General upgrades for my PC.

[Arkyance]

Alright, I have a quick question. I have an old PC (The Compaq Presario SR2170NX(Garbage, I know)) and I need to upgrade the CPU. The current CPU is a Pentium 4 3.0 GHZ, 65NM, 800Mhz FSB, with the Socket 775 LGA. I really need a Dual core CPU that can run around 2.8+ GHz, for gaming purposes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: My budget would be ~&100USD.

 

[o1die]

I wouldn't try upgrading the cpu; no dual core cpus are listed on the upgrade list, and none of those would provide much of a performance boost. If you change out the board, you will need a new windows coa number, as your operating system only works with the original motherboard. (I know as I tried changing boards in my compaq system with an hp board, and windows wouldn't load) So I would save for a complete new system and sell the old one intact.

 

[house70]

Check this out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%20600005851%20600005570&IsNodeId=1&name=Celeron%20Dual-Core
or even better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671+600005851+600030234&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=343&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=
and pick the one that suits you best.

(if that's what you want).

 

[enzo matrix]

Check this out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671%20600005851%20600005570&IsNodeId=1&name=Celeron%20Dual-Core
or even better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007671+600005851+600030234&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=343&description=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=
and pick the one that suits you best.

(if that's what you want).

None of those are compatible with his motherboard. If his motherboard is anything like my friend's, it wont even support dual core pentium 4's.

Especially since you game, I would advise saving up money for a new setup and custom build it yourself. You can get a lot for $400 these days.

Another option is to purchase a motherboard and CPU. AM2+ socket. This would allow you to reuse your current RAM. The cost might be a bit more though at $140 or less if you really look hard.

 

[Arkyance]

Best answer selected by Arkyance.