I've got an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe motherboard. I currently own an AMD AthlonXP 2200+ processor, but I am looking for a faster one now that all of the latest games are taking up so much CPU time.

Here are my motherboard specs:
What are my options as far as upgrading my CPU? I definitely want more speed, and I am willing to spend, however, I do not know the limitations of my motherboard, if there are any, in terms of how fast a processor I can put on it. Any replies would be appreciated

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-Aaron

AFAIK, from the info on the Asus site, the max chip speed you can go to is an Athlon 3200+. Of course that doesn't count overclocking. ;-)

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Common Sense v2.0-Striving to make the world a little bit smarter.

So what do you think? Should I upgrade to the 3200 barton core processor, or just get a next-gen motherboard and one of AMD's new 64 bit cpu's? I am trying to think if the money I spend on the 3200 will give me some longevity with all the new technology coming out, or if I should just move up to the next tier of hardware to keep up with the technology boom?

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-Aaron

How long are you planning on keeping a new system before you upgrade again? From the various reviews I've seen regarding 64-bit performance, it's not worth it right now. Very few apps benefit from the 64-bit chips because there's few 64-bit programs available and Windows doesn't have a viable 64-bit version yet. Even with the bigger cache and higher speeds, 32-bit programs only see about 10-15% improvement, if you're lucky.

If you're going to run Linux64, you may see better performance because of the 64-bit versions available but again, there are few 64-bit apps available. Even though OS X is 64-bit, the Mactel systems aren't available yet so that's probably not an option for you if you're tight w/ Windows.

You also need to consider the dual-core chips that are available. Their performance is slightly better than the 64-bit chips, but it's still less than a 25% improvement. Again, as more apps become available, and assuming you have a multi-processor capable OS, you'll see better performance.

Bottom line, IMO, I'd buy the 3200+. The price is ~$150 right now and it should last you until the software can match the power of the CPU; I predict another 2 years until multi-core 64-bit CPU's are mainstream.

If you buy low on the CPU, you can use the extra $$ for a new video card. The cheapest AMD64 FX chip and mobo (which you'd probably want for games) is ~$600, according to www.pricewatch.com.

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Common Sense v2.0-Striving to make the world a little bit smarter.

Thanks, man. I will buy the 3200+... as for the video card, I am running on a Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro right now. That should be sufficient for at least a little while!

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-Aaron