Ask A Geek

Q: Is AMD Athlon x2 equivalent to pentium IV?

Q: Which is a better processor: Intel i7 or AMD-A serices? I’m a computer graphics major.

Q: Hello, I’m learning how to put a computer together with custom parts, are these hardware compatible?

*ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
*AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
*Thermaltake TR2 W0379RU 500W ATX 12V v2.2 Power Supply
*EVGA 01G-P3-1452-TR GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
*Thermaltake TR2 W0379RU 500W ATX 12V v2.2 Power Supply
*CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
*HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Is there anything else I need? Besides an OS, and computer case. Also would I be able to use a midtower case?

Q: I want to upgrade my PC and I want to make sure everything will work fine if I put these components together

xfx ati radeon 5850

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz

ASRock K10N78D Motherboard AMD Socket AM2/AM2+/AM3

and this power supply http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370338036310

Q: I am thinking of buying a new laptop and can’t decide between an AMD processor or an Intel Celeron. I will only be using it for the internet, email and Microsoft office applications. Does it really matter which I choose?

Q: What is the difference between an AMD Athlon II and Intel Celeron? Also which company makes the best computer, Toshiba, Acer, HP, or Dell?

Q: My computer has an AMD Athlon 64 processor 3000+ 1.85GHz. Can I go to a better processor and more specifically can I go to an Intel processor?

Q: Is it safe to unlock the Quad core in an AMD Phenom II X2 550 Callisto 3.1GHz processor?

A: You need to know that attempting to unlock these cores will void the warranty on the CPU if you bought the CPU alone. If your CPU is part of a complete system that you bought then it could void the warranty on the entire system. The next important thing to know is that every CPU is different. This means that you could unlock it and never have any problems or you could unlock it and kill the CPU. So unlocking the quad core on your CPU could go very well or could go very bad and there is no way to guarantee which way it will go.

Q: I have an AMD Phenom II X2 550 Callisto 3.1GHz processor and an AMD – Socket AM3 – MSI 770-C45 motherboard. Is it safe to unlock the Quad core in the processor? Will it be stable enough or will it shorten the computers lifespan?

Q: I have an HP Pavilion with a 64-bit AMD Athlon processor. I want to use QuickBooks which requires at least a 2.0GHz Pentium 4. Do I have to get a new computer or should I just replace the processor?