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Any hope for this old comp?

M

MGDMN

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
2,435
So I put together an old P4 rig for my son that has a P4 2.4ghz cpu and a HD2400 PCI-E video card in it. It has 2 gb of ram and as far as multi tasking and surfing the web, it does that fine, as well as playing back HD video, but when it comes to pretty much any newer game, well, it sucks. Would putting a $50 video card into it actually do any good or is the P4 just way too crippling?
 
Honestly, yes, if you would want to use a better graphic card I'd suggest you to upgrade to a C2D; if you're motherboard is compatible (LGA775).
If you lack the funds to get a better processor, the best you can do without bottleneck is a HD4830 maybe. I heard the HD4770's are great concerning the price : performance ratio.
(Wish MY Dad built me computers ; ___ ; )
 
You would do alot better with a better video card, no reason to fully upgrade the system if you can place a better one then the 2400 in there.
 
Well thats good news. I can get a better card for pretty cheap to slap in there. Cheaper than I can upgrade the CPU and mobo. Its a 478 board so I would have to upgrade the mobo and cpu and that kinda defeats the purpose of using my spare parts if I just have to go get all new parts :)
 
If you can't upgrade anything else, then yes, a better graphic card will really make playings games a better experience for your son.
Make a jump for a HD4770 or HD4830; the difference will be like night to day :p
 
MGDMN said:
So I put together an old P4 rig for my son that has a P4 2.4ghz cpu and a HD2400 PCI-E video card in it. It has 2 gb of ram and as far as multi tasking and surfing the web, it does that fine, as well as playing back HD video, but when it comes to pretty much any newer game, well, it sucks. Would putting a $50 video card into it actually do any good or is the P4 just way too crippling?
Click to expand...



with a 2.4 P4 there is no point in sticking a decent card in there to try and play newer games. that old single core cpu doenst even meet the minimum requirements to even run most newer games. it would be beyond ridiculous to stick a 4770 or 4830 in there like some people are suggesting. sure it would be faster in some games but for newer games its really futile with that cpu and no graphics card will remedy that.
 
MGDMN said:
Well thats good news. I can get a better card for pretty cheap to slap in there. Cheaper than I can upgrade the CPU and mobo. Its a 478 board so I would have to upgrade the mobo and cpu and that kinda defeats the purpose of using my spare parts if I just have to go get all new parts :)
Click to expand...

Are you sure it's PCIe? I always thought s478 were too old to have PCIe. Anyway, I think a HD4670 would be good. Also I suggest looking at craigslist for higher speed P4 for cheap.
 
Yes, it is PCI-E. Here is a link to the mobo. I also didnt say I was even suggesting putting a 4770 into this comp, I said a $50 and below vid card which would still be above the performance of the HD2400 that is currently in it.
 
Also, he is 7 so when I say new I mean new-ish games. Its not like he can tell the difference.
 
MGDMN said:
Yes, it is PCI-E. Here is a link to the mobo. I also didnt say I was even suggesting putting a 4770 into this comp, I said a $50 and below vid card which would still be above the performance of the HD2400 that is currently in it.
Click to expand...
I know you didnt say it but it was being suggested by someone. you mentioned newer games and with that cpu it doesnt matter what gpu you get because that 2.4 P4 doesnt meet the requirements to even play newer games. you are at a position where both the cpu and gpu need to be upgraded if newer games are your concern.
 
MGDMN said:
Also, he is 7 so when I say new I mean new-ish games. Its not like he can tell the difference.
Click to expand...
well then why upgrade anything? you are missing the point. with that cpu no video card is going to improve newer games. the cpu is TOO SLOW for newer games.
 
No I am not missing the point. That was my original question. Everyone else that posted in the thread said that it would make a difference, and you said no it wouldnt. So most likely I wont put any extra money into it at all. Thanks for being so straight forward.
 
MGDMN said:
No I am not missing the point. That was my original question. Everyone else that posted in the thread said that it would make a difference, and you said no it wouldnt. So most likely I wont put any extra money into it at all. Thanks for being so straight forward.
Click to expand...
yeah I was just trying to be realistic for you. some modern games would be barely playable if you got a new card but most will require a much stronger cpu just to be playable at all. most older games would be fine but thats not what you asked about. :cool:
 
MGDMN said:
Would putting a $50 video card into it actually do any good or is the P4 just way too crippling?
Click to expand...

The P4 is way too crippling for newer games circa 2007 and later. However you would be able to crank up the AA and AF if you were to get a new card. You wouldn't notice an increase in FPS AFAIK.

Then again, if you can find a cheap enough card (like a ~$30 7600GT or ~$40 7900GS), might be worth it to just for the hell of it. The Sapphire HD3850 recommended above is a good deal at $60 but only if your PSU can handle it.

@ BrooksyX
Kind of a bad idea to recommend such a card when the OP hasn't posted what PSU he has ;)
 
Danny Bui said:
The P4 is way too crippling for newer games circa 2007 and later. However you would be able to crank up the AA and AF if you were to get a new card. You wouldn't notice an increase in FPS AFAIK.

Then again, if you can find a cheap enough card (like a ~$30 7600GT or ~$40 7900GS), might be worth it to just for the hell of it. The Sapphire HD3850 recommended above is a good deal at $60 but only if your PSU can handle it.

@ BrooksyX
Kind of a bad idea to recommend such a card when the OP hasn't posted what PSU he has ;)
Click to expand...
a better video card would only give him a better looking slideshow in most newer titles because they require a stronger cpu than a 2.4 P4 just to be playable at all.
 
cannondale06 said:
a better video card would only give him a better looking slideshow in most newer titles because they require a stronger cpu than a 2.4 P4 just to be playable at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that what I said. Some people actually like having higher detail even if their FPS is low.
 
Honestly it's not worth it. You might see a few fps increases, but your cpu is too old to handle anything "new".
 
Hey can anyone tell me how I can tell if this CPU has hyperthreading?
 
This is what CPU-Z shows but im not sure if it would show hyperthreading here or not. If it should, I guess this old cpu doesnt have it.

pichlb.jpg
 
If you want to play new games I think you need a new system. But prices are dropping for good parts.

Any future-proofing of those parts is expired. Have you gone through all the 2005-07 games and gotten utterly bored?
 
MGDMN said:
So I put together an old P4 rig for my son that has a P4 2.4ghz cpu and a HD2400 PCI-E video card in it. It has 2 gb of ram and as far as multi tasking and surfing the web, it does that fine, as well as playing back HD video, but when it comes to pretty much any newer game, well, it sucks. Would putting a $50 video card into it actually do any good or is the P4 just way too crippling?
Click to expand...
I'd suggest turning off gadgets since that takes a good amount of memory up. Also knock out any of those start up programs. Steam/ATI etc don't have to start up, they just use up memory. Go to Windows Defender -> Tools -> Software Explorer and look at the start up list. Almost all of that can be disabled.

And yes, a $50 card like a 9600GT would be a big upgrade.
 
bigdogchris said:
I'd suggest turning off gadgets since that takes a good amount of memory up. Also knock out any of those start up programs. Steam/ATI etc don't have to start up, they just use up memory. Go to Windows Defender -> Tools -> Software Explorer and look at the start up list. Almost all of that can be disabled.

And yes, a $50 card like a 9600GT would be a big upgrade.
Click to expand...
actually no it would not because he is asking about playing newer games. as I have already mentioned no video card can make up for the fact that his cpu doesnt even meet the minimum requirements to play almost any modern games.
 
Not entirely true... my friend had a 7900GT with an AMD 64 3800+... the 7900 died so we stuck in a 4830 and he said most of his frame-rates doubled (he mainly played Source games though so dunno)

It's definitely going to be the bottleneck though...
 
Blazestorm said:
Not entirely true... my friend had a 7900GT with an AMD 64 3800+... the 7900 died so we stuck in a 4830 and he said most of his frame-rates doubled (he mainly played Source games though so dunno)

It's definitely going to be the bottleneck though...
Click to expand...
well if your friend says so then...yeah that sounds like some real scientific proof. lol. :p

anyway that 3800 is WAY faster than a 2.4 P4 and actually does meet the minimum requirements for most games where the 2.4 P4 does not.
 
To help FPS, maybe you should conside a downgrade to XP or at the very least turn off sidebar and unneeded services. Since it has PCI-E I think a small upgrade would be worth it, Quake 4 would benefit from it at least. Splinter Cell runs well on my 8400m gs so that should run fine too. Not sure about the Jimmy Neutron game or the Cabela Game Hunter.

Personally I'd upgrade to a better card but nothing more than 30-50.
 
cannondale06 said:
well if your friend says so then...yeah that sounds like some real scientific proof. lol. :p

anyway that 3800 is WAY faster than a 2.4 P4 and actually does meet the minimum requirements for most games where the 2.4 P4 does not.
Click to expand...

It's not hard to turn on Netgraph and see that he was averaging well over 100fps in CS:S when before it struggled with 60fps at times... so meh

It's not like he can't use the 9600 when he decides to upgrade the motherboard/cpu...
 
If you by the $50 card it could struggle in the future even more. Save up a bit.
 
Some of you guys make me sick. Yes a $50 card (if spent well) especially if he gets it used from a fanboy who must have the latest and greatest, would make it a very good gaming PC for a young kid. Not all new games are created equal. Crysis for example is a complete power hog, while any Harry Potter game has modest specs. If your willing to drop the rez (oh heaven forbid!) and or settings almost any game is playable on half old hardware. Remember his son is 7, so unlike some of you uber gamers he still has an imagination so he just might like a game based on game play and not dismiss it because he doesn't really care about his epenis bragging rights!
Seriously, I just upgraded from a P4 2.8 2GB ram, Nvidia 6600GT 128MB, and I could play all kinds of games including Left 4 Dead. Hell I bet even with the 2400 that PC will play almost every game on the PC gamers top 50 list of all time.
 
funkydmunky said:
Some of you guys make me sick. Yes a $50 card (if spent well) especially if he gets it used from a fanboy who must have the latest and greatest, would make it a very good gaming PC for a young kid. Not all new games are created equal. Crysis for example is a complete power hog, while any Harry Potter game has modest specs. If your willing to drop the rez (oh heaven forbid!) and or settings almost any game is playable on half old hardware. Remember his son is 7, so unlike some of you uber gamers he still has an imagination so he just might like a game based on game play and not dismiss it because he doesn't really care about his epenis bragging rights!
Seriously, I just upgraded from a P4 2.8 2GB ram, Nvidia 6600GT 128MB, and I could play all kinds of games including Left 4 Dead. Hell I bet even with the 2400 that PC will play almost every game on the PC gamers top 50 list of all time.
Click to expand...
people like you just dont get it. his 2.4 P4 cpu DOES NOT MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PLAY MOST NEWER GAMES. please let that sink in because newer games is what is wanting to play. your 2.8 P4 didnt quite meet the requirements to play L4D and probably played a lot worse than you claim. I have an Athlon XP 2400 which is equivalent to a 2.4 P4 and I can assure you that L4D is not really playable with a 6600gt or even 7600gt in there. the cpu is too damn slow and thats a fact.

it doesnt matter if you are a kid or an adult because low teen framerates and sometimes worse will result in nothing but aggravation. using your logic the kid should just go ahead play games on the ati 2400 and P4 since you think performance doesnt matter anyway. oh wait the OP stared this thread because the current setup isnt getting the job done. well guess what? a faster gpu is not going to help much and in most cases not at all in the majority of newer games since the cpu is just as much of a problem as the gpu.
 
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No angry dude, you don't get it. Left 4 dead played fine. Min spec is a p4 3.0 and a Nvidia 6600GT 128mb 1 GB ram. Manufactures always over spec because you can have a mean lean machine or a bloated piece of crap like 90% of people do. I played Left 4 Dead at 800x600 at 100" on my projector at about mid settings. Played great. One of my buds called it the greatest gaming experience of his life (dark room, wicked stereo, and he had a few beers) but you get the point that it didn't suck.
Drop a 7600GT in there and let the kid have some fun already.
 
funkydmunky said:
No angry dude, you don't get it. Left 4 dead played fine. Min spec is a p4 3.0 and a Nvidia 6600GT 128mb 1 GB ram. Manufactures always over spec because you can have a mean lean machine or a bloated piece of crap like 90% of people do. I played Left 4 Dead at 800x600 at 100" on my projector at about mid settings. Played great. One of my buds called it the greatest gaming experience of his life (dark room, wicked stereo, and he had a few beers) but you get the point that it didn't suck.
Drop a 7600GT in there and let the kid have some fun already.
Click to expand...
well lets see I am trying it right now on my my pc with XP2400 and 6600gt and L4D and HL2 Ep2 run like crap on all low settings at 800x600. turning up the res the framerate stays the same because the cpu is the prob. I had a 7600gt in this pc before and again the cpu was the prob in games like L4D and of course more demanding games. the OPs cpu is no better than the one I have so it doesnt take a genius to figure that out. also L4D is hardly a demanding game compared to most other newer ones so again do the math. finally your comment about over spec is a load of poo. if anything the minimum requirements usually get you a shitty experience.
 
cannondale06 said:
a better video card would only give him a better looking slideshow in most newer titles because they require a stronger cpu than a 2.4 P4 just to be playable at all.
Click to expand...

Meh, in my entire life I've never heard of a better video card making a game less playable due to the CPU.
 
RADEoN said:
Meh, in my entire life I've never heard of a better video card making a game less playable due to the CPU.
Click to expand...
where did I say less playable? someone mentioned that he could turn up some settings with a better video card so I was just joking about it being a better looking slideshow.
 
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