• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

which upgrade path should I take?

V

Vague

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
253
I currently run a Poweredge sc420 with the PCIe mod for the video card. I have pentium 4 2.8 and 4 GB (3.25 detected) of DDR2 800 installed running 32bit vista.

My top goal is to run a 64bit cpu to take advantage of more memory and their incredibly low prices these days. Here's the dilemma:

If I get a new cpu like a q6600, I'd want a new motherboard. The poweredge case doesn't quite fit any other motherboards, at least not the EP35-DS3R I tried, so I'd need a new case as well. If I do that wouldn't I also need/want to buy memory to match the 1066 fsb of the cpu? because I should'nt use the slow ddr2 800, it would create a bottleneck. I'd need a new power supply as well and before I know it I'm looking at like 6-$700 worth of upgrades that I can't really afford.

So the other option would be to get a p4 531 for about $60. It's 64bit and is a slight increase in speed: 3.0 vs 2.8GHz. Is this a really bad idea? Am I investing in an obsolete technology? Should I suck it up and save until I can afford a complete upgrade?
 
Depends on the videocard you have, whether an upgrade would be wasteful or not.

I'd bring it into the 21st century on a budget if I was you, get a good wolfdale core and a 750/650i mobo.

Your RAM can be OC'd if you need it to be, but it won't be much of a bottleneck as you think. I don't think you'd need a new power supply for this either unless you intend on cranking that new processor up to the max.
 
what are you using your pc for? i use 800 ddr2 with my q6600, it will not/does not create a bottleneck. what is the wattage rating of your power supply? if you are really watching your budget, you can get a mobo for 60-100 dollars, a good power supply for 60, a good case for 40 plus shipping then your q6600 for 180 new.
 
I have a Radeon x1300 video card.

I do some light gaming, TF2 mostly and everything it runs well enough, it gets a little choppy during heavy fight but is really fine.

The current PSU I have is like 300 or 350 watts and is quite old.

Can I really trust a new PSU that costs $60? I had pretty much set my head around a Corsair because of reliability.

The sc420 motherboard does not have any options for overclocking and I've never really done any, but if I get a q6600 I'd definitely want to push it up to around 2.8-3.0 just because of how easy I've heard it is.

So you're saying that I can make a new q6600 machine using the video card and memory I already have for <$500?
 
A quad core of any kind would be major overkill for your machine, unless you intend on buying a new GPU sometime soon.

Your PSU could probably handle the upgrade just fine, but getting a new one wouldn't be a bad idea.

I think you could get to 64 bit on what you have now for less than 250 bucks.
 
My major upgrade cycle is about 4 years. I usually like to make it a big step. The quad core seems like that big step for a decent price. But if it's overkill then I should consider getting a 64bit pentium 4 that fits what I already have? The 531 can be found for like $60 through pricewatch and $30 via eBay. Or perhaps a Pentium D, they run close in price on eBay, would the extra L2 cache be worth it?

Is there any reason my motherboard won't support a p4 531 or Pentium D 830? If it'll run it fine and it'll give me 64bit then that seems like a much safer upgrade now until I can afford to actually put together a new machine from the ground up.
 
Vague said:
I currently run a Poweredge sc420 with the PCIe mod for the video card. I have pentium 4 2.8 and 4 GB (3.25 detected) of DDR2 800 installed running 32bit vista.

My top goal is to run a 64bit cpu to take advantage of more memory and their incredibly low prices these days. Here's the dilemma:

If I get a new cpu like a q6600, I'd want a new motherboard. The poweredge case doesn't quite fit any other motherboards, at least not the EP35-DS3R I tried, so I'd need a new case as well. If I do that wouldn't I also need/want to buy memory to match the 1066 fsb of the cpu? because I should'nt use the slow ddr2 800, it would create a bottleneck. I'd need a new power supply as well and before I know it I'm looking at like 6-$700 worth of upgrades that I can't really afford.

So the other option would be to get a p4 531 for about $60. It's 64bit and is a slight increase in speed: 3.0 vs 2.8GHz. Is this a really bad idea? Am I investing in an obsolete technology? Should I suck it up and save until I can afford a complete upgrade?
Click to expand...

You have a misconception between the FSB and memory speeds. DDR2 800 runs at 400MHz it's just double pumped. The Q6600's FSB is actually 266MHz x 4. So DDR2 800 has plenty more MHz left over. Infact, DDR2 800 is enough to overclock the Q6600 to 3.6GHz while still running within spec at a 1:1 ratio.

Just like your P4 isn't really a 800MHz FSB, it's 200Mhz x 4

And yes, upgrading a P4 to another P4 is certainly a waste, especially for 200MHz
 
Vague said:
Can I really trust a new PSU that costs $60? I had pretty much set my head around a Corsair because of reliability.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are some $60 PSUs out there that are pretty decent. But those $60 PSUs are usually $100 PSUs one sale. So you have to be on the lookout for those PSUs. But a Corsair PSU is within your budget anyway.

So you're saying that I can make a new q6600 machine using the video card and memory I already have for <$500?
Click to expand...

It is possible:
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU - $210 (Free shipping)
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $95
Corsair 450VX 450W PSU - $71 (Free shipping)
Antec 300 ATX Case - $60 (Free shipping)
----
Total: $436 plus tax and shipping.

If you want a video card upgrade on the cheap, I recommend this video card:
ASUS EN9600GSO GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $100

Don't bother getting either a P4 or a Pentium D. Both are lousy upgrade paths/purchases.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
i think the concensus is you sure can do it. but after reading what you do with the machine AND you saying you are currently pleased with it's performance. i don't think you should upgrade at all. sounds like you should save some cash and buy a sweet rig when you NEED it. but there is no way i'd throw another sixty bucks towards a new cpu for that machine.
 
Wadec22, I think you're right. I should just deal with what I have.
Danny Bui, thanks for pricing out that machine. I'm definitely going to keep those links in mind and see if any of that stuff gets any cheaper as I save.

I appreciate everyone's input. Mahalo nui
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top