P4 must go ?

[stoneys-nutz]

Hi all,
i have at the moment a P4 3.2 Ghz CPU, when playing Gears of War it is running at 100%, i also noticed that in Ghost Recon 2 it does not even come up to min spec, ( 3.5 Ghz ) so is it time to replace it ?, i know next to nothing about CPU,s so i am looking for some advice on what to replace it with, i am going to replace the motherboard and mem too, ( 2 GiG now but i want 4 GiG ) i want an sli config, i think my 8800 ultra is wasted on my current motherboard, what would you suggest i replace my P4 CPU with ?, i want to future proof as much as possable, lol, i hear dual this quad that and dont know what to do so please HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE before i go nuts. In the end im looking for a high end games rig that will run anything and everything to the max.

 

[aetherh4cker]

No processors come stock at 3.5ghz, so I find it hard to believe that it is the minimum. True, your Pentium 4 is getting out of date, but if you replace it, you'll likely be replacing it with a lower ghz processor.

2GB should be enough to play any games out on the market today. More memory is always better, but just so you know, 32-bit Windows can't recognize 4GB of memory.

If you're packin an 8800 Ultra, then I think SLI would be a waste. The 8800 Ultra is the top performing card right now, and you shouldn't need much more than that.

So, your processor would be the thing holding you back, if anything is holding you back at all. What socket is your motherboard? Maybe it would be possible to just upgrade the processor and leave the memory and video card the way they are.

 

[Poemaster]

If your Mobo is socket 775 then get a Q6600 and a Aftermarket Heatseak (I suggest the Tuniq Tower 120) then just overclock it to 3.4 Ghz, was real easy on my system

 

[stoneys-nutz]

thanks guys for the quick replys, i checked again on the cpu spec, it was rainbow 6 vegas, the min is 3 ghz but the recommended is 3.5 ghz, i did not know that 32 bit windows did not support 4 gig of ram so thanks for that, things went wrong in the wrong order, i had just replaced the ram and video card ( agp nvidia 7950 gt ] when the mb went bang so i had to replace it with one not of my choice, it,s an asus duel agp/pci-e, the ram is crucial balistix so that at least is ok, it was at that time i took the plunge and got the 8800 ultra, would you sugest changing the mb but keeping the cpu ? or go for it and change both ?, i dont know what socket the mb is but will try and find out, i have a feeling if i have to replace the mb i will have to change the ram too. thanks again for your input, i dont feel so lost now lol.

 

[aetherh4cker]

thanks guys for the quick replys, i checked again on the cpu spec, it was rainbow 6 vegas, the min is 3 ghz but the recommended is 3.5 ghz, i did not know that 32 bit windows did not support 4 gig of ram so thanks for that, things went wrong in the wrong order, i had just replaced the ram and video card ( agp nvidia 7950 gt ] when the mb went bang so i had to replace it with one not of my choice, it,s an asus duel agp/pci-e, the ram is crucial balistix so that at least is ok, it was at that time i took the plunge and got the 8800 ultra, would you sugest changing the mb but keeping the cpu ? or go for it and change both ?, i dont know what socket the mb is but will try and find out, i have a feeling if i have to replace the mb i will have to change the ram too. thanks again for your input, i dont feel so lost now lol.

Here is what I would do.

Run CPU-Z to determine your socket type. If it's LGA 775, you're in the clear, and you can just upgrade your processor and leave the rest of your computer alone.

Your 8800 Ultra is the best video card out, and 2GB of RAM will be plenty to run Crysis, Hellgate: London, and what not.

If your computer is *not* LGA 775, then you'd be looking at a motherboard and CPU upgrade.

 

[stoneys-nutz]

woohoo it.s an LGA775. can you suggest a cpu and maybe what sort of cooling i would need ?,
i have a 600w psu is that ok too.


If your Mobo is socket 775 then get a Q6600 and a Aftermarket Heatseak (I suggest the Tuniq Tower 120) then just overclock it to 3.4 Ghz, was real easy on my system

how easy is it to overclock bearing in mind im a novice

 

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

give us some more info on that motherboard, like its model number, not all LGA775 boards may support Core 2 Duo processors, let alone Core 2 Quads!

 

[stoneys-nutz]

hi again,
the motherboard is an ASROCK 4CoreDual-VSTA

CHIPSET VIA PT880 PRO

SOUTHBRIDGE VIA VT8237A

LPCIO WINDBOND W83697HF

thats all the info that CPU-Z came up with, is that enough, i get the feeling your going to ruin my day and say this board is s##t, lol, as i said this was not my choice of board but it got me out of trouble when i was in it up to my neck
hope this helps.

 

[aetherh4cker]

You are a little limited in options. That board should support Core 2 Quad, but is limited by it's 1066/800 MHz FSB.

In theory, you could handle a Core 2 Quad Q6600, however, I don't know what effect the slightly lower FSB will have on overclocking. I'm also a novice when it comes to overclocking, so you might have to get a second opinion. Though, I do get the impression you won't be able to overclock much with that board...

The good news is you should be able to run Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Quad.

 

[Merkwürdigeliebe]

id consider upgrading the board, most wallet-friendly option with good performance is, IMO, the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L. 1333MHz FSB.

Just so you know, that board is also bottlenecking your 8800Ultra! The PCI-E bus is only x8 because of the AGP bus! You definitely need to change it ASAP.