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Pentium D 945?? Worth Upgrading?

M

Mtnduey

[H]ard|DCer of the Month - Nov. 2013/Nov. 2014
Joined
Mar 24, 2003
Messages
1,205
So a friend of mine asked me about upgrading his PC and I'm honestly not sure it can be upgraded. It's an HP m7658n

He has:
Pentium D 945 (3.4ghz)
ASUS P5LP-LE (i945G chipset)

The mobo specs from HP do not specify that it is compatible with any C2Duo's but I thought all 945G's were C2Duo compatible to a point, maybe not the Wolf's and such but the 6300-6600's should work right?

I don't have any experience with the Pentium D's, so which C2Duo would be equal to the 945 in performance?
 
Oh yeah, here's his CPU-Z report

CPU-Z 1.46 report file
Processor(s)
Number of processors 1
Number of cores 2 per processor
Number of threads 2 per processor
Name Intel Pentium D 945
Code Name Presler
Specification Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz
Package Socket 775 LGA
Family/Model/Stepping F.6.4
Extended Family/Model F.6
Core Stepping C1
Technology 65 nm
Core Speed 2400.7 MHz
Multiplier x Bus speed 12.0 x 200.1 MHz
Rated Bus speed 800.2 MHz
Stock frequency 3400 MHz
Instruction sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, EM64T
L1 Data cache (per processor) 2 x 16 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Trace cache (per processor) 2 x 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative
L2 cache (per processor) 2 x 2048 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Chipset & Memory
Northbridge Intel i945G/GZ rev. A2
Southbridge Intel 82801GB (ICH7/R) rev. A1
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 2048 MBytes
Memory Frequency 266.7 MHz (3:4)
CAS# Latency (tCL) 4.0 clocks
RAS# to CAS# (tRCD) 4 clocks
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 4 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) 11 clocks
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 15 clocks
System
System Manufacturer HP Pavilion 061
System Name RN638AA-ABA m7658n
System S/N CNX6390LT2 NA680
Mainboard Vendor ASUSTek Computer INC.
Mainboard Model LEUCITE
BIOS Vendor Phoenix Technologies, LTD
BIOS Version 3.17
BIOS Date 09/15/2006
Memory SPD
Module 1 DDR2, PC2-4300 (266 MHz), 1024 MBytes, Samsung
Module 2 DDR2, PC2-4300 (266 MHz), 1024 MBytes, Samsung
Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition Professional Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c
 
Nope, I dont believe the 945G's are compatible. It was the 975 and 965's that were the first Core 2 chipsets. The 945 was the mainstream Pentium D chipset and the 955 was the enthusiat/performance one.
 
Core 2 Duos are much much faster. But if he is just browsing the internet, listening to mp3s, checking email... the only advantage would be that the C2D is more power efficient (runs cooler, uses less power).

I think the 945 should take one (yes, as e6300 or e6400 if you want to keep it cheap), but it probably isn't worth the hassle if you have to upgrade the PSU and cooling if you want to step up the video card.

Looking at 945G and GZ boards on newegg.. they all seem to take the C2D.

I personally wouldn't waste my time upgrading an OEM machine. Build your own :)
 
he plays a lot of games as well, MMO's, FPS, etc...
 
also I saw several i945G boards on Newegg saying they support C2Duo's

hence my confusion here
 
I think the newer 945 chipsets support some Core 2, since Fry's still bundles Core 2 deals with 945 boards. Looks like the Asus P5PL2 -E will (don't see the model you listed), just stick to 800 or 1066 FSB processors
 
With the money you would've spent on the processor for a little bit more you can get a p35 mobo.
I got a DFI Blood Iron for $50.
Someone here was selling their gigabyte p35(good OCer) for $40.
Save a bit and get the mobo.
That way you can upgrade CPU's easier in the near future.
 
e8400 or a q6600 go for about $160.
P35 mobo for $50.
You are better off building your own.
PC parts are really low now.
Get yourself a good PSU ----500-600 watts $90+
RAM----A good OCer will cost you about $100 for 2x2 DDR2 8500
A Good cooler (Arctic Freezer, Tuniq, Thermalright, Zalman) for the CPU if you plan to OC. $50+
Then...Get go crazy.
 
Here is the link
$46 +13 shipping.
I had a $10off coupon from eBay.

I guess I got lucky. Looking now and there aren't any available.
Def. a nice simple OC board.
I don't plan to use dual vga and though I do game, pci 2.0 is not worth the extra $100 I would have paid for a p45
 
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Similar case here, present stock setup is a:
HP Pavilion a6000y
Intel E2140
ASUS P5LP-LE mobo
ddr2 2gig ram, onboard video
218W psu

will be upgrading to:
cpu : E6500
video: Radeon 4350 or 4550 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125251
ram : 4gig

Do I need to upgrade the psu?
Apps to run is just sketchup, Quickbooks, Photoshop and some 2 yr old games(C&C 3)
 
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the 1st round of 945's would NOT support C2D - unless the HP OEM board he has says it will, it's very doubtful that a C2D would work in it. (though if you have one to "test" in the socket, for a quick try, it might be worth the check.)
 
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