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P4 & Vista

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I want to build a new computer, and I am wondering if what I have so far will be good enough for vista & windows 7.
(Vista ultimate and 7 ultimate)
I don't have a motherboard yet.

Will this run vista & 7 smoothly:

P4 3.0Ghz 800FSB with HT (socket 478)
3GB PC2700 (or higher speed)
250GB SATA hard drive
SATA DVD burner
500Watt power supply
ATI Radeon 9700 AGP 8x graphics card

About what score should I expect?

I would also like to use Microsoft Flight Simulator X

I hope this is enough because I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible, but still a decent computer. I can't afford an Intel Core 2 Duo or anything like that.

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What is the total build cost of this system??? Believe it or not, we might be able to build better for the same price or a little extra.

Your system will run both Vista and Win7. I would go with Win7, since it isn't as much of a system hog as Vista is. You should suppect a Windows Experience around 2.5 to 3.0, I would imagine.

------------------------------ Recommended Builds by Usage
Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC
Reply to tecmo34

I would like to build it for less than $300.

I was still thinking to have both vista and 7. I have been using Vista for a while and like it more.

Message edited by popit on 11-16-2009 at 07:04:55 PM

Reply to popit

You can only afford $300 for the computer, but you have money to waste on the Ultimate versions of Vista and Windows 7? Why not get Home Premium and put the money saved into a modern computer. You will be very disappointed with the performance of that POS P4 build. That's like a build from 5 years ago. Here's a modern build for less than $400:

AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103687

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128397

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.270542 $145.99 (CPU + motherboard combo)

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 20f3%20500 $54.99

OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G10664GK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product $82.99

LG 22X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH22LS50 LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product $26.99

Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129070

Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371023

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.288419 $79.90 (Case + PSU combo)

Total - $390.86

Reply to shortstuff_mt

The copies of windows I already have. I got vista several years ago. I used the key on another computer, but that computer died, so the key is not in use. I pre-ordered Windows 7 and got it cheaper.

I am thinking about a case with a window on the side also.
I thought I should go with a better processor.

Message edited by popit on 11-16-2009 at 07:27:59 PM

Reply to popit

Vista is pretty obnoxious with background processes. I wouldnt run it on a singe core CPU. Windows 7 will run better on less hardware than Vista.

Reply to dndhatcher

Speaking from experience, I've tried Vista/7 on a P4-2.4ghz system with 2g pc-2700 and it runs just fine. It scores about 3 all around, so I imagine yours would be slightly higher. I mean you're going to be at the low end for modern games, and HD flash video will peg your processor occasionally but all in all, it will work fine. Now, with that being said, if you're picking a system up secondhand or REALLY cheap (like $100 or less), go for it, otherwise it's a waste of money for the performance. Do you have everything except the motherboard already?? The Athlon II X2 and gigabyte motherboard like shortstuff_mt suggested would be a much better deal if you're buying all new

Reply to donpacific2k

i ran vista on a p4 2.6 with 1GB of ram and it just didn't feel snappy. But with 3GB of ram it might run ok. but really for that budget, you could do better.

------------------------------ ECS A780GM-A, Phenom II x3 710, 4GB Corsair @800Mhz, HIS Radeon 4850, Seagate 7200.11 500GB, Auzentech X-Plosion 7.1 Cinema, LiteOn DL-DVD w/Lightscribe, ASUS TA-863, OCZ StealthXStream 500W, Samsung Syncmaster T240, Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Reply to Nik_I

A P4 2.8 with 2 GB of PC3200 RAM and an X850 Pro video card gets a score of 4.2 on Vista Ultimate. It runs fine, but it doesn't feel snappy.

Reply to GhislainG

I dont think vista feels snappy on a dual core 3.2GHz Athlon. Has anyone ever used Vista and snappy in the same sentence without the word not? Win7 seems to be clearly superior.

Reply to dndhatcher

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