New AMDs and heatsinks

[vicaphit]

If I were to buy a brand new AMD does it come with a heatsink or is that something that must be purchased seperately? I have a nice heatsink in my computer already, and Im afraid it wont fit correctly with the new chip.

any help would be great, Im looking at an AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4600+* (2.4GHz) AM2, and I have a Dell dimension 521

[Zertz]

It does come with a heatsink, although not a great one. It gets the job done at stock speeds.

From what I found, the Dimension uses a socket 775 CPU, so unless you have extra brackets for AM2, it won't be compatible.

[vicaphit]

Ive been told I have an AM2 socket. I currently have an AMD athlon 64 3200+, and as far as I know those are AM2 sockets

[Zertz]

Ive been told I have an AM2 socket. I currently have an AMD athlon 64 3200+, and as far as I know those are AM2 sockets

It should work then, unless Dell uses some silly brackets.

[vicaphit]

So it comes with a small heat sink? do you think the size of the chip is larger than the AMD 64? If it is the same size then I wont have to worry about the old heatsink

[Zertz]

So it comes with a small heat sink? do you think the size of the chip is larger than the AMD 64? If it is the same size then I wont have to worry about the old heatsink

Since it's the same socket, the chips are the same size.

The 4600+ is around a 100$, I suggest you look at those. They run cooler and are a bit cheaper.

Make sure you have an AM2 processor though.

[camaroguy1998]

A little FYI......
Retail Version AMD CPU's come with a HSF(Heat Sink & Fan)
The OEM versions do not!

Also.....The OEM version comes with a 90 day warranty and the Retail version has a 3 year warranty!

Buy Retail! IMHO

[Darkstar]

camaroguy1998 is right, i second that.

[vicaphit]

Oh, I plan to buy retail... I dont trust CPU parts that have been out of the box

[Darkstar]

Oem simply means "original equipment manufacturer' , not out of box. It is usually less expensive to buy Oem parts, just depends on what you are buying. "retail" versions come with other stuff as previously explained. A "Retail" DVD burner for example might come with a game and Nero in addition to all the cables, while the Oem version might just be the drive itself.

[vicaphit]

oh, ok, so retail is more often a package deal while retail is only the item you are really trying to buy and no frills...thats nice to know.

Now, I just have to wait for the price cuts

[Major_A]

To be on the safe side get CPU-Z and post a screenshot of the main window.

Example:

[vicaphit]

I know it is AM2. It cant be a socket 775 because I have an AMD processor

Now that I think of it I have already seen that on CPUz

[Solinari]

It's obviously not a 775 CPU, but it might well be a 939 CPU. You should use CPU-z and find out for sure, for all the time it will take (2 minutes).

You say you have a 3200, i didn't know they made 3200's for AM2, it seems they do but they are far more common on the 939 platform. Use CPU-z or PC Wizard which is a really nice free tool that will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about your PC.

Don't buy a CPU without checking first, you may as well be absolutely sure.

[Merlin]

I have a 939 Athlon 64 3200 Venise and I have not seen that processor available as an AM2. To add to the OEM info....OEM parts will also usually not come with any installation instructions or sofware. They are priced cheaper mainly because they are intended for purchase by a company that intends to assemble and sell whole PC's so they are not packaged for retail sale.

[vicaphit]

In a few posts back I had remembered that I had already confirmed the AM2 socket with CPUz...thanks for all the help guys, I will be buying a new processor soon!

[Major_A]

You do realize this will void the warranty? Seems kind of counter productive since you probably bought the Dell for the warranty.

[vicaphit]

No, I didnt even purchase a warentee... plus, I have already voided it by upgrading the ram and video card

[JohntechUPi]

he Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the federal law that governs consumer product and they cannot VIOD the warrenty if you upgrade the memory or Video Card, however there are other things that may cuase you to loose a case like this for example you up grade the VIDEO Card and you did not upgrade the PSU to accomidate the VIDEO power reqirements and you system fails. I would take a look at that law and see what you can or cannot do.

A Primer on the Magnuson-Moss Act

The Federal Trade Commission Magnuson-Moss Act protects consumers. This act passed in 1975 states that tie-in sales provisions are NOT allowed in consumer warranties. Manufacturers cannot require consumers to purchase items or services in order to keep their warranty valid. In other words, you cannot be required to add the system manufacturer's memory to maintain the warranty on the system. Also, the system manufacturer cannot state that the system warranty is void if other "brands" of peripherals are used.

[vicaphit]

I have had no problems as of yet, so I wont worry about anything until the time comes