Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Solved

Can't decide on cpu to buy + questions

Tags:
Last response: in CPUs
Share

Hi, I'm looking into buying a new processor, my budget is about 200 dollars.. I can maybe push it to $220. My specs are

Ati radeon 4670
P5PE-VM mobo (old LGA775 socket)
2GB old ram, dont know what kind
2.6 ghz intel dual core processor

If you need any other specs, ask and I'll find it out.

So my question's are, which cpu should I buy? The Q8300 is 2.5 ghz quad core and in budget range (186 with shipping and taxes) and the Q8400 is a bit better, but 215 total with shipping and taxes.. Would they be that much different, and should I put the extra 20 bucks into it??

Also, right now my computer can run Modern warfare 2 good, and smooth, but loads really slow.. If I load a game of S&D I will almost always miss the first round.. because of loading slow..(and also my game takes like literally 2 or 3 minitues to alt tab in and out, and if I do I get kicked from the game) Will buying a new processor help this issue, or is it something else that effects loading time? Lastly, will MW2 utilize all 4 cores?

(Im also buying a new processor so I can run Bad company 2, because Gameplay is very choppy when playing that, will these CPU's be able to handle it?) Thanks a lot!

More about : decide cpu buy questions

Register or log in to remove
CPUs Authority

Arigo said:


Also, right now my computer can run Modern warfare 2 good, and smooth, but loads really slow.. If I load a game of S&D I will almost always miss the first round.. because of loading slow..(and also my game takes like literally 2 or 3 minitues to alt tab in and out, and if I do I get kicked from the game)


It's the RAM not the CPU. Get more RAM.
CPUs Expert

I would think that a Quad will make the difference in bad company 2

I built my friend an AthlonX4 630 (2.8Ghz) with a Radeon 4670 1024MB

It runs bad company 2 flawlessly.

Will make a difference as bad company 2 uses all 4 cores.


Considering the price differences, I would recommend a Q8300 and if possible a good aftermarket fan. I would also recommend a minor 200-300Mhz overclock... whatever runs without putting in more voltage.



Edit:
Mosox made me notice you only got 2 gigs of ram.

If you are running Vista or 7, you need more ram.

If you run XP, another 2 gigs isn't too expensive and will do a difference too...

A good test would be checking out task manager in the performance tab to see how much ram you are using.

Before you game, make sure all apps are closed. (Firefox, Live messenger and all that)
Related ressources
Ask the community

Best solution

CPUs Master

MW2 can utilize 3 CPU core, but no more than that. I tested this myself.

As for the ram, You can get 1GB of ram more for $20 and that should be fine. But expect to pay at least $40 for 2GB.

As for the load times, you hard drive could be an issue. How old is it and what brand/model?

"Also, right now my computer can run Modern warfare 2 good, and smooth, but loads really slow.. If I load a game of S&D I will almost always miss the first round.. because of loading slow..(and also my game takes like literally 2 or 3 minitues to alt tab in and out, and if I do I get kicked from the game) Will buying a new processor help this issue, or is it something else that effects loading time? Lastly, will MW2 utilize all 4 cores?"
-Loading has to with your hard drive and maybe your ram.
-That's a long time for alt-tabbing. More CPU cores could help with that. I remember when I experimented with disabling cores and changing corespeed and MW2 that two cores started to slow down the alt-tabbing. But ram will also make a difference with this.
-If you do want to upgrade, look into an AMD Athlon IIx3 and a new AM2+ motherboard. This will sometimes be cheaper than purchasing a socket 775 quad core and provide more power than the 2.5GHz quad models for your uses. It's not always cheaper but it is something to check.

Not sure of the exact hard drive, but looking into properties, I found ST3250620A. Googled that and found a similar make, 250gb 7200 rpm.. Its pretty old too I think.
CPUs Master

Sounds like your problem is that you are running low on RAM which is forces it to hit the hard drive more then it would if you had double the RAM, and then combine that with a slow old hard drive and it will bringing loading times down to a crawl.

I would suggest grabbing atleast another gig of RAM 2 preferably and maybe look into a new hard drive too but that won't be as important if you get more RAM. Then maybe think about switching your platform to an AMD Athlon II if it would be cheaper, but the higher end socket 775 quads will outperform just about any AMD at the same clock speed.

Thanks so much for the replies guys. Can anybody tell me what VT is? Its like virtualization or something, and apparently the Q8300 does not support it. Is this "VT"important, what's it used for?? Im thinking of buying the Q8300 along with a tube of Arctic silver, because after reading some reviews, apparently the heatsink and paste are horrible.
Register or log in to remove
 
Ask the community
Read discussions in other CPUs categories
!