CPU Upgrade?

I have an Intel P3 (466MHz)... I want something waay better, but I'm not really sure what to get. I checked out CDW and they have too much to sift through. I just stuck in an 80GB Seagate Barracuda and it's sweet, but I need something to keep it loading quick. I am going to buy a fan for my comp NMW, but I need a good suggestion on a fairly inexpensive Processor that gets good speed too. I have Windows 98 and a really tight budget... Thanks

P.S.: HAHA! I put the HDD in -all by myself-!!!

 

If your're not planning to upgrade your mobo along with the CPU, the fastet CPU you can get would be around 1Ghz. I believe you have a Slot 1, PIII processor inside. Before making any definite decision, make sure your motherboard and BIOS will support the faster CPU.

 

Your not going to be able to jump from a 466MHz processer to anything nice like a 2Ghz.

If your PC is a 466Mhz, unfortunatly it's too old to really be worth trying to upgrade. Think about it, your going to need a new motherboard to get the new processer that you want, which means new RAM, a new power supply, etc.

I know it sucks, but your better off keeping that 80GB drive and maybe getting a decent barebones system w/o a hard drive. That way at least you won't have wasted the $$$ on the new hard drive.

Steve

 

I'd say that its more effort than its worth upgrading that. Salvage parts like CD-Rom drives, maybe ram, PCI-cards etc. and get a new motherboard, processor, hard drive, and version of windows.

You'll just waste money on that board which isnt going to support anything decent (IIRC its maxed out on a slot1)

 

Actually, the P3 slot processors go up to at least 600Mhz. I don't think they go up to 1Ghz, I think that was only the Socket P3 processors. I could be wrong though. Anyway, yeah, I'd save your money and upgrade the whole computer at the same time. Motherboard/CPU/RAM/Case and PSU. You could upgrade those 4 items for between $250 and $400 depending on how much you're willing to spend.

 

It depends on the mobo. I have an older ASUS P3B-F (I think) that is running PIII 800Mhz Slot 1 processor and could go up as high as 1Ghz. If only I could find someone who stills sells them. Know of any sites?

 

<Sigh> Well, ripping my comp apart doesn't sound that bad, just seems like practice for a possible career

I need to find a place that sells a bunch of stuff for a good price. Recommendations? Anything will help, I'm gonna pick y'all's brains on this one.
Power source? I have to change that too? AND the Mobo? oh great... Should I just go for a P4 Mobo w/a new PwrSrc and (I need a new CDRom Drive, this one wont even open all the way)... I also need a new monitor... The one I have is great, except that it is soo friggin' HUGE! It's over 1+1/2 feet from screen to back panel! Monitor suggestions? Pelt me with your knowledge!

BTW I saw a review for an AlienWare with a 160Gb HDD, and all kinds of other stuff that I'm wasting space with. $3G!!! Not cheap, but sweet! Unfortunately, I don't have a job (only 15)...

 

Alienware = teh l337. Its got a bit more than a 160GB HDD Kustom PC (magazine). says its the best all round gaming pc in existance (off the shelf, that is).

Get yourself a bundle. They usually are good value as you get a processor, ram, motherboard all thrown in.

What you will need :
Power supply (PSU)
Motherboard (mobo)
Processor (cpu)
RAM (ddr ram is good)
a graphics card (if the motherboard isnt intergrated)
And I'd get a new case too, as this old one will probably be non-standard. They're cheap these days anyway.

So, go to www.newegg.com and find the components you want and save up.

If you want good value, you might want to go with an AMD Athlon XP. Just a suggestion

 

Thanks dude, I am going there tonight and figure what I need to upgrade.
Possible career: hardware work on comps! I think it may fit my skills. I have good dexterity, so yeah! Hmm...

I have a Gateway case, so maybe a new case will do better, I want new color lights (green is too normal)...
This should be fun... Hee hee hee

 

Ooh yeah, OEM modding, my FAVOURITE

Get some ultrabrites (LEDs) in your new case. Blue and green works quite well just make sure you put a divider in so that they don't shine through both slots (i.e. through the power light AND the HDD activity light, which my current setup currently does)... Also bear in mind that they are VERY bright and they acutally keep me awake at night

In my experience the most useful skill in hardware troubleshooting/configuring is logic and planning. Building a PC is easy as you get into the entry level, and gets more and more tricky as you make better performing machines (you have to think about airflow, system bottlenecks, bandwidth, frequency ratios, possible conflicts...)

 

Taking the useable parts out of an older computer and combining them with upgraded parts can be fun -- I have done it several times for myself and friends on tight budgets. But it's not really cost-effective unless you can get really good prices on the new stuff you need. And you're probably going to need a bunch. But the good part is that you get to pick the components you want instead of taking a package deal.

From the other posts in this thread, you won't get better than 1GHz on that motherboard -- if you're lucky. In my experience, doubling the clock speed of the CPU with no other changes makes for an overall performance improvement that is measurable but not much more than barely noticeable. Not usually worth the effort.

Trouble is, upgrading the motherboard usually means upgrading the memory as well as the processor, and possibly the case and power supply too. If you go to a new motherboard, you may also have to replace any ISA expansion cards with PCI, or go to USB equivalents.
By the time you've bought all of that new, you're probably close to the cost of a new system (without monitor or keyboard).

You can probably keep all of your existing drives and use them in the upgraded system if you go the DYI route. Good luck!

 

Ok...I went to NewEgg and found these:
MoBo: Intel i865G Chipset for Intel Socket 478 CPU -OEM

The Processor fits (I think...)
Intel Pentium 4 (HT) 2.8E GHz, 800MHz FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, Socket 478

Okay then <breathe in..>
The CPU comes with a heatsink and fan... now...
I have beige CDRW drive, etc. I would like tot change colors but how do you do that? I want to save some of my drives...

And what kind of power supply will I need in orer to power this bad boy??? I am new to this and I can't read the garbled model numbers to find out...
Oh, and we haven't even TOUCHED on RAM yet HEHEHE

 

Get at least a 400W power supply.


Steve

 

A-Top Pearl White ATX Mid Tower Case With 350W PSU, Model "AT822-35 P4" -RETAIL

Model# AT822-35 P4
Item # N82E16811105132

Specifications:
Case Type: Mid Tower Case
Color: Pearl White
Material: Steel
Drive Bays: 5.25" x 4/0, 3.5" x 2/4 (external/internal)
Expansion Slots: 7
Front Ports: 2 x USB2.0, 2 x Audio
Power Supply: 350W
Cooling System: 1 x 80mm side fan
Motherboard Compatibility: ATX
Dimensions: 17" x 7.8" x 18.8"(HxWxD)
Features: 1 high power LED (from top) on the front panel as "power on" LED, 1 high power LED (from bottom) on the front panel as "hard drive" LED


How is that? It's white, well sort of, and it's....it looks good to me...

 

And about Operating Systems...

Do I eed Windows XP Upgrade? I already have Win98SE.. do I need the Upgrade or the full thing???

 

urgrade is fine. just make sure you have the98 cd!

I'd get a decent 350w over a generic 400w any day

 

Uhh... Gateway comes with a System Restore CD... is that considered the Win98 CD?

And I don't know if A-Top is a "Decent" company, but it should get the job done?

BTW: what is RAID? I see options for RAID 1 and RAID 0... what is that for???

 

Heck... do I really NEED XP? why can't I just keep 98? OR is it something with the speeds...??

 

I'd got for XP personally. Less buggy, more efficient, more compatible with new hardware.

What is RAID?

And no, I dont think the restore disk will count as a "previous version of windows", unfortunatley. Try to find an old version of windows, 95, 3.1 even! thats probably not on a CD though. Once you get a normal windows disk you can use that (it will prompt you to insert a qualifying windows OS to upgrade from)

 

Wow... this has morphed into something more than a CPU.. I am getting a whole new rebuild!

Now for the RAM:
PDP SYSTEMS Memory Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 512MB (256MBx2) DDR PC-2700, Model PDC5122700LLK - Retail


Model# PDC5122700LLK
Item # N82E16820220001
Specifications:
Manufacturer: PDP SYSTEMS
Speed: DDR PC2700
Type: 184-Pin DDR SDRAM
Error Checking: Non-ECC
Registered/Unbuffered: Unbuffered
Cas Latency: 2-3-2-5-T1
Support Voltage: 2.5V
Bandwidth: 2.7GB/s
Organization: two 32M x 64 -Bit


How does that look? I want the most RAM for the best price and 512 doesn't seem like a short end of the stick, since I have an 80GB Seagate HDD...

And I'm throwing in a fan grill, just for looks and kicks

 

WHOA
There are more RAID than 0 and 1? ooggaaa
SoI need just, well, any old Windows 95/98 disc? Is it files that I need from that disc? The System Restore disc should have them, but none of the comps we have came with a Win98 or Win95 Disc, as far as I know...
Heck, my Win98 runs really smooth, since I have 2 programs running at any given time:
Explorer and AshMaiSv (Avast! Server)
And maybe Starter.exe for volume conrol. Other than that I dont use much program space, so I can play with the most juice on my games...
Hmmm... brian-picking time?

 

So far I am up to a grand total of $474 for all the stuff I got. I went for a near-maxout, so I pushed the envelope a little. I even went for the cheaper stuff, only the processor was aboue $100, but shouldn't I try to save some money there too? What would be better? Get rid of the HT???

 

2 part Question here.

1. is it bad to have 2 gigs of ram if you are using XP Pro, Shoul i stay at 1 gig. apparently people say 2 gigs slows down xp?? this is also based on dual channel.
--------------------------------------------------------
2. I have an AMD XP2700 now. And now what amd is planning on doing, or i guess is doing, is trying to phase out the XP chips. They are doing this by raising the XP chip value up like $20-$50 a chip. Depending on what one, and lowering the 64 bit chips. The 3000 64 bit chip dropped $100 2 weeks ago. and now they are gonna release a new chip called the Sempron with only 128 cash instead of the 512 we all love so much. to replace the XPs. So. my question is, i wanna upgrade my GA-7N400 Pro 2 mobo before it is too late. cause myself, it isnt worth it "now" to get a 64 yet cause no software , anyways., upgrade to a XP3200 400FSB, Now will see a big enough diff if i go from a 2700 to a 3200. cause if it isnt, then maybe i should not go for the upgrade.??? Any comments.

Jrod

amd xp 2700
ga-7n400 pro2
dual ddr 1 gig ram
80gb maxtor dhh
msi fx5600 256mb video
creative albs sb audigy 24 bit audio
lg 8x dvd/rw+/-
lg 52Xcd/rw
thermaltake 21" xaser case

 

Uhhh, right.

If you want to keep costs down I'd go for an AMD Athlon XP setup, rather than a P4. Generally speaking the performance is better for less money. HT is useful, however, for apps that support dual processor like Photoshop.

If you only run 2 progrrams, that means you do nothing with your computer other than look at files. I presume you use email, look at websites, run maintanance software... I'd definatley go for XP with a P4. Appart from anything you can actually utilise the HT, which you can't in 98.

XP with 2GB of RAM can slow it down if you're running it in dual channel. The recomendation is to run it all on one channel instead. (both sticks in the same coloured slots). Anything up to 1GB works fine dual channel currently (512MB and 512MB is the optimal configuration for dual channel).

The Sempron's it seems are basically just Thoroughbred's with a higher FSB. I'd get a Barton while you can, because they've got the 512k L2 cache. I've got a Barton 3000+ myself and it is a brilliant processor. Runs quite hot though. The difference between a 2700 Barton and a 3000 Barton is neglegable. I upgraded from a 2000+ and the performance boost was quite major!

I wouldn't get a 64-bit just yet. I'd wait until they have matured a bit and all the useful software is out (Windows would be good, for a start). Appart from anything the price will have gone down by then (hopefully).

 

Oookay then... the topic got thrown by that.. guy.
So 98 can't use HT? ok. I guess I'll have to find an old Windows CD, unless someone in my family has one (grandma has faster laptop than my big, bulky PC).

Is this ok RAM? Possible malfunction cuz it's cheaper?
PDP SYSTEMS Memory Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 512MB (256MBx2) DDR PC-2700, Model PDC5122700LLK - Retail

I printed out a page of the stuff Im going to get. The case is friggin' awesome! IT HAS AN EXTRA FAN! Which merits a laser-cut grill HEHEHE

BTW jrodgamer: uhh... did you mean to post a new topic? I was talking about what I should upgrade on my comp and you just... yeah. Right then.

 

Sorry there Jagdpanzer i didnt really mean to make a new topic, but i just had a q and the site wouldnt let any more new topics or something???? so i just went on to one that was close to my question. as for u. id myself go for AMD, they are cheaper and faster. the mobos are also up to $25 buks less. AMD has been around since 486 and they were better then as well anyways back on topic. as you can see AMD is the only one with the 64 bit processor, so ud think that they know what they are doing. where as P4 is scratching their heads. now if u are gonna want somthing that is a, upgradeable and b. for games, wait another wek or so and by a 64bit, u man not be able to utilize its peformance, but upgrading in a year would be much easier, but if now. just go with an ASROCK mobo, cheap and very good quality (made by ASUS but wayyyyy cheaper) and get a AMD XP 2000+. Forget the compairing GHz from amd to p4, it is crap, u can compair the amd 2000 to the P4 2.0 and that would be the genuine P4 not the celeron. and the 2000 mught even be faster. all i have to say is go AMD. it is the overall best idea. have fun with ur new comp. theu are fun machines. o and seagate is good. but if u only need a small hdd. samsung still had a 3 yr warranty. i dont think anyone else does.


Jrod