Hello, I have been upgrading and building the regular computers for the past few years and now I am going to upgrade to an AMD64. Before I do so, I want to make sure there isn't anything special that is needed or has to be done in order for the AMD 64 CPU and motherboard to work.

Is it like any other upgrade where I insert the CPU into the motherboard, attach the RAM, powersupply, etc. then configure BIOS and I am done? There isn't anything special right? I ask because when I upgraded to a DFI motherboard it took me an hour to figure out why I had no video, then I realized that you needed the extra plug from the powersupply to plug into the video card which was never needed before.

I plan to get an AMD 3200 Venice so what are the normal clock settings to use? BTW the BIOS is just like the regular computers before the 64 bit era right? I know it all depends on the motherboard but I want to make sure if the basics are still there.

I would hate to get this whole system then there are a ton of new things needed for the 64 to work. Thanks

Before doing anything, I suggest you do some reading on A64 overclocking...even if you don't plan to overclock, it will give you some insight in how the A64 works & the different BIOS settings you'll encounter. It would also be a good idea to preselect a board (preferrably one based on the nForce4 Ultra - think DFI Ultra Infinity), then search for reviews on it...plus you should go to the manufacturer's website & download the manual so that you can go over it in advance.

The major difference you'll run into are the CPU & RAM settings. The A64 doesn't have a conventional FSB, it uses a HyperTransport bus. You'll see it listed as either 1000MHz or 2000MHz. The actual speed is 1000MHz, 2000MHz is the "effective" speed due to DDR. The HT bus is the product of the CPU frequency x HT multi...the default is 200MHz x 5 = 1000MHz.

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Great thanks :)