Tom's Hardware > Forum > Motherboards & Memory > General Motherboard > [Solved] Does my MOBO exploit the full potential of the CPU i'm getting?

[Solved] Does my MOBO exploit the full potential of the CPU i'm getting?

Forum Motherboards & Memory : General Motherboard - [Solved] Does my MOBO exploit the full potential of the CPU i'm getting?

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kylo   09-18-2009 at 03:44:15 AM

main question... does my MOBO exploit the full potential of the CPU im getting?

OK first of all i don't overclock and i'm not a gamer... i would say (above-average home user)!!
what i use the pc for.. from most > Runescape, watching video online{youtube,etc.}, surfing the net, listening to music, and few small other things < to least. My current system starts to skip and lag when i try to do combo those. so i want something that can keep them all open with no lag.

current system- running windows xp pro - 32 bit -- this system is actually pretty good for me --just its always running at 110%-- so i just need something that keeps up with how i use the computer...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU Intel Pentium 4, 2533 MHz (19 x 133)
Memory 1536 MB (DDR SDRAM)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (256 MB)
Audio Adapter Creative Audigy LS Audio Processor
Motherboard Intel Blue Mountain D845EBT (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DIMM, Audio, LAN, IEEE-1394)
Motherboard is at the max i can upgrade stuff..lol so..i'm buying a new pc
100gb harddrive
350watt psu
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New system

DO NOT NEED - Monitor i have a 20inch flatscreen
DO NOT NEED - keyboard mouse
DO NOT NEED - DVD/CD drive
DO NOT NEED - case i got a nice new one
DO NOT NEED - hardrive 500gb sata 32mb cache 7200 rpm
DO NOT NEED - PSU have a new 600w
I am ordering only from newegg.. (these are the last 3 items i neet to get)

i like the CPU and RAM, but does this MOBO exploit the full potential of the CPU im getting?
NEED MOBO - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131399
NEED CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 Yorkfield 2.66GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95w - final choice
NEED RAM - i have 4gb DDR2 in shopping cart - final choice..

i am using the on-board video... if it doesnt work good for me i will buy a pci express x16.. so i need a mobo with on-board video and a pci express x16 slot..

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Best answer from cookies
You will see quite a large difference between your P4 and the Celeron E3200. You'd see more of an increase with the AMD quad, but really it's based on your budget. It will certainly be more than a 100% increase in performance - your current chip is more than 5 years old. If you're looking to spend more than $150 for the processor, I'd suggest going for the i5 series (LGA 1156) and spending $150 more on CPU, Motherboard and RAM just to ensure that you'll be able to upgrade in a few years at a lesser cost. LGA 775 is close to the end of it's life, and anything you buy now for that socket isn't going to be upgradable without a motherboard + memory upgrade along with it.

 

The onboard graphics should perform the same no matter which processor you drop in. That is to say, not very well. But if the extent of your need for graphics is limited to lightweight games and streaming video, it will do the job just fine. You can always update your graphics card later, and a good $90 model will take you leaps and bounds above onboard video. But the graphics card isn't the question at hand, so I'll back off that one =).

 

I think you're shooting a bit high at 4gb memory, BUT, you'll have shared memory with the integrated graphics, and at $30 for the extra 2gb there's no reason not to get two 2gb DIMMs.

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cookies   09-18-2009 at 04:17:27 AM

For what you do, you don't need the Yorkfield.

If you have to have a quad, I'd shave $70 off and get this: AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz
Otherwise, you would be looking really good with this at $120 savings: Intel Celeron E3200 Wolfdale 2.4GHz

Both of these processors would be more than adequate even for light gaming at lower resolutions with a decent GPU.

I can look for some decent motherboards for you, but I want to make sure whether you're looking to go budget and save some dough or if you're going to stick with the Q8400 (which is not a bad chip by any means, just, in my opinion, overkill for what you want to do).

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kylo   09-18-2009 at 04:24:57 AM

ok.... how much of a difference would that cpu be to the one i have now... 50% better or 150% better.. cause i am really on a tight budget.... if there is a good mobo that goes with that..(with onboard video..) i dont want to buy a video card right now at least!!

Reply to kylo
cookies   09-18-2009 at 04:47:52 AM
Best answer

You will see quite a large difference between your P4 and the Celeron E3200. You'd see more of an increase with the AMD quad, but really it's based on your budget. It will certainly be more than a 100% increase in performance - your current chip is more than 5 years old. If you're looking to spend more than $150 for the processor, I'd suggest going for the i5 series (LGA 1156) and spending $150 more on CPU, Motherboard and RAM just to ensure that you'll be able to upgrade in a few years at a lesser cost. LGA 775 is close to the end of it's life, and anything you buy now for that socket isn't going to be upgradable without a motherboard + memory upgrade along with it.

 

The onboard graphics should perform the same no matter which processor you drop in. That is to say, not very well. But if the extent of your need for graphics is limited to lightweight games and streaming video, it will do the job just fine. You can always update your graphics card later, and a good $90 model will take you leaps and bounds above onboard video. But the graphics card isn't the question at hand, so I'll back off that one =).

 

I think you're shooting a bit high at 4gb memory, BUT, you'll have shared memory with the integrated graphics, and at $30 for the extra 2gb there's no reason not to get two 2gb DIMMs.


Message edited by cookies on 09-18-2009 at 04:51:55 AM
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kylo   09-18-2009 at 04:52:12 AM

yeah... i was also plannng on upgrading to vista home 64 bit... and get the free upgrade to window 7.... e3200 still up to par with that... or should i just stay with windows xp pro 32bit??

Reply to kylo
4745454b   09-18-2009 at 05:05:41 AM

Personally I would move to AM2+/AM3. Onboard Intel GPUs are junk. The Nvidia onboard GPUs are better, but the chipsets can be flaky. This leaves the AMD boards with AMD GPUs, which should be fine. The Athlon x4 620 is quite a good processor, and only $100. Pair it with a good motherboard with a strong GPU, and you should be fine.

------------------------------ The voice of REASON
Do NOT feed the TROLLS!
Always a DEMON!
 Reply to 4745454b
cookies   09-18-2009 at 05:10:13 AM

I second 4745454b - but again it's based on budget.

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kylo   09-18-2009 at 05:15:21 AM

i dont know anything about amd systems... all i have ever used is intel based.... :(....

Reply to kylo
cookies   09-18-2009 at 05:17:31 AM

When it comes to the end user experience, they're really almost one in the same.

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kylo   09-18-2009 at 05:23:13 AM

I'll stick with intel then.... (ive never had a bad product)

i go with the E3200... with 4bg of ram.... any mobo suggestions that have onboard video... with a pci E slot so i can maybe get a video card later on..(i dont really need one tho)

Reply to kylo
cookies   09-18-2009 at 08:26:44 AM

What is your price range for a motherboard with onboard video? The newer models can get a bit pricey for a decent onboard chip (around $120). Also, are you looking for a standard ATX motherboard or Micro ATX? The only real difference is the number of PCI / PCIe expansion ports, and, of course, price. ATX boards have a larger PCB and more traces (due to additional expansion ports), making them a bit more expensive.

I think a Micro ATX board would be just fine for you, and a model without onboard graphics will be a bit cheaper which may actually allow you to budget for a graphics card that will out-do any onboard graphics available, but again that's based on budget. If you're looking to spend $120+ on a board, you might as well get one without onboard capabilities along with a decent graphics card.

For example:
ASRock P43Twins1600 - $77.99
ASUS EN9600GSO/DI/512MD3/V2 GeForce 9600 GSO 512MB - $54.99

I actually own this motherboard, and have nothing but good things to say about it. The GPU is a great value and performs very well for the price range. Total cost is $133 (before shipping and any applicable taxes). Add the Celeron E3200 and 4gb of DDR2 800 ram (I'm a fan of G.Skill), and you'll be hitting right around $245.

I don't know much about onboard graphics, but if you're interested in shaving even more off the price of these components (removing the graphics card and getting a decent onboard chipset, around $100 for a decent board), let me know and I'll do some more research for you.


Message edited by cookies on 09-18-2009 at 08:28:17 AM
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kylo   09-18-2009 at 08:31:24 AM

i have $200 for the MOBO, CPU, and RAM... i have everything else... (I'm not building a gaming system so on-board video is just fine)

Reply to kylo
kylo   09-18-2009 at 09:34:04 AM

Final build - costing $350 after shipping and taxes - I will be purchasing this!!!
WOOT....!!!
Thanks too everyone who helped me out!!!
I will be back to let you know how it runs. :D



Specs.............................................................................................
NEW SYSTEM- running windows XP pro 32bit
CPU - AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
Memory - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
MoBo - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX
HD - 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA
PSU - 600watt
Monitor - 20inch flatscreen

Specs.............................................................................................
OLD SYSTEM- running windows XP pro 32bit
CPU - Intel Pentium 4, 2533 MHz (19 x 133)
Memory - 1536 MB (DDR SDRAM)
Video - NVIDIA GeForce 6200 (256 MB)
Audio - Creative Audigy LS Audio Processor
MoBo - Intel Blue Mountain D845EBT (5 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DIMM, Audio, LAN, IEEE-1394)
HD - 100gb
PSU - 350watt
Monitor - 20inch flatscreen

Reply to kylo
4745454b   09-18-2009 at 09:52:26 AM

I shutter when I think about what PSU he ended up buying. $350 for all that and including a monitor, I'll bet the PSU was $25-$30.

------------------------------ The voice of REASON
Do NOT feed the TROLLS!
Always a DEMON!
 Reply to 4745454b
kylo   09-18-2009 at 10:06:54 AM

no... i already had the monitor.. its was a $50 PSU

Reply to kylo
cookies   09-18-2009 at 02:17:00 PM

Good to see you went with the AMD! The onboard chipset is definitely better for that setup.

Glad we could help!

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