Upgrading processor.

[Starfy]

I have a Dell Precision Workstation 690.
Specs:
2xIntel Xeon 5130 Processor 2.00GHz
16GB FB-DDR2 Ram (CPU-Z says 333mhz)
AMD Radeon 6670 1GB DDR3
64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate
I want to upgrade my processors to 2xIntel Xeon 5060 3.2GHz
I am not sure how to check for compatibility. Would there be any problems in this upgrade?

[BicycleMafioso]

Hi!
Both appear to be on the same socket, so they should work. I am unsure whether you'd need to flash a new BIOS on the motherboard though, since it's a proprietary one sold with that processor specifically.

[Deleted]

where would you actually get those cpu's? can;t seem to find em on newegg. (or are they enterprise stuff?)

[Starfy]

where would you actually get those cpu's? can;t seem to find em on newegg. (or are they enterprise stuff?)

My PC is an enterprise machine, although I've repurposed it for gaming.

Hi!
Both appear to be on the same socket, so they should work. I am unsure whether you'd need to flash a new BIOS on the motherboard though, since it's a proprietary one sold with that processor specifically.

Is there a site with information about this proprietary bios?

Would 2xIntel Xeon 5160 3.0 GHz be more likely to have a seamless transition? It is in the same series (Woodcrest) as my current processor. I am not sure how things work with 2 processors, so I don't know if I should upgrade 1 or both of my processors. Research is showing me that Dual 5160 would be better because it's on core architecture instead of netburst.

[chazus]

For the 600-700 bucks you'd be paying to get two of those... You're likely to get better performance out of a new CPU/MB/RAM/Cooler combo, to be honest.

A 3770K would have the same number of cores and threads, faster clock, boost, 1/4 of the power/heat used, and still come in about $150 cheaper. A 3570K would be even 100 less than that with the same performance. On top of that, it wouldn't be stuck behind 6 year old technology.

[Faithh]

Your ram is pretty slow 667MHz. 2x dual cores + HT isn't really useful comparing to a 3770k. WoW is in big love with high single core performance which means overclocks gives a lot of performance.

[BicycleMafioso]

Your ram is pretty slow 667MHz.

DDR2 has half the bandwidth but also half the latency. It evens out.

[Starfy]

For the 600-700 bucks you'd be paying to get two of those... You're likely to get better performance out of a new CPU/MB/RAM/Cooler combo, to be honest.

A 3770K would have the same number of cores and threads, faster clock, boost, 1/4 of the power/heat used, and still come in about $150 cheaper. A 3570K would be even 100 less than that with the same performance. On top of that, it wouldn't be stuck behind 6 year old technology.

Surprisingly I found the processors for incredibly low prices. Research said my kind of ram is at 667MHz, but CPU-Z says 333MHz.

[Faithh]

Surprisingly I found the processors for incredibly low prices. Research said my kind of ram is at 667MHz, but CPU-Z says 333MHz.

It's not even possible to run your ram at 333MHz because the ram clock frequency needs to be at least twice as fast as your FSB speed. Your chip has a max multiplier of 6 which means 2000/6 = 333MHz FSB so your ram needs to be atleast at 667MHz, going lower will lead into crashes.

The base clock of your ram is 333MHz and DDR2 has double thingies so it's 667MHz. I have 800MHz reporting in cpu-z but it's 1600MHz DDR3.

[chazus]

Surprisingly I found the processors for incredibly low prices. Research said my kind of ram is at 667MHz, but CPU-Z says 333MHz.

Define 'incredibly low prices', because if they were a single dollar more than a real upgrade, you ought to get the real upgrade.

[Biernot]

Yeah, "incredible low" would need to be considerably less than $200. But even then you would still invest in an outdated platform.

If you happen to be in the vicinity of a Microcenter, get one of their cpu/mb bundles:
http://www.microcenter.com/site/bran...r-bundles.aspx (get the i5-3570k + Asus P8Z77-V LK or Asrock Extreme4)
Add 2x4GB DDR3-1600 RAM to that, or 2x8GB, if you need that much (which you don't if you use this computer for gaming)

[Starfy]

Define 'incredibly low prices', because if they were a single dollar more than a real upgrade, you ought to get the real upgrade.

10$ low. And I don't do too much mmo gaming anymore, mostly emulators and such. Since the 5160 and 5130 are the same series, would it be likely that I will need to find the proprietary BIOS for the 5160?