K6-2 and K6-3 Upgrade Guide

Conclusion

So what piece of hardware is best to upgrade in an aging K6-2 or K6-3 system? Well, as it many times does, the answer depends on what you want your computer to do.

If you are interested in pure 2D application speed have a slower processor, there is no question that a processor upgrade is perfect for you. With new K6-2 and K6-3 processors running anywhere from $50 to $100, a new processor won't set you back much and will help your system regain some of that speed that always put a smile on your face when the computer was new.

If 2D application speed is your object of desire and you already have an upper end CPU, a RAM upgrade is seriously worth considering. As we saw in our memory upgrade test, the true power of the K6-3 450 MHz processor is not realized until the system has 128MB of memory. Luckily, PC100 SDRAM runs fairly cheap, only setting you back about $50 for a 64MB DIMM.

A hard drive upgrade may be nice, if for nothing more than increased storage space. This method of upgrade should be considered last on the to-do list for 2D application performance.

Finally, if your concern is 3D gaming, a video card upgrade is the only way to go. As we saw before, a old video card can really hinder gameplay, creating an extreme bottleneck. For the vast majority of games out there, the relatively cheap NVIDIA GeForce2 MX makes a perfect match for a K6-2 or a K6-3 system, with more costly cards not resulting in any performance improvement. Be sure to test before you buy, as an AGP power problem can be both extremely frustrating and only reparable with a new motherboard. If your system cannot handle the power requirements of the MX, or if you wish to play it on the safe side, the 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 with it's internal power connector makes the most sense. Plus, essentially free 2x FSAA does not hurt, nor does the speed that the Voodoo cards on the K6 platform show under Unreal Tournament.

We hope that this guide helps you determine where to put your hard earned money. Be it to bring new life to an aging computer or create a new computer out of old parts, this guide should help rejuvenate your only slightly used K6-2 or K6-3 system. Happy upgrading!