Just ordered

[D-Dan]

A Phenom II X4 965 Black and motherboard

Hoping to pick it up today. Then it's a backup and clear the chipset drivers before rebuilding and hoping I can get away without a clean install

Steve

[Steve]

I find by the time I've messed around a clean install is often quicker,but reloading software is no fun at all.

[D-Dan]

It'll be no fun with my 95Gb full system partition (which doesn't have data on it, programs only) - hence the desire to manage without re-installing.

The new MB is an NV chipset, as is the old one (though obviously a different generation), so I'm hoping that will make things a little easier.

Steve

[Inkblot]

It'll be no fun with my 95Gb full system partition (which doesn't have data on it, programs only)

95Gb of programmes 

Personally I always do a fresh install but then again, I'm a simple user - O/S, Office, a few browsers, a few games, some CD/DVD bits and pieces and some utilities but that's pretty much it, probably 20Gb at most. I screenshot my start menu and 'Program files' folder and make sure either I have the CD/DVD or know where to get the application before I start. I find installng the software can be a lot more relaxing than messing with the hardware!

[pctech]

Personally I would recommend a clean install too so that the OS is tuned to the new hardware and you have a clean registry.

[D-Dan]

I'm prepared if I have to re-install - but the preparation has started to at least give a no-reinstall hardware upgrade a go 

After this post - the fun starts. I'll lose my net connection, then surgery begins. The next time I post I hope it will be from a successful transplant.

For now, 

Steve

[zappaDPJ]

Best of luck 

[pctech]

Too late now.

[D-Dan]

I forgot - I have PC2

Motherboard, RAM, Processor and gfx card installed for POST test and all is OK, except damn, is that fan whiny.

Taking the 120MM CPU from fan from the old motherboard and replacing. POST test 2 in half an hour.

Steve

[D-Dan]

OK - New cooler fitted and working. First OS test boot (Just plugged the Ubuntu drive in for now) is a success.

This post from my newly recovering PC

Now, got to start plugging other bits in and then see what Windows does.

Steve

[Simon]

  Steve!

[D-Dan]

Looks like a clean install of Windows

Ubuntu is quite happy, no problems at all.

Windows gets to the fancy swirly Win 7 logo thing then blue screens. The error is "inaccessible boot device" (well, at least that's what the cryptic code means) but I've tried every permutation and none will work.

I hate to say it, another  for Linux and another  for Windows. If only all my software (and hardware) worked on Linux

Steve

[pctech]

Unfortunately thats just the way Windows works.

[Niall]

I'm pretty sure that the newer versions of windows wont allow you to change hardware and still run. My sisters other half tried this a couple of months ago, and while the system worked(ish) it wouldn't recognise the operating system as a legit one, so he had to format.

[D-Dan]

I figured

Anyhoo, Windows re-installed, firefox installed, just doing drivers, next up is Windows Update, then I have the happy job of re-installing software 

[MisterW]

Just ordered A Phenom II X4 965 Black and motherboard
Hoping to pick it up today.

Not the Aria 'deal for today' offer by any chance, was it ? we use them a lot since they're just down the road from the office.
Which MB did you go for BTW and how was the Ubuntu compatibility ?

[D-Dan]

It wasn't the "Deal of the Day", but it was Aria (only 20 minutes drive for me).

I bought them separately (not a bundle) cheaper than their offers and got the "last in stock" of both (though the CPU is back there at a higher price).

I got the Gigabyte GA-M720-US3 motherboard (mainly because it was the only full AT MB that took DDR2), but up to now I'm happy with it. Installation was a breeze, and Ubuntu booted as though nothing had changed. I haven't noticed any compatibility problems at all.

Wish I could say the same for Windows. It's going to be a long day 

[MisterW]

Wish I could say the same for Windows

Too true
I've more or less converted totally to Ubuntu at home now, desktop runs 8.04 ( waiting for 10.04.1 in July before upgrading! ) and netbook runs 9.04. Still got a laptop with Windows XP for the odd occasion when I really need Windows but not used it for a while now. Thinking of upgrading an old desktop, hence the Q on MB with Ubuntu as I know there can still be some issues with networking and sound if you're not careful.

[Technical Ben]

I'd be interested in the stats. I have a 2.8ghz 3 core black (think it's number is "PHx2 720 black" or something like that. I looked at unlocking the fourth core, but only a few motherboards supported that. So I might over clock it later instead. 

[D-Dan]

I can only give a real world comparison, but the same render that took 59 minutes + on an Athlon X2 6400 @ 3.2 GHz takes 24 minutes and some seconds on this.

As far as I'm concerned, that's an impressive increase over what was still a pretty fast CPU.

Steve

[Niall]

Apparently my mother is going to treat me to an upgrade when she cashes in her pension. Hex core, new mobo and ram. I've been looking for a more silent solution for a case too. Quietpc have some nice stuff, so I'll no doubt get a few silent fans in the few months leading to the upgrade. I can't wait, especially since I seem to be using Photoshop more at the mo, and a couple of the new games coming out look like system killers! My main problem is the motherboard. I want to get an sli board so when I get a new dx11 card I can use my current one as a little boost. Trouble is, the reviews i can find suggest that nvidias sli only works with identical cards, which if true, sucks. Also, finding an AM3 mobo with sli seems impossible. All the boards on scan seem to be crossfire.

[Technical Ben]

Not really much of a need for crossfire/sli these days. Most high (as it very top!) end cards are already dual GPU and memory cards (some dual pcb, some 2 chips on one pcb). You get less conflicts with a single card, than 2 as well.

[pctech]

Apparently my mother is going to treat me to an upgrade when she cashes in her pension. Hex core, new mobo and ram. I've been looking for a more silent solution for a case too. Quietpc have some nice stuff, so I'll no doubt get a few silent fans in the few months leading to the upgrade. I can't wait, especially since I seem to be using Photoshop more at the mo, and a couple of the new games coming out look like system killers! My main problem is the motherboard. I want to get an sli board so when I get a new dx11 card I can use my current one as a little boost. Trouble is, the reviews i can find suggest that nvidias sli only works with identical cards, which if true, sucks. Also, finding an AM3 mobo with sli seems impossible. All the boards on scan seem to be crossfire.

I think it is true of sli anyway, its done so the frames can be alternately rendered at the same rate otherwise it wwould cause an issue with balance and the resulting graphics.

Not sure about Crossfire but will ask my colleague who has built his own Crossfire rig as I'm more of an Nvidia man myself.

[Niall]

My last two motherboards have been crossfire, although I've been using Nvidia cards (one card, not two!). I'm not intentionally setting up a dual card system, I just thought it'd be nice to have a use for a card that seems rather nice.

Most reviews/opinions recommend not bothering with a DX11 card until the next generation come out anyway, and as it'll be the end of September when I upgrade, I think the CPU & memory boost might take the card a little bit further down the road anyway. Oh, the one I currently have is the X260 one, which is very nice, especially for £148. For £240 you can get a mid range DX11 one anyway, but unless this one dies I don't think I'll get one just yet.

It seems I'm looking at spending £150 ish on a silent case, and probably about £80 on fans (£15 each for 120-140mm silent ones).

[pctech]

I've not read up on DX11 but am currently undergoing Windows 7 desktop support training for work so we might go over the graphics subsystems.