I would use neither board. ECS is not a quality brand name and that Asus board is missing heatsink on one of the nVidia chips, while the other one is undersized.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ is an AM2 CPU, Brisbane core, those are to be avoided. Have a look at Re: Any love for AM2?

What do you mean "it's tricky to find drivers for" ?
They are all still available on MSI website :
https://pl.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support#driver
^Just pick XP 32 or XP 64 for XP version you will use (I recommend "32", since it's more compatible).

Looking at your other systems, you'd be breaking the trend you created by using something other than a X-Fi.

You have the best available sound options across the various eras. Let XP's hardware accelerated sound shine, and experience the final time before sound cards stopped mattering versus good on-board sound.

MSI 970 Gaming is AM3+, more suitable for a very fast quad core, Windows 7 and even XP if needed. Usually we use older hardware for Windows XP.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

I was initially hoping to use my trusty MSI 970 Gaming board and pair it with a dual-core 3GHz CPU for a Windows XP build. Unfortunately, that board includes USB 3.0, onboard audio, and LAN components that might be tricky to find XP drivers for… so that plan might not be viable (unless someone tells me otherwise).

Those components do not matter though. You'd likely want EAX on XP anyway, it should still have USB2 ports and a NIC you can probably find for free if integrated one really is a problem.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

Plan B: I'm considering an AM2 system. It’s not as powerful, but probably more XP-friendly. I’ve got a decent AMD Athlon 64 X2 5 […]
Show full quote

Plan B: I'm considering an AM2 system. It’s not as powerful, but probably more XP-friendly. I’ve got a decent AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (Socket 939) and an ATI HD5870 (1GB), but I’m undecided on the motherboard. Here are the contenders:
- ECS GeForce6100SM-M (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-geforce6100sm-m)
- ECS MCP61PM-HM (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-mcp61pm-hm)
- ASUS M2NPV-VM (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-m2npv-vm)

AM2 you mean? AFAIK no S939 5000+ exists.

Boards are pretty similar, i'd go with asus purely because it has pci-e x1 above x16, which means if you have gigantic videocard you can still have a soundcard, which you'd likely want.

On other two boards you can try to use audigy you have in PCI, but it will likely interfere with GPU cooling, to a degree.

Also... what games do you want? AM2 is decent, but not sufficient for stuff like crysis. And that 5870 will be massively overpowered and bottlenecked by CPU.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

I don’t have strict requirements for USB ports or expansion slots—just curious if any of these boards have known issues or if one stands out for its onboard audio chipset. I also have an old Audigy 1 lying around. Would that be a better option than relying on onboard sound from around 2006?

My opinion - if you want XP games - you should have EAX. It makes a noticeable to significant difference depending on specific games and there is no reason to not have it IMO.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:39:

I would use neither board. ECS is not a quality brand name and that Asus board is missing heatsink on one of the nVidia chips, while the other one is undersized.

ECS is not so bad. I have a few their boards, and while they are not fancy my impression is - they are reliable. I even have s462 board which was used a lot and still has no bad or replaced capacitors.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:39:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ is an AM2 CPU, Brisbane core, those are to be avoided. Have a look at Re: Any love for AM2?

Yes, unless OP already has it. In that case... why not use it? Performance difference is there, but it may still be sufficient for the job. Not everybody builds systems with top CPUs only 😀

agent_x007 wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:42:

What do you mean "it's tricky to find drivers for" ? They are all still available on MSI website : https://pl.msi.com/Motherboar […]
Show full quote

What do you mean "it's tricky to find drivers for" ?
They are all still available on MSI website :
https://pl.msi.com/Motherboard/970-GAMING/support#driver
^Just pick XP 32 or XP 64 for XP version you will use (I recommend "32", since it's more compatible).

Hot d*mn, you're right! I assumed it didn't since TheRetroWeb had nothing for Win XP... Then, there is that multicore problem with anything more than a dual core for games?

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:39:

I would use neither board. ECS is not a quality brand name and that Asus board is missing heatsink on one of the nVidia chips, while the other one is undersized.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ is an AM2 CPU, Brisbane core, those are to be avoided. Have a look at Re: Any love for AM2?

Well... I not a fan enough of XP to invest more in that platform. I already have an Athlon XP 2400+ 2.0ghz, PCCHIPS M825 mobo, with 512mb and I find it very meh... That's why I wanted a little more horsepower.

SScorpio wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:57:

Looking at your other systems, you'd be breaking the trend you created by using something other than a X-Fi.

You have the best available sound options across the various eras. Let XP's hardware accelerated sound shine, and experience the final time before sound cards stopped mattering versus good on-board sound.

Yeah, you've read my mind... My goal would be to replace whatever sound I have in there for a X-Fi. That's the only thing I'd be willing to purchase for this build.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:04:

Well... I not a fan enough of XP to invest more in that platform. I already have an Athlon XP 2400+ 2.0ghz, PCCHIPS M825 mobo, with 512mb and I find it very meh... That's why I wanted a little more horsepower.

What you suggested wouldn't provide you what you seek, but a 3 Ghz dual core might.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:02:

Hot d*mn, you're right! I assumed it didn't since TheRetroWeb had nothing for Win XP... Then, there is that multicore problem with anything more than a dual core for games?

Only for certain games. I don't know about that exact board but some offer the ability to disable cores in the BIOS. You can also set core affinity in Windows to limit a game to just one or two cores. This can be done in Task Manager, or with a custom start up BAT file when launching the game.

The main > 2 core issue with XP was that most games didn't benefit from more than two cores so you were wasting money if all you did was game. But if you played on a tri or quad core system, the games still ran fine. But even in the XP era there were some games that had issues with more than a single core, but it's so easy to fix at runtime it's not worth limiting a build around that constraint.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:09:

What you suggested wouldn't provide you what you seek, but a 3 Ghz dual core might.

Second or third generation i3 😀

Most practical solution for XP for someone not bothered by specific platform/hardware. HT can usually be disabled in bios.

Archer57 wrote on 2025-08-16, 15:24:

Those components do not matter though. You'd likely want EAX on XP anyway, it should still have USB2 ports and a NIC you can pro […]
Show full quote

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

I was initially hoping to use my trusty MSI 970 Gaming board and pair it with a dual-core 3GHz CPU for a Windows XP build. Unfortunately, that board includes USB 3.0, onboard audio, and LAN components that might be tricky to find XP drivers for… so that plan might not be viable (unless someone tells me otherwise).

Those components do not matter though. You'd likely want EAX on XP anyway, it should still have USB2 ports and a NIC you can probably find for free if integrated one really is a problem.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

Plan B: I'm considering an AM2 system. It’s not as powerful, but probably more XP-friendly. I’ve got a decent AMD Athlon 64 X2 5 […]
Show full quote

Plan B: I'm considering an AM2 system. It’s not as powerful, but probably more XP-friendly. I’ve got a decent AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (Socket 939) and an ATI HD5870 (1GB), but I’m undecided on the motherboard. Here are the contenders:
- ECS GeForce6100SM-M (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-geforce6100sm-m)
- ECS MCP61PM-HM (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-mcp61pm-hm)
- ASUS M2NPV-VM (https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/asus-m2npv-vm)

AM2 you mean? AFAIK no S939 5000+ exists.

Boards are pretty similar, i'd go with asus purely because it has pci-e x1 above x16, which means if you have gigantic videocard you can still have a soundcard, which you'd likely want.

On other two boards you can try to use audigy you have in PCI, but it will likely interfere with GPU cooling, to a degree.

Also... what games do you want? AM2 is decent, but not sufficient for stuff like crysis. And that 5870 will be massively overpowered and bottlenecked by CPU.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:16:

I don’t have strict requirements for USB ports or expansion slots—just curious if any of these boards have known issues or if one stands out for its onboard audio chipset. I also have an old Audigy 1 lying around. Would that be a better option than relying on onboard sound from around 2006?

My opinion - if you want XP games - you should have EAX. It makes a noticeable to significant difference depending on specific games and there is no reason to not have it IMO.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:39:

I would use neither board. ECS is not a quality brand name and that Asus board is missing heatsink on one of the nVidia chips, while the other one is undersized.

ECS is not so bad. I have a few their boards, and while they are not fancy my impression is - they are reliable. I even have s462 board which was used a lot and still has no bad or replaced capacitors.

AlexZ wrote on 2025-08-16, 14:39:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ is an AM2 CPU, Brisbane core, those are to be avoided. Have a look at Re: Any love for AM2?

Yes, unless OP already has it. In that case... why not use it? Performance difference is there, but it may still be sufficient for the job. Not everybody builds systems with top CPUs only 😀

Yeah, top-tier EAX is the ultimate goal with an X-Fi card in this build!

I’ve already got the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+—figured a dual-core CPU would be ideal for an XP-era setup. But since the MSI AM3+ board still supports Windows XP, I’m tempted to experiment with it. I’ve got an AMD FX-6300 six-core ready to go… just worried it might cause compatibility headaches.

You mentioned Crysis—that could be a fun challenge for this rig. Or maybe not, since nothing runs Crysis properly 😅. Realistically though, I’m aiming to make this build a solid performer for games from around 2002 to 2006.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:25:

Yeah, top-tier EAX is the ultimate goal with an X-Fi card in this build!

I’ve already got the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+—figured a dual-core CPU would be ideal for an XP-era setup. But since the MSI AM3+ board still supports Windows XP, I’m tempted to experiment with it. I’ve got an AMD FX-6300 six-core ready to go… just worried it might cause compatibility headaches.

You mentioned Crysis—that could be a fun challenge for this rig. Or maybe not, since nothing runs Crysis properly 😅. Realistically though, I’m aiming to make this build a solid performer for games from around 2002 to 2006.

Then you need to be careful with board layout. That'd likely need pci-e, right? I like to joke that choosing board by the photo is the best way to do it. You need to make sure the usual layout screw-ups are not there. Like you need either pci-e x1 above x16 or significantly enough below not to interfere with videocard, etc.

But yes, by all means experiment with what you have first before buying anything. It is not the perfect choice, but you already have it and it will likely work just fine. May be with some tweaks.

The reason i've mentioned crysis - it is probably the ultimate challenge for an XP system 😀 But still, even without that for up to 2006 games you need pretty fast hardware. AM2 would not cut it, even tough it is technically period correct. Mostly because we expect things nowadays which were not possible back then - like high and stable framerate, higher resolutions, etc.

As i said above - if you are going to buy new stuff - just look for one of those office PCs everyone is dumping now for whole win11 mess. LGA1155 i3 or pentium you'll commonly see in those is pretty much the perfect choice here.

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:25:

I’ve already got the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+—figured a dual-core CPU would be ideal for an XP-era setup. But since the MSI AM3+ board still supports Windows XP, I’m tempted to experiment with it. I’ve got an AMD FX-6300 six-core ready to go… just worried it might cause compatibility headaches.

You mentioned Crysis—that could be a fun challenge for this rig. Or maybe not, since nothing runs Crysis properly 😅. Realistically though, I’m aiming to make this build a solid performer for games from around 2002 to 2006.

Since you have the hardware go ahead and do a build. But 2005-6 is going to be a stretch. The HD5870 will be able to handle it, but it's power hungry at 188W. The CPU will struggle to keep up.

Core2 offers much more processing power. But the most bang for your buck XP is a 2nd or 3rd gen i3/5 with a GTX750ti. The 750ti trades blows with the HD5870 buts uses 1/3rd the power while an i3 CPU leap frogs the AMD FX. They are after the XP era, but they let you crank the graphics on XP games and play them through a modern lens versus the low resolutions and fps of the time.

After doing some reading, that MSI 970 Gaming AM3+ board has some interesting settings:

▶▶CPU Core Control
This item allows you to select the number of active processor cores. When set to
[Auto], the CPU will operate under the default number of cores.

▶▶AMD Turbo Core Technology [Auto]
Based on AMD Turbo Core Technology, part of CPU core ratio may pop down for
providing more performance headroom for active CPU core, even AMD Cool’n’Quiet Technology is Disabled.
[Auto] Turbo Core Technology will linked to AMD Cool’n’Quiet Technology.
[Enabled] Enables this function.
[Disabled] Disables this function.

▶▶Adjust Turbo Core Ratio [Auto]
Specifies the Turbo Core frequency multiplier.

▶▶Adjusted Turbo Core Frequency
Shows the adjusted Turbo Core frequency. Read-only.

If I am running a FX 6300 that can do 4.1Ghz on boost, would that be feasible to limit cores to 2 and have then run them at 4.1ghz at all time (or at least when games are running)?

SScorpio wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:47:

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 16:25:

I’ve already got the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+—figured a dual-core CPU would be ideal for an XP-era setup. But since the MSI AM3+ board still supports Windows XP, I’m tempted to experiment with it. I’ve got an AMD FX-6300 six-core ready to go… just worried it might cause compatibility headaches.

You mentioned Crysis—that could be a fun challenge for this rig. Or maybe not, since nothing runs Crysis properly 😅. Realistically though, I’m aiming to make this build a solid performer for games from around 2002 to 2006.

Since you have the hardware go ahead and do a build. But 2005-6 is going to be a stretch. The HD5870 will be able to handle it, but it's power hungry at 188W. The CPU will struggle to keep up.

Core2 offers much more processing power. But the most bang for your buck XP is a 2nd or 3rd gen i3/5 with a GTX750ti. The 750ti trades blows with the HD5870 buts uses 1/3rd the power while an i3 CPU leap frogs the AMD FX. They are after the XP era, but they let you crank the graphics on XP games and play them through a modern lens versus the low resolutions and fps of the time.

Sounds like the smart thing to do... But then, I'll be missing out on the full black+red AMD/ATI theme! 😉 Or then again, there seem to be some nice looking red themed MSI Geforce GPUs out there... Damn it! I am already thinking of breaking my no spend rule!

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 17:36:

If I am running a FX 6300 that can do 4.1Ghz on boost, would that be feasible to limit cores to 2 and have then run them at 4.1ghz at all time (or at least when games are running)?

Should be. Just be aware that FX6300 is not really full 6 core CPU. It has 3 "modules" with each module containing 2 "cores", which share some components including FPU, L2 cache, etc. So it essentially is 3 core CPU with "Clustered Multithreading".

I am not sure how disabling cores would work, but if you leave one module it would not be great. Probably safer to leave at least 4 "cores", or even all 6. Just have good enough cooler and it'll run at 4.1Ghz all cores...

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 17:41:

Sounds like the smart thing to do... But then, I'll be missing out on the full black+red AMD/ATI theme! 😉 Or then again, there seem to be some nice looking red themed MSI Geforce GPUs out there... Damn it! I am already thinking of breaking my no spend rule!

Again, have fun and do a build with what you have. If you're happy with performance, great. If you aren't, then look into what you can change.

I'm not sure how prices are looking in Canada but 750ti 2GB are $30-40 USD, X-Fi is ~$30, so all together with an LGA 1155 MB/CPU/MEM combo you can hit around $100 total and just need case, PSU, and storage. I would suggest testing how things are with your current hardware now. Then you can figure out what you want to buy, but I suspect things have hit their lowest price points and will go up in price in the next 1 to 2 years as less stock is available. The only exception will be CPUs. LGA makes the CPUs themselves mostly bullet proof versus having damaged pins on a PGA CPU. And there were many, many, many 2nd and 3rd gen i-series CPU sold. So those will be around for a long time, while working motherboards will be the difficult thing to source.

SScorpio wrote on 2025-08-16, 18:12:

Linoleum wrote on 2025-08-16, 17:41:

Sounds like the smart thing to do... But then, I'll be missing out on the full black+red AMD/ATI theme! 😉 Or then again, there seem to be some nice looking red themed MSI Geforce GPUs out there... Damn it! I am already thinking of breaking my no spend rule!

Again, have fun and do a build with what you have. If you're happy with performance, great. If you aren't, then look into what you can change.

I'm not sure how prices are looking in Canada but 750ti 2GB are $30-40 USD, X-Fi is ~$30, so all together with an LGA 1155 MB/CPU/MEM combo you can hit around $100 total and just need case, PSU, and storage. I would suggest testing how things are with your current hardware now. Then you can figure out what you want to buy, but I suspect things have hit their lowest price points and will go up in price in the next 1 to 2 years as less stock is available. The only exception will be CPUs. LGA makes the CPUs themselves mostly bullet proof versus having damaged pins on a PGA CPU. And there were many, many, many 2nd and 3rd gen i-series CPU sold. So those will be around for a long time, while working motherboards will be the difficult thing to source.

I followed your recommendations and picked up a GTX 750 Ti—found a few locally for just $20 CAD. I’d forgotten what a gem that card is! It packs an impressive punch for its size and needs so little power. I also scored a Sound Blaster X-Fi for $30 CAD.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the AMD Wraith Prism cooler fits perfectly on an AM3 socket. Swapping it in dropped my temps by a solid 20°C compared to the stock cooler—huge improvement. That said, I’m honestly shocked by how much heat the motherboard itself puts out, especially from the VRMs and chipsets.