A Quick Processor Question

is it possible to use an athlon processor instead of an intel pentium processor ?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, you can use an AMD Athlon processor, as Athlon processors use the x86 architecture that the Intel Pentiums are based off of. Thats why to the uninitiated an AMD based computer using Windows XP and and an Intel computer using Windows XP seems pretty much identical when attempting to interface with them.

Can you plug an AMD processor into an Intel Board (an example would be plugging an Athlon Processor into a Dell-based computer) the anwer is no; Athlon processors, while using the same architecture, are implemented differently. Motherboards are usually created to support a socket type which is based on which family of AMD or Pentium processors you wish to use. And even then, some Athlon Processors won't fit in some AMD motherboards. An Example would be: Can I plug an Athlon XP (Socket A) processor into an Athlon64 based board? No, because Athlon64's use Socket 939.

Or Socket 754, that's what us cheap people use.

Yeah... but Socket 754 is the domain of the Sempron, not the A64. I think in the early early days some 754's were called A64's, though.

My Athlon64 3000+ is a 754 :/

There are a bunch in the Athlon 64 series that are 754 pin, then they switched over to 939 pin. The Sempron's are mostly 754 pin but are not being converted over to 934. Newer Sempron's are better then older 754 Athlon 64's as long as it's the higher end Semprons.

754 = Single Chanel Memory Controller
934 = Dual Channel Memory Controller (much better & current "standard")

I myself have a Amd Athlon 3400+ 754 pin.

Next year both Intel and Amd are going to one socket for both there desktop and mobile (laptop) cpu's to make things simpler.

can i play guild wars on an AMD Athlon processor?

how 'bout that question?

yes of course, you can use any brand of processor just like you can use any brand of hard drive, as long as it meets the min requirements