Mobo Upgrade Technical Questions

[August Heat]

I'm updating to the A7V600 + the AMD XP300. A couple of questions, please:

1. I noticed a Barton version of the XP300, as well as, a retail box version that has the heatsink and fan. The retail version doesn't say "Barton." Are there differences? Also, there is a XP3200 with a 433 FSB. Will this work as well? what type of memory should I go with?

2. I've done most other types of hardware upgrades, but never the mobo/processor. Is this something I can tackle myself, without too much problem? I'm a "no fear" kind of guy when it comes to taking these buggers apart.

3. Do I have to wipe out my drives and start from scratch? I have two installed and partioned. It's not a huge deal to reformat and start over. Just wondering if it's necessary or recommended.

Thanks for your input. I appreciate all the help I can get!

[August Heat]

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