Should I Upgrade?

N

nVii

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Apr 29, 2008
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Right now i have a P4D processor....3GHZ 2mb L2, 800FSB.... 2gigs of ram...radeon 2600 Pro 512mb....

reason i ask is this is a dell dimension 5150, max i can do is 3.8 P4D, no core 2 duo...without upgrading motherboard all together which funds dont allow, now i figure the processor is 3ghz, not 3ghz of core 2 power, but good enough possibly, not to mention my ddr2 800 ram is limited to 533..... so im wondering, would upgrading my video card make the most difference in gaming without going to drastic extremes..... (would have to find a mico btx motherboard, ect) and funds just dont allow much, was thinking maybe upgrading to max of 4GB of ram, and a decent video card..... 9600GT or 3870.....would one of those x2 cards work in this? do you need sli/crossfire capable board to use a single x2 card?
 
What's your budget? You'd be surprised how cheaply you can build a PC that will blow away your P4.
 
4GB ram $100
Mobo $100
CPU (C2D 2.5Ghz) (Much much faster then your current CPU) $140

Thats $340 then just buy a used video card here. my recommendation would be a 8800GT ot GTS, 9600GT if you run out of money.
 
budget equates to about 150$ right now, i do have a new system build soon, however im working on getting back in the army (second go round) so funds will be to tight till after thats all said and done, but i wants a temp fix right now, system doesnt do to bad on crysis, can run 1650x1050 (albiet at 8fps) or 1280x720 medium, would like to get 1280x720 steady 30+ insted of 19-30...was thinking a video card would be best seeing how it currently performs with p4d 630 (3.0ghz) 2mb l2, and 2gb ddr2 800 (albeit at 533)
 
If you current system uses AGP and not PCIe, then save your $$ for a new build. If you can use PCIe now, then yes, it might help. Don't buy a "stop gap" motherboard.

Robert
 
Pentium 4 D ?
Is that a Pentium D (dual core) or a Pentium 4 with HT ?
What actual chip do you have, model #? Not that it really matters, b/c the system I think is too slow/old to be worth trying to upgrade.

I assume you have a PCIe slot since you have ddr2. If so you could get a nice videocard and use that same card in your next build, other than that I really wouldn't waste my time with trying to upgrade that system. Start over with a completely new build, case, PSU, mobo, ram, etc. when you have the money.
 
Yes, PCI-E, was thinking same thing, get a card for 140-190, and use it in a build later, had to revert back to my wifes dell after my system crashed about a month ago (power surge fried the E2180 @ 3ghz and everything inside except the ram and video card (which is now in this pc)

Processor is a P4-D 630 (Pentium Dual Core)
 
I upgraded from a p4 3ghz to a new system w/ core 2 6300 (1.8ghz) and it was mind blowingly faster. I upgraded to a new system to a 3ghz core 2 (xeon variant) and it's faster in gaming, not in vista (except cpu score).
 
IMHO don't sink any more money into the P4 Mobo CPU. Since your system can take a PCIe vid card, that is the best place to put your money for now if you want an immediate performance boost that will transfer to a newer system down the road.

Don
 
yeah I'd go w/Don on the video card. More RAM, a different CPU or even a decent OC will only get you a few FPSs. & if money is cut off, I'd even hesitate on the video card upgrade at the moment..... better to save & do it all at once.

From my experience the only parts you can buy incrementally w/o 6mo obsoletion are cases, speakers, mouse/keyboard, & monitors. many internal components may be compatible with incremental upgrades, but they won't add up in the performance/$ comparo
 
nVii said:
Yes, PCI-E, was thinking same thing, get a card for 140-190, and use it in a build later, had to revert back to my wifes dell after my system crashed about a month ago (power surge fried the E2180 @ 3ghz and everything inside except the ram and video card (which is now in this pc)

Processor is a P4-D 630 (Pentium Dual Core)
Click to expand...

You're still mix matching names. The dual core chips were called Pentium D's.
The single cores were Pentium 4's. WHICH is it?

630 is a single core chip with Hyperthreading
930 is a dual core
 
If your CPU is an actual Pentium 4D don't bother upgrading it

If it's a pentium 4HT and the board can support a Pentium 4D, it may be worth while.
 
I think that an upgrade would be most welcome.
A new build may be your best option.
Nowadays, you can build a great system (Core Duo 2 + 8800GT) for $800.
 
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