How much of my computer should I upgrade?

[natastna2]

Hello I was thinking of upgrading my processor and mobo and getting a new case as well but I'm not positive about getting a core duo 2 what with amd bringing something out soon, also what mobo and cpu would u guys recommend to fit in with :

Dell Dimension 4700
2 gb ddr2 533mhz ram
250 gb wd
160gb maxtor
p4 3ghz cpu
ati x1800xt 256meg

I could probably afford something like a conroe 6300 or i coudl wait... What do u guys think, Thanks Ant. ?

 

[dasickninja]

The motherboard may not support the Core 2 chips. Keep everything but the processor and motherboard and just by that and a decent PSU. A case would also be a good idea.

 

[1Tanker]

Hello I was thinking of upgrading my processor and mobo and getting a new case as well but I'm not positive about getting a core duo 2 what with amd bringing something out soon, also what mobo and cpu would u guys recommend to fit in with :

Dell Dimension 4700
2 gb ddr2 533mhz ram
250 gb wd
160gb maxtor
p4 3ghz cpu
ati x1800xt 256meg

I could probably afford something like a conroe 6300 or i coudl wait... What do u guys think, Thanks Ant. ?

Yeah, luckily you already have a decent GPU and your RAM should match up well with a C2D. So, it shouldn't cost you too much to upgrade, but the improvements will be nice. The DDR2-533 would not work so well with an AM2 setup(they should be paired with DDR2-800). GL


PS. If you plan to overclock an Allendale(E6300/E6400), that DDR2-533 would need replacing as well.

 

[natastna2]

I have a decent PSU I bought an antec 500w onw i think it was expenisve enough! Anyways I'm sorry to be a noob but whats an AM2, and if I were to buy a mobo, processor combo would it be a good idea to get one now, or would it be better to wait and see what AMD does this christmas? The only reason i want to upgrade is that the processor is now bottlenecking my system.

 

[1Tanker]

I have a decent PSU I bought an antec 500w onw i think it was expenisve enough! Anyways I'm sorry to be a noob but whats an AM2, and if I were to buy a mobo, processor combo would it be a good idea to get one now, or would it be better to wait and see what AMD does this christmas? The only reason i want to upgrade is that the processor is now bottlenecking my system.

AM2 is AMD's new (CPU) + socket. It updates the Athlon64's onboard memory controller to run DDR2. I would grab the CPU/mobo now, as AMD isn't going to have anything to compete with the Core2Duo til K8L...(2007).

 

[natastna2]

but if i were to get any of the AM2s then i would need to get new ram, is there no way pc4200 ram would work on an AM2? Also would the PSU i bought a while back that fits inside a dell dimension 4700 need changing to fit inside an ATX case or is the PSU slot in the 4700 ATX? Thanks for allt he help guys.

 

[1Tanker]

but if i were to get any of the AM2s then i would need to get new ram, is there no way pc4200 ram would work on an AM2? Also would the PSU i bought a while back that fits inside a dell dimension 4700 need changing to fit inside an ATX case or is the PSU slot in the 4700 ATX? Thanks for allt he help guys.

Yes, the PC4200 will work with an AM2 AMD. It just won't perform to anywhere near it's potential. The new AM2's are like the old P4's in that they like the extra memory bandwidth achieved by running the RAM asynchronously(faster than FSB/HTT). I not sure if that's a proprietary PSU, and therefore whether it's dimensions and hook-ups are the same as other ATX PSU's. :?

PS... Check out these charts that show the various DDR2 speeds vs. DDR on and AM2 processor. You will see that although the DDR2 offers more bandwidth, it runs slower than PC3200 until you get up to either tightly timed DDR2-667 or DDR2-800.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-socket-am2_11.html

 

[natastna2]

Well i guess the only thing to do is buy an ATX case first and see if my PSU fits in it, so in your professional opinion if i want to future-proof my computer should I go for an AM2 or a Conroe?

 

[1Tanker]

Well i guess the only thing to do is buy an ATX case first and see if my PSU fits in it, so in your professional opinion if i want to future-proof my computer should I go for an AM2 or a Conroe?

Future-proof wise, they're similar..as AM2 will be upgradable to quad-core, as will most Core2Duo compatable mobo's. K8L, AMD's upcoming (new architecture) CPU is supposed to be compatable with AM2 boards, but it remains to be proven yet. If you have your heart that set on an AMD, then get one...it's just that to perform well, it's very advisable to get faster RAM as well... GL

 

[natastna2]

i've always gone for intel before so I think i'll most probably get a conroe somewhere in between a 6300 and up. I'm not sure on mobos but i presume 99 percent of mobos that can support a cure 2 duo chip will most probs be worth having. I was also wondering whether some motherboards nowadays would have better onboard sound than my soundblaster live 5.1 24bit card? Lots of questions I know, but I do appreciate your answers Thanks again Ant.

 

[the_taker]

Unless something has changed with Dell computers, I'm pretty sure that they cannot be overclocked. Depending on what you are trying to do with the computer, it may be more worthwhile to build a new machine that can overclock. But again, if your only issue is the processor at stock speeds, then checking with Dell to see if your mobo is C2D compatible might be a good idea.

 

[purdueguy]

What's your budget? And I wouldn't worry about what AMD is bringing out NEXT year. The FX-62 is still highly over-priced. I doubt the FX-70, 72 or 74 is going to compete pricewise.

 

[ben_the_man]

Unless something has changed with Dell computers, I'm pretty sure that they cannot be overclocked. Depending on what you are trying to do with the computer, it may be more worthwhile to build a new machine that can overclock. But again, if your only issue is the processor at stock speeds, then checking with Dell to see if your mobo is C2D compatible might be a good idea.

If he changes the mobo, its no longer a Dell PC. Anyways, Right now, Intel is very attractive compared to AMD. Their new generation of CPUs came out way ahead of AMDs, and the Conroe CPUs are amazing in every sense of the word... if you can afford it (even the cheapest conroe is way more expensive than a budget AMD), you will see a significant improvment over your current setup.

look at these anandtech benchies for some idea

Onboard sound, even expensive mobos with 975 chipsets and DTS are not as good as a dedicated sound card. They may be comparable to a soundblaster live, but with onboard sound the work is loaded onto your CPU, inhibiting overall preformance.

A new CPU and mobo would definately improve the performance of your computer, but it will be more than $300 for that upgrade.

Good luck

 

[natastna2]

Hey thanks for your help dudes, I'm going to get a case and a new mobo first and then decide on which conroe to get, could anyhone please recommend a good mobo that will support most conroes, ddr2 and has a pci-e slot plus 4 ram slots or in fact 3 would do Thanks dudes! Ant.

 

[Guest]

Choose it yourself =)

There's more 965 mobo out there, but I think this chipset is the one you should be looking into!