AMD64 processors

I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have. I've
been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now. I'm sure
the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.

It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is the
difference and which one is better?

Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon 64?
I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately eleven
applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them are
graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do, right?
Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written specifically for it,
does it?

--
Torrey Lauer
Modern Travel Services
moderntravel DOT net

Rainbow Sky Travel
rainbow sky travel DOT net

Andre
Thu Jun 30 14:46:44 CDT 2005

Maybe this link will help with differentiation and value:
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/Sockets.htm
--
Andre
Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
FAQ for MS AntiSpy http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/FAQ_MSantispy.htm

"Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
> the difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them
> are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do,
> right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
> specifically for it, does it?
>
> --
> Torrey Lauer
> Modern Travel Services
> moderntravel DOT net
>
> Rainbow Sky Travel
> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>

Charlie
Thu Jun 30 14:47:48 CDT 2005

Socket 754 is cheaper, but end of line. All the interesting new stuff,
including dual core processors, is happening in Socket 939. From what you're
describing, you sound like a candidate for dual core for sure, so I'd opt for
either Athlon 64x2 on Socket 939, or Socket 940 and Opteron.

Opterons are the same technology as Athlon 64, but focused more on servers
and high end workstations. You can find single and dual socket Opteron
motherboards fairly easily, and they will also support dual core processors,
giving you 2-4 effective processors.


--
Charlie.
http://www.msmvps.com/xperts64/


Torrey Lauer wrote:
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I
> have. I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little
> confused now. I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to
> clarify this for me.
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What
> is the difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the
> Athlon 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with
> approximately eleven applications at any one time running
> simultaneously and two of them are graphics intensive. Opterons run
> all the same apps that Athlons do, right? Opterons aren't like
> Itanium procs that have be written specifically for it, does it?

M
Thu Jun 30 14:49:51 CDT 2005

You are biting off a big piece there. HP makes their chassis just
proprietary enough that you will probably need a grinder at least to make a
commodity mainboard fit. Better to sell the HP on eBay and use the money to
buy a white box case for the new mainboard. There are definitely people out
there who want the HP mainboard (if it works) to repair a dead HP system.
And you'll have plenty to do making x64 work for everyday use without
picking up a grinder.

"Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
> the difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them
> are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do,
> right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
> specifically for it, does it?
>
> --
> Torrey Lauer
> Modern Travel Services
> moderntravel DOT net
>
> Rainbow Sky Travel
> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>

M
Thu Jun 30 14:52:56 CDT 2005

Also see replys to the "AMD part numbers" post below for links to sites that
show what processors use what sockets. Generally, it's mostly 939 now,
unless you are using Opterons.

"Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
> the difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them
> are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do,
> right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
> specifically for it, does it?
>
> --
> Torrey Lauer
> Modern Travel Services
> moderntravel DOT net
>
> Rainbow Sky Travel
> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>

Rick
Thu Jun 30 14:54:21 CDT 2005

The socket 754 Athlon 64s were the first iteration and AMD moved them to
socket 939 after about 1 year. The Athlon FX was originally a socket
940, like the Opterons, but are now socket 939. The socket 754 Athlon
64s will be phased out, I think it's later this year and will be
replaced with a 754 pin Sempron that will eventually have x64 extensions.

If you're going to running multiple applications, you may well want to
look at a 2 or 4 Opteron board. The Opterons and the Athlon 64 are also
available in a dual-core configuration,

If you started with a dual Opteron board now, you could upgrade to
dual-core CPUs down the road.

Current rumor has it that the Athlon 64 and Athlon FX will migrate to a
new socket 940, different that the current one for the Opterons. And,
the Opterons will migrate to 1200+ (I forgot the exact number) pin
configuration next year.


Torrey Lauer wrote:
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have. I've
> been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now. I'm sure
> the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is the
> difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon 64?
> I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately eleven
> applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them are
> graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do, right?
> Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written specifically for it,
> does it?
>

John
Thu Jun 30 15:23:43 CDT 2005

The 939 is the coming standard and supports dual channel memory. Also
supports the new x2. I would use this link and you can then go to the
opteron page from the list on the left.

http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/ProductInformation/0,,30_118_9485_9487%5E10248,00.html


"Andre Da Costa [Extended64]" <andred25@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:%23B7C0xafFHA.3252@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Maybe this link will help with differentiation and value:
> http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/Sockets.htm
> --
> Andre
> Extended64 | http://www.extended64.com
> Blog | http://www.extended64.com/blogs/andre
> http://spaces.msn.com/members/adacosta
> FAQ for MS AntiSpy http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/FAQ_MSantispy.htm
>
> "Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
> news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
>> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
>> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>>
>> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
>> the difference and which one is better?
>>
>> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
>> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
>> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of
>> them are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons
>> do, right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
>> specifically for it, does it?
>>
>> --
>> Torrey Lauer
>> Modern Travel Services
>> moderntravel DOT net
>>
>> Rainbow Sky Travel
>> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>>
>
>

John
Thu Jun 30 15:30:16 CDT 2005

I agree that you will probably NOT get a standard form factor motherboard to
fit the HP-Compaq cases as they always have in the past used non standard
sizes to discourage this. I can remember when they even had their own sized
PS2 plugs on the mice and keyboards. Good luck, but you will probably just
need a new case and you probably can transfer most of the internals over to
the new case. I did from a Compaq years ago.


"M. Murcek" <mamurcekjr@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:eV6VfzafFHA.352@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> You are biting off a big piece there. HP makes their chassis just
> proprietary enough that you will probably need a grinder at least to make
> a commodity mainboard fit. Better to sell the HP on eBay and use the
> money to buy a white box case for the new mainboard. There are definitely
> people out there who want the HP mainboard (if it works) to repair a dead
> HP system. And you'll have plenty to do making x64 work for everyday use
> without picking up a grinder.
>
> "Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
> news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
>> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
>> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>>
>> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
>> the difference and which one is better?
>>
>> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
>> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
>> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of
>> them are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons
>> do, right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
>> specifically for it, does it?
>>
>> --
>> Torrey Lauer
>> Modern Travel Services
>> moderntravel DOT net
>>
>> Rainbow Sky Travel
>> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>>
>
>

Charlie
Thu Jun 30 15:32:33 CDT 2005

Good point. I spent a lot of time, and energy, trying to recycle a Dell
workstation. Finally gave it up as a bad business. And bought a nice, quiet,
Sonata case. And made a decision to never, ever, buy another Dell. The ONLY
thing I could salvage out of that box were a couple of noisy SCSI hard
drives. That I decided not to use because of the noise.

--
Charlie.
http://www.msmvps.com/xperts64/


M. Murcek wrote:
> You are biting off a big piece there. HP makes their chassis just
> proprietary enough that you will probably need a grinder at least to
> make a commodity mainboard fit. Better to sell the HP on eBay and
> use the money to buy a white box case for the new mainboard. There
> are definitely people out there who want the HP mainboard (if it
> works) to repair a dead HP system. And you'll have plenty to do
> making x64 work for everyday use without picking up a grinder.
>
> "Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
> news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
>> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I
>> have. I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little
>> confused now. I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to
>> clarify this for me. It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939
>> and 754. What
>> is the difference and which one is better?
>>
>> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the
>> Athlon 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with
>> approximately eleven applications at any one time running
>> simultaneously and two of them are graphics intensive. Opterons run
>> all the same apps that Athlons do, right? Opterons aren't like
>> Itanium procs that have be written specifically for it, does it?
>>
>> --
>> Torrey Lauer
>> Modern Travel Services
>> moderntravel DOT net
>>
>> Rainbow Sky Travel
>> rainbow sky travel DOT net

Chris
Thu Jun 30 16:47:02 CDT 2005

I chose dual Opteron because I could not afford an Athlon FX or the even low
memory bandwidth Athlon 64 ; at least I had 8 sockets and could populate up
to 32GB ; 16 GB could run at PC3200, and the cost substantially less than a
4-DIMM board (it pays for the motherboard several times). I will certainly
move to socket F (1207 pins) as soon as available, and use this as a personal
computer; I use mostly RAM disks, and sick of hard drive slowness and
reliability problems (FCAL, U320 raid, etc...); in my view, hard disks are
only needed to run benchmarks...

That's where I always need more memory capacity, and don't buy these stories
about unnecessary memory bandwidth. Same with dual processors ; even when you
use monoprocessing applications, the OS has plenty to do with your second
processor.

Hopefully JEDEC will maintain the pinout compatibility on DDR3, and we'll
see higher densities on the Socket F Opteron, possibly allowing 64GB per
processor. Also the dual cores will certainly benefit from a 256-bit path to
memory...

Colin
Fri Jul 01 13:11:11 CDT 2005

You have lots of choices. Perhaps an Athlon 64 x2 (dual core) might be all
you need. Forget about socket 754. Given the software list you describe, I
suggest you look at either an Opteron or Athlon dual-core solution.
(dual-core means two cpus on the same die). Choose the new mobo
accordingly. Dual-core technology has just entered the consumer channel and
it is great stuff. It is also possible to get a dual-Opteron x2 system
which would amount to running four cpu's. That might be over-kill but worth
looking at if the budget isn't too tight.

--
Colin Barnhorst [MVP Windows - Virtual Machine]
(Reply to the group only unless otherwise requested)
"Torrey Lauer" <torrey@nospam.moderntravel.net> wrote in message
news:OZRYIsafFHA.3916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> I'm looking at changing the MB and proc on an HP Pavilion that I have.
> I've been looking at AMD Athlon 64 procs, but am a little confused now.
> I'm sure the smart people on this NG will be able to clarify this for me.
>
> It appears that AMD has Athlon 64 procs in socket 939 and 754. What is
> the difference and which one is better?
>
> Also, would it be better to go with an Opteron or stick with the Athlon
> 64? I'll be using the desktop for business mostly with approximately
> eleven applications at any one time running simultaneously and two of them
> are graphics intensive. Opterons run all the same apps that Athlons do,
> right? Opterons aren't like Itanium procs that have be written
> specifically for it, does it?
>
> --
> Torrey Lauer
> Modern Travel Services
> moderntravel DOT net
>
> Rainbow Sky Travel
> rainbow sky travel DOT net
>