Updating my P4 rig, advice needed

Status
Not open for further replies.

zabak80

Baseband Member
Messages
60
It's been 2 years since I built my current rig, and unfortunately technology has gone so fast (and the fact lawschool takes up a lot of time, who would have figured?) that I am a little out of the know.

Right now, I have a P4 3.0, 2gb 667 ram, 160gb 7,200 sata3 hd, 6600gt, and Asus P5DL2 mobo.

It's served me well, but I have noticed it starting to lag, especially when I do some graphic designing and watching dvd's.

Vista runs "ok", but I feel it could run smoother.

So, I figured it was time for an upgrade.

I just ordered a Dell SP2208WFP 22" monitor that I like alot, and I have a 8600gt card ordered already for ~$50.

But the main issue is my processor. I am planning to do a complete rebuild, from power supply, case, EVERYTHING, in 1.5-2 years.

But right now, I would like a little boost. I am looking for cost effective way to upgrade the processor without breaking the bank, so that means no Q6600's!!!

Now I am NOT looking for future upgradability (is that a word?), so as long as the mobo and cpu meet, I don't care. In 1.5 years it's going to charity. Gone, forgotten. I obviously don't want the mobo to slow down the cpu.

And no, my current mobo does NOT SUPPORT Core 2 Duo or Dual-Core, ONLY Pentium D's. I have Rev. 1.01, so don't bother showing me the Asus link.

So here is what I was thinking once the Intel price drops on April 20th.

Dual-Core E2200 (about $60 bucks), paired with an Asus ASUS P5VD2-VM Newegg.com - ASUS P5VD2-VM SE LGA 775 VIA P4M900 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards Open Box at ~$34.

Now remember, I am not looking for a mobo to upgrade later, only somthing that will keep up and not slow down a new processor.

My reasoning for the E2200: I was originally going to get an E4600 (~$110), but decided the 1mb cache really wasn't worth it. Am I right in that? I MAY play a game once a month. So having a game without the highest settings won't bother me.

The cost is also pretty good. I can use my old ram (and even throw another 2gb for $20 if I wanted to) AND I can get the CPU and MOBO for ~$100.

I wouldn't mind giving it away to charity for $100.

Now I would LIKE to stick with Intel and Asus since that is what I am familiar with. Asus hasn't let me down yet.

But if someone can offer a similar mobo or better mobo for the cpu in the price range, I'm all ears.

Basically, thoughts and suggestions for an E2200, Asus P5VD2-VM combo for ~$100 for a non-gamer user looking to NOT upgrade in 1.5-2 years.

Oh, and PLEASE don't suggest "if your current computer runs ok, why upgrade"? It IS slowing down, and I am looking to get 2 years out of it.
 
You have a good plan there. Anything current at the moment, is better than that P4. Even an E2140 can wipe the floor with that P4.

And...

Welcome to Tech-Forums!!!
 
Are you running DDR or DDR2 on your current board? The video card you ordered, is it a PCI-E? Your old computer most likely is DDR and AGP, so you'd want to double check those.

This was my problem when I upgraded to a dual core, I had to upgrade a few other items with it due to compatibility issues (couldn't find a mobo that took AGP and DDR that was a LGA775). But, for the DDR2, if you haven't gotten any already, there's some slick G.Skill for cheap on newegg, can't grab the link right now, but usually it's around 37-40 for 2x1gb sticks with nifty red heatsinks, cheap AND fancy, how's that for cool...

But yeah, the mobo CPU combo you got there looks pretty nice.
 
ohGrFreak said:
Are you running DDR or DDR2 on your current board? The video card you ordered, is it a PCI-E? Your old computer most likely is DDR and AGP, so you'd want to double check those.

He already runs DDR2 in his current board. And the 8600GT that he ordered, only comes in PCIe.
 
Thanks, but I am just not too familiar with AMD.

Would the ASUS P5VD2-VM mobo I've been eyeing in any way slow down an E2200 or E4600, because of chipset, etc.? Or does it not make a difference as long as the specs are met?

Also, between the E4600, I noticed there wasn't much difference except for 2mb cache. Is it really worth $60-$70 for the extra 1mb cache?
 
it'll run, but VIA boards are horridly low-end so don't plan on doing anything most Enthusiasts would love (aka overclocking)
 
What about the ASUS P5GC-MX/1333 ?

Newegg.com - ASUS P5GC-MX/1333 LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

I still don't understand the north and south bridges. I got mhz, fsb, ram, etc., but the north and south bridges are still a mystery to me.

I was probably going to overclock the E2200 just a little bit to 2.6-2.8,

Does the bridges actually effect the performance of the chip? I know that I met the fsb, ram and other qualifactions of the chip for the mobo.

Maybe someone could suggest another mobo for around $30-$50? I'm not married to Asus, just have used them in the past.
 
The north and south bridges, are like communication centers. They handle where the info and/or instructions are received or sent. The northbridge handles the major parts, being the CPU, RAM, graphics, etc. And the southbridge handles everything else, like the hard drives, optical drives, PCI cards, etc.

The bridges don't affect the performance of a chip, unless you're trying to do something out of manufacturer's spec, such as overclocking. And the 945GC that you just linked is better than VIA, if you're looking to overclock a bit.

Another motherboard that is just as good, is this one, by Gigabyte. And they're a highly reputable company along with ASUS.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-945GCM-S2C LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom