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New CPU for my pc
ShadowDancer
When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie."London, UK
in Zocalo v2.0
i need a bit of advice here guys. im getting a new cpu for my pc, and im looking at prices especially. i can get a celeron D running at 3.2GHz for about £90, or a pentium 4 3.2Ghz for £144 (or a P4 3GHz for £117).
now my question is: are there any pros and cons i should know about before choosing one?
cheers guys
now my question is: are there any pros and cons i should know about before choosing one?
cheers guys
Comments
1. It runs cooler
2. clock-for-clock, it runs faster than the prescott at the same speed. Allot of this is due to the internal Cache architecture, which is radically different fronm it's desktop cousin.
The only downside is that you will need a Pentium-M Specific motherboard (although some ASUS boards can use a socket adapter).
-R.
*JackN's ears perk up*
Great Article on Ghz myth.
[url]http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2005Dec/bch20051215033811.htm[/url]
[B]Really the best way upgrade is to get a new mobo with the new CPU and faster memory. [/B][/QUOTE]
actually, thats what im doing. its just working out the details thats proving to be a headache. i've heard about these mobo's that support 2 graphics cards, are they worth it? not that i think i'll get one, just out of interest
[B]I wouldnt touch a Celeron at all... [/B][/QUOTE]
Nor would I.
As for CPU, best one out there is the AMD Athlon 64 X2. A 4200+ version can beat out most other CPUs (including latest Pentium single core and the slower of the 2 pentium dual-cores) and runs about $400 as I remember. They go up to 4800+, but the extra speed just doesn't show up fast enough for the $$$s.
If you really really want speed, you want to go with the AMD FX dual core, dual CPU method which gives you 4 cores and trounces every other setup out there. Of course, that will cost you over $1000 for the CPUs alone, plus its hard to find a supporting mobo - and they are expensive also.
I dont honestly know why intel is still manufacturing celeron processors, they are the worst product on the market for cpus. Sure they are cheap, but thats because they are missing almost half the instructions and half the cache of the standard P4. Even if a Celeron is clocked at 3.5Ghz its performance will feel more like something around 1.7Ghz. Its just not a good processor.
From a business standpoint, I think intel knows it can pass off celerons to people that know nothing about computers, and make a killing doing so. But the AMD XP and AMD Sempron chips trounce a celeron at any level.
Personally, Im an AMD guy, and I agree with what Psi Killer said, why get a new CPU when your going to plug it into your old crappy motherboard. A decently equipped AMD 64 motherboard with a PCI express x16 slot for graphics cards can be purchased for well under $100 and a good AMD64 chip can also be bought for under $100.
Dont know if its more than you wanted to spend, because you would also have to buy a new video card on top of the mb and cpu but it will be like getting a whole new computer for around $300 bucks, as opposed to a minor upgrade for 100.
A dual CPU mobo would be insane for home use but I would not mind having one!!!! I agree with Random,,, AGP is going out.
SpiritOne: ive basically gone back to square one here, so im not necessarily limited to intel only, but i've got a budget of about £300-350 for the whole lot.
PSI-KILLER: i might go with the dual graphics card option with just the one card for the moment, as you say 2 is an option then for the future (plus i couldnt afford 2 at the moment!)
what im looking at the moment is this:
Intel P4 3GHz
[URL=http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_GA-8N-SLI%20Pro.htm]Gigabyte GA-8N-SLI Pro[/URL] mobo and appropriate ram
and either a GeForce 6600GT or 6800GS
The 6600 would be better financially as i can get a 128mb for about £90 or 256mb for £120, whereas the 6800 is about £150
what do you think?
do u think the extra few quid for the 256mb card is worth it, or just make up for it with more ram?
(I am assuming you have HD, Optical Drive, Case, and Power Supply (min 400W).)
Mobo - ~$70: Socket 754; 8 channel onboard audio (standard now); decent brand; PCI Express. Example: Abit's cheap end mobo. Also look at Gigabyte, MSI, Asus, and other major brands to get just want you want.
CPU - ~$140: Athlon 64 3000+ (it's at the low end, but it fits your budget). And it will trounce anything but the fastest single core Pentiums and any dual core chip.
Video Card (you need this with the PCI Express mobo) - $100: GeForce 6 series (not native PCI-Express); 6800 are too expensive for your budget, so go 6600 series. Or, if you trust ATI, you can use them. I don't. Too many driver headaches over the years for me.
You should be able to use your old ram - assuming your old mobo was decent and had DDR ram. Otherwise ram will run another $110 for a gig. I wouldn't recommend less than a gig to anyone. Personally, I need more than a gig. I often go into swap with just a gig. I'd also recommend 2x512MB if you have at least 3 DDR slots on the mobo. If you have only 2, go with 1 1GB. That will add ~$20.
Total: $310 (excluding memory).
---
If you had the money, here's what I'd do:
Nice mobo - ~$120
Athlon 64 X2 4200 - $400
[B]maybe not future proof, but getting a 2nd one somewhere along the line should help;)
do u think the extra few quid for the 256mb card is worth it, or just make up for it with more ram? [/B][/QUOTE]
Video ram is one of those things that if you don't have enough for a game, the game won't work no matter how much normal ram you have. Most games work on 64MBs or less of video ram. A few are 128MBs. But I have hit a few (very few) that prefer 256MBs. The future is always increasing the required video card specs. 128MB has been out for 2-3 years as the standard minimum, so I'd go with 256MB if you can afford it. A few cards now even have 512MB video ram.
[B]Personally, I need more than a gig. I often go into swap with just a gig. [/B][/QUOTE]
It's worth noting that RC doesn't close any programs. Ever. In the history of existence. :) Still, I second the recommendation of 1GB of RAM as well.
[B]It's worth noting that RC doesn't close any programs. Ever. In the history of existence. :) Still, I second the recommendation of 1GB of RAM as well. [/B][/QUOTE]
Yeah, I've hit over 3GBs of swap in use with 1GB of system ram. :D
About one of the features though, the NVIDIA ActiveArmor powered Firewall was causing allot of problewms with people and I always saw advise being givin to never install/activate it. Always use a third party firewall. Of course that might have been fixed since I have a version 1 board.
going with an amd could be an option, tho the ram ive got is ddr2 which the amd mobo's ive found dont seem to take
i think i'll go with that setup up above^ tho i have found a 6800 for £110 instead of the 6600.
6600GT is a waste of money, one 6800GT beats two 6600GT's in SLI mode.