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Even though I paid about a hundred dollars more to get it just two weeks before it went on sale, I am very happy with it. When I think about it, I curse myself for not being able to wait to get this process; I had been looking to buy this process for over six months and I just could not hold on any longer. I could have waited another two weeks and saved a hundred bucks, but it is all good. I will try my best to get all of the most helpful information on this review, but since it is my first about processors I may miss some information. Please refer to the How to purchase a processor guide for full details on what questions to ask yourself before purchasing a processor.


INSTALLATION :
The installation was as easy as always when it comes to AMD processors. I purchased the Asus A8V Deluxe motherboard to go with this processor since I was upgrading from my old AMD Athlon 2500+ on an Asus A7N8X motherboard. The easy installation guide that is in the box comes in handy if you are doing this for the first time. The guide clearly guides you step-by-step on what to do to properly install you processor.

After installing the processor, you can either choose to install the stock heat sink (which is also perfectly good if you do not plan to overclock) or one of you favorites that will keep you processor cool and performing at its best. One tip I would like to give you if you are planning to install it yourself; use Arctic Silver thermal grease when installing the heatsink.

Now when you boot-up for the first time with this processor, you would probably have to clear your CMOS to make sure you start out with a clean system. Then just install your operating system or if you already have an operating system install, just boot up. One thing to keep in mind when booting for the first time is to keep an eye on the processor temperature (specially if you used a different heatsink and overclocked).

I had some trouble booting the first time because the memory cards I had were not compatible with the mother board. I figured that out after about an hour of tweaking the CMOS settings. All the motherboard told me was that “System Failed Due To CPU Overclocking.” I did call Asus customer support and they said it would be the memory modules. After I installed some new memory sticks it worked fine.