Answers for a AMD newbie?

[Dr Evil]

Hi,

I really would like to go from intel to amd, however there a few things that are concerning me,

1. Cracking the core on the processor while attaching the HSF, how easy is it to do? I have upgraded all my systems but this would be the first time with AMD?

2. Temps are higher with Amd processors, I have no intentions of overclocking would a normal case with a thermaltake Volcano 6 do?

3. Is there a site that gives very basic practical help from actually installing the mobo and processor to installing the OS with the 4in1's etc?

4. My budget will buy me a AMD XP 1800+, how much faster at games would it be to the intel P4 1800?

Thanks.

[freddy]

without getting into the arguement RE: intel V amd ,if u want to upgrade then all well and good

1. Cracking the core on the processor while attaching the HSF, how easy is it to do? I have upgraded all my systems but this would be the first time with AMD

answer : fit the HSF on the board BEFORE you fit it , using "good" Qty compound and check that the HSF is sat correctly,

an obvious problem will ocurre if you try to fit a HSF and the board is not supported underneath ,just like any othere system (ie intel)

2. Temps are higher with Amd processors, I have no intentions of overclocking would a normal case with a thermaltake Volcano 6 do?

Answer :check with AMD that that HSF is reccomended , dont take the HSF Mfgs word for it most "new cases have the ability to add an extra fan at the back to assist airflow ,, they dont cost a lot.
A lot of comments are made RE: power supplies 200-230-250-300-350-400-500- watts, a lot of this is BULL**** ,,,,get a PSU that is on AMDs list ,,,(a lot of those "so called" 300w PSUs are CRAP ....ask Ruslan )

3. Is there a site that gives very basic practical help from actually installing the mobo and processor to installing the OS with the 4in1's etc?

Answer: just as any other M/B you must install all the drivers that come with your M/b in order to get the performance that they offer,

4. My budget will buy me a AMD XP 1800+, how much faster at games would it be to the intel P4 1800?

answer: dont want to go down that road , it will start an arguament????

go to local shop and look at AMD and P4 machines and use your own opinion.

I reacently "upgraded" from a P111 (700) to AMD ,,,,,my M/B was going knackered (serial port/printer etc) ,,,,and whilst "checkin" AMD boards out i put the "cheapest" Duron in it (800)

3 months later ,,,,,,(raised it to 900) ,,,,I have no reason to change it.

if you are working on economics then AMD is the best option ,,,,and i am sure if you listen to "other" peoples comments they will say P4 for a server etc,,,etc.

do your looking around ,,and choose wisely ,,,,cos in 3 months it will be out of date.


good luck freddy

[freddy]

do your checkin then try <a href="http://www.scan.co.uk/today.htm" target="_blank">http://www.scan.co.uk/today.htm</a> this is a dayly offer ,,,,,,some good stuff.

good luck freddy

[PitaBred]

[quote]
1. Cracking the core on the processor while attaching the HSF, how easy is it to do? I have upgraded all my systems but this would be the first time with AMD?<hr></blockquote>

I really don't think so. It's about as easy as it is on an FCPGA PIII. Just make sure you do things straight and firm, don't allow it to slip. It's really not as easy as everyone says it is IF YOU'RE CAREFUL :)

[quote]
2. Temps are higher with Amd processors, I have no intentions of overclocking would a normal case with a thermaltake Volcano 6 do?<hr></blockquote>

Like freddy said, check the AMD recommended list, but make sure you have at LEAST a 300W PSU (like most intel systems) and the Volcano6 ought to be good. I have heard good things about them, at least.

[quote]
3. Is there a site that gives very basic practical help from actually installing the mobo and processor to installing the OS with the 4in1's etc?<hr></blockquote>

If you've done computer upgrades, it shouldn't be a problem. I'd recommend going to <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com" target="_blank">Tom's Hardware</a> or <a href="http://www.anandtech.com" target="_blank">Anandtech</a> for information. They have good guides for most everything. Most important however, is back up everything you think you might want in the future :)

[quote]
4. My budget will buy me a AMD XP 1800+, how much faster at games would it be to the intel P4 1800?<hr></blockquote>

All I can say is check the benchies at Tom's Hardware and all. But the consensus of most reputable hardware/benchmarking sites is that the P4 1800 will only run Q3 a little faster than the XP1800+, and otherwise falls behind the AMD chip. I'd also check Tom's for some info on which mobo you should buy, since you can't swap an AMD chip into an Intel board. And you'll need some DDR-SDRAM, of course.

[jaeger]

Slow and careful is the key with installing the hsf.

300 watt AMD approved is the minimum power suppy, and I wholeheartedly endorse Enermax as the brand to buy.

The latest Epox and MSI kt266a based boards have gotten great reviews and are quite stable.

[kato]

I completely agree with evceryone that's posted so far. If you take your time, and mount the HSF with the board outside the case, you souldn't have any trouble. I'm pretty sure that the HSF you mentioned is AMD approved but check out AMD's site just to be sure. Temps with the new XP processors are supposedly lower than the old T-Bird Core. Haven't tried one yet though to personally verfiy this.

If you can help it (and it seems so hard to these days) try to buy a heat sink that doesn't need a flat head screw driver to fit it. I always get a little nervous fitting those, because one strong slip of the screw driver and a potential circut on the mainboard could be damaged. Most everything now seems to need a screwdriver to fit, so just be careful.

Use thermal compound, but don't overuse thermal compound. The idea is to fill in the minor gaps between you heatsink and CPU and create a nice contact area. If you glop it on you defeat the purpose of even using it. A very thin layer is all you need. Many people use a razor blade to apply.

Gotta Agree with the Enermax endorsement. Not all Power supplies are equal, and Enermax makes great supplies at a reasonable price. ANTEC also makes good supplies and they can be had at retail chains like Best Buy or Comp USA.

I think you'll like AMD once you upgrade. People can debate all day on which is better, but there's no arguement that AMD offers better price/performance ratio.

[Gameguru]

I have always been an Intel type of guy but I recently upgraded to an AMP XP1600+(overclocked of course :) ). I must say that I love it. It does everything that I need it to do and it gets it done in a hurry! On the other hand, my best friend has a P4 1700 w/rdram and it screams too. Either way you go, you won't be dissapointed. By the way....when we bought our new parts, we had the same amount of money to spend. We got the same amount of RAM, ABIT boards, and nvidia vid card. The difference was he got an mx400 and I got a GeForce2 Ultra.

[Rocinante]

Make sure this HSF your wanting to use fits easily on your motherboard. A lot of "darn-it" problems come from not having enough room to work the braces. A good tip for you is to attach a socket bit (just big enough to slide over the thumb clip on the brace) on the end of a removable bit screwdriver. This way you can gently hold the hsf while using the socket bit to acurately push down the clip. You also wont damage your fingers this way. If you use just a screwdriver for this, it can slip off and damage your motherboard.

I hope this helps you. Good luck

[kato]

[quote]Originally posted by Rocinante:
<strong>A good tip for you is to attach a socket bit (just big enough to slide over the thumb clip on the brace) on the end of a removable bit screwdriver. This way you can gently hold the hsf while using the socket bit to acurately push down the clip. You also wont damage your fingers this way. If you use just a screwdriver for this, it can slip off and damage your motherboard.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

this is a really good tip. It had never occured to me to do it this way. I've always just either killed my poor thumb or was extra careful with the flat head screwdriver. Great tip!!!!

[Rocinante]

[quote]Originally posted by kato2274:
<strong>

this is a really good tip. It had never occured to me to do it this way. I've always just either killed my poor thumb or was extra careful with the flat head screwdriver. Great tip!!!!</strong><hr></blockquote>

I found out the hard way many years ago watching a flat head screwdriver ice skate across the motherboard. I think I cried too :)

[Lycia]

When I recently upgraded to new mobo and cpu, I did this..I took the bubble wrap envelope that shipped with another mobo and filled it with more bubble wrap making a firm but pliable surface for the mothboard to sit on. With this under the anti-statice bag, and the motherboard on that, I was able to easily mount the heatsink...I got the ida from the shop where i Bought the CPU and ram..

[Rocinante]

[quote]Originally posted by Lycia:
<strong>When I recently upgraded to new mobo and cpu, I did this..I took the bubble wrap envelope that shipped with another mobo and filled it with more bubble wrap making a firm but pliable surface for the mothboard to sit on. With this under the anti-statice bag, and the motherboard on that, I was able to easily mount the heatsink...I got the ida from the shop where i Bought the CPU and ram..</strong><hr></blockquote>

One of my workbenches has a soft antistatic mat which does basically the same thing. Good idea :)