers.co.uk and i found a deal for a motherboard and 4gb ram for just £80 inc. delivery.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-426-AS Motherboard

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-183-OC Ram

What do you reckon? Any good?

 

Decent MB, but swap the RAM for this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-006-CS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1516

No point in paying extra for the same thing! You will notice NO difference between the two in anything bar benchmarks.

PS - If you want to save yourself £8, make a forum account and get posting, i think anyone with 30 posts or more gets free shipping!

 

Ye i already have forum account with them. delivery is only like £4ish and i know i can always expect items to be delivered fast by them.

 

Shipping is £8.25.

Make some posts and switch the RAM to save yourself £20, no brainer to me!

 

I second Burrell's nomination. Go for it. :cool

 

Special Delivery £8.95.
2nd Class £4.98
1st Class £6.16

I normally go for second class. I don't mind paying a fiver for delivery.