CPU upgrade

[Bigredc]

My computer is over 10 years old, it was built by Newegg.
It has a AMD Athlon 2600+ 1.91 GHz 1.50 GB RAM.
in a ASUS A7N8X-X MB
I'm laid off so money is tight.
I'm hoping I can get a little better performance by just upgrading the CPU.
All I do is surf the net and watch youtube video's, zero gaming.
Is it worth spending a $100 on a new CPU or should I just wait till I can afford a new Mother board and CPU.

Thanks for any help
Chris

[mavroxur]

Your current CPU is already a Barton core (w/ 512kb cache), so the only thing you can really go for is the same core, with a higher core clock. Get your hands on an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (Barton core) That's the fastest CPU they make for Socket 462. You might pump up the RAM some more, since DDR is relatively cheap. I wouldn't spend a whole lot on a processor or RAM though, since you can score used AM2/AM3 board w/ chip for way under $100. Maybe $15 max on a chip. It'd be a little increase, but not earth-shattering. I've seen Athlon 64 X2 board/chip combos go for under $40 before, and they were descent speed (4800+, etc). Even a Pentium D board+chip can be had for next to nothing these days. Only catch is you'll need new memory, and if you don't want to use onboard video, a new video card, and more than likely a new hard drive, since most boards (even older used ones) are SATA. Some still have PATA ports, but they're a lot less common on modern boards.

[gshv]

Your motherboards supports Athlon XP 3200+, which is the fastest Athlon XP processor. The 3200+ will be up to 20% faster than your current CPU, so I'm not sure if you even notice the difference. You may be better off by upgrading both CPU and the motherboard.

Gennadiy

[Neon]

If you have $100 to spend, then try to find a socket 939 motherboard and a low end dual core processor, such as Athlon 64 X2 3800+. This will allow you to re-use your memory modules.

I would not spend the money on a Athlon XP 3200+ unless it is really cheap, like <$15.

[mavroxur]

[Guest]