Battle of the Processors

[JBP|]

well if you keep to the same manufacture of grafix cards that wouldnt be a problem, however if it was me i'd do a fresh install just to be safe

 

[Clown]

Winchesters are in stock at OcUK.

 

[old.user4556]

Next question

can i simply pull out mobo/gfx card/processor/psu/ram - replace them and plug old HD's back in or will it have a hissy fit and not let it work?

For me, NT based OS's have had a hissy fit (9x OS's have been ok). The last time i changed my mobo i had to repair the installation of XP.

G

 

[Gengi]

yep I think also it will require a re-install, I moved a hard drive today and it would not boot without an install.

Later

 

[noikz]

If you really wanted to avoid a fresh install you would need to install a standard IDE driver before you remove your old board.
A fresh install is always a good idea when changing a motherboard.

 

[Brynn]

I emailed the support at overclockers about the compatibility of the processor and the mobo he emailed back with :

That combination should be fine, although you may
need the bios update before hand and flash the motherboard with it before
you can install any software

How do i go about bios updating and flashing the motherboard?

 

[Bodhi]

Me dad's just bought a spangly new top of the range Compaq Presario with a Pentium 4 550, 1GB of RAM and a Radeon X600 Pro. Needless to say, it's pretty fast, running Doom 3 as smooth as a baby's arse. I'd personally go with the Intel/ATi route myself - more stable and still pretty damn fast. I disagree that nVIDIA won by a country mile this time round - the X800 PE gives up barely 1-2fps in Doom 3 and will probably be faster in HL2. I'm on my third ATi card now and the only problem I've ever had was slight texture corruption on Grand Prix 3 with my Rage Fury, which a driver update swiftly fixed.

 

[Ch3tan]

Yeah but bodhi, Jesus will walk the earth again and have a pint with Mohammed before you ever critisise Intel, Ati or Sony.

 

[old.user4556]

Obligatory benchmarks here http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2249&p=9

Looks like AMD are the hot favourite for the latest games. I've had two 9800 Pros die on me and my mate's 9700 Pro died. I went back to nVidia as a result. I'll see if this 6800 GT stands the test of time, but at least it has a lifetime warranty.

 

[TdC]

How do i go about bios updating and flashing the motherboard?

well if your chosen mobo doesn't know about your chosen cpu when it has a given BIOS revision there are more or less two options: it will either default to a known "safe" config, where your CPU will run at say...500MHz or so allowing you to get into the BIOS or....it just won't work. the latter is becoming more uncommon though

as to flashing the BIOS, you will have to download your mobo manufacturer's latest (or not so latest depending) BIOS image for your particular motherboard together with a flasher program. they're usually specific for a particular BIOS chip fabber, but your mobo's maker will have them available. sometimes the BIOS itself comes with the software built in, but that's not yet a common feature.

next you'll need a proper boot disk and copy the BIOS image and the flasher program to that. now boot with the disk and run the flasher proggy. odds are you will have to select your image to flash, and press enter a few times. it may even ask you if you want to back up the old image, and backups are never a bad idea tbh. now flash the image to your BIOS and hope the power doesn't fail or you get a checksum error or some other nasty thing after a reboot (full power cycle is better imo) your new bios will be up and running and will hopefully recognize your CPU

good luck!!

 

[Gray]

Winchesters are in stock at OcUK.

I was browsing the "This week Only" deals - Looks like its showing in there at just over £200...

 

[Trem]

In answer to the original question - INTEL

I've had both processors this year and Intel is by far the better.

Just to upset a few people.

 

[Brynn]

Just ordered all the bits - gunna be so happy when they arrive tomorrow