computer processor upgrade

[Ladydragon]

Okay.. since I cannot afford to purchase a new computer at the moment , I am looking to upgrade the processor for now. I have a dell 5100 and when I went to their site, input the info for my computer it recommended this processor:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...chassisid=8230

now I was told of this site newegg.com, and when I searched there I found this processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...tium%204%20630

To me they look the same. My question is are they the same processor? if it is that is a big price difference and yes I do understand that the cheaper priced item is refurbished. It's still gotta be faster than what I have now. Any suggestions, recommendations, information is greatly appreciated. Thanx in advance.

[Dhalin]

*blinks* $390?

I'd definitely go with Newegg.

Even if the thing malfunctions, I think the risk is worth $350.

With $400, you could almost get a whole Mobo/CPU/RAM combo and ditch the old hardware, lol.

With that being said, I'm not all that big into Intel, but this sounds like a bit of an older computer. How old is it, exactly?

Also, do you have any DIY knowledge, or know a friend?

Installing your own processor is not recommended unless you know what you're doing...

[Ladydragon]

lol I hear ya Dhalin. I do know someone who can help me change the processor so that's no problem there. Computer is nearly 5 years old, so it could use an upgrade to some components. As for the processor on Newegg, its the same as the one on the dell sight correct? cause then I will order it. thanx for the info.

[Dhalin]

lol I hear ya Dhalin. I do know someone who can help me change the processor so that's no problem there. Computer is nearly 5 years old, so it could use an upgrade to some components. As for the processor on Newegg, its the same as the one on the dell sight correct? cause then I will order it. thanx for the info.

It appears to be the same, but I'd ask your friend just for a 2nd opinion. As I said, AMD processors are my area of expertise, not Intel's.

However, they have identical model numbers, socket type, and other stats which leads me to believe that they are indeed the same processor. But, like I said, might want to ask that friend just-in-case.

[Dhalin]

lol I hear ya Dhalin. I do know someone who can help me change the processor so that's no problem there. Computer is nearly 5 years old, so it could use an upgrade to some components. As for the processor on Newegg, its the same as the one on the dell sight correct? cause then I will order it. thanx for the info.

It appears to be the same, but I'd ask your friend just for a 2nd opinion. As I said, AMD processors are my area of expertise, not Intel's.

However, they have identical model numbers, socket type, and other stats which leads me to believe that they are indeed the same processor. But, like I said, might want to ask that friend just-in-case.

Also, be prepared to spend a little more on cooling, too, if you live in an area where hotter temperatures are normal. Since you are *upgrading* and the new processor will not have a CPU Fan with it (it says so right on both websites -- neither one of them will come with a new heatsink/fan), there's a chance that your old fan/cooling system may not be good enough for a newer/faster/more powerful CPU.

There's no harm in trying it, just keep an eye on your computer's performance. If you start seeing lockups/freezes/etc frequently, heat could be the issue.

Edit: And on inspection of Dell's website, it appears they went the same route as Apple.

They both charge ridiculous amounts for stuff you could obtain _much_ cheaper through other means. I'm not sure why exactly they do this, but I noticed Apple doing the same thing with RAM, charging upwards of $400 for an "upgrade" of 1-2GB of RAM, when 1-2GB RAM sticks normally retail for $40-60. I suppose they have to make money, Somehow....

[Akrion]

Don't forget to buy some good thermal paste as well if you don't already have some.

[Steelclaw]

Pentium4 Prescott CPUs aren't very fast and run hot. Unless you can use a Core2 Duo (the pin-compatible successor to the Pentium 4) in that system, save your money and put it towards an upgrade with a bigger performance boost.

To put things in perspective, you can get a motherboard, Core2 Duo (real dual core, not hyperthreading) cpu, 2GB ram, heatsink, case, and power supply for the Dell upgrade cost. You will be able to use your existing optical drive and hard drive, maybe the ram, and maybe the video card.

[Dhalin]

Pentium4 Prescott CPUs aren't very fast and run hot. Unless you can use a Core2 Duo (the pin-compatible successor to the Pentium 4) in that system, save your money and put it towards an upgrade with a bigger performance boost.

To put things in perspective, you can get a motherboard, Core2 Duo (real dual core, not hyperthreading) cpu, 2GB ram, heatsink, case, and power supply for the Dell upgrade cost. You will be able to use your existing optical drive and hard drive, maybe the ram, and maybe the video card.

If her computer is nearly 5 years old as she said, then it is doubtful that the same RAM will work; in fact, why would you want to use it anyways? It won't have anywhere near enough RAM for a modern computer's needs anyways.

But I do second the idea that getting a mobo/CPU/RAM combo from Newegg would be about the same as the Dell upgrade cost.

Your average Mobos are about $90-150, a two pack of 2GB ram sticks runs you about what, $40? And a decent CPU is about $80. That puts you in the upper 200s to maybe $300. Add a decent case and PSU to go with that, and you're looking at about $400, add a decent video card and you're looking at about $500.

That sounds expensive until you consider the fact that the result would run 10x as fast, be capable of running a newer OS (like.. Win7 64-bit), and have room to upgrade within the next year or two for fairly cheap.

But the OP expressed a want to not spend too much money; in today's economy I could certainly understand That. The only problem, is in the computing world, "you get what you pay for" applies 5x compared to everywhere else.

[Steelclaw]

Hmm.. Good point.

Let's flip this around.

Ladydragon: What are your system specs now (cpu, ram, video/graphics)? What level of performance do you hope to achieve by replacing your cpu and what is the current level performance? (and what metric are you using to measure that performance?)

Example: "I want to be able to run Istaria with a minimum FPS of 35 at full detail and max view distance in Tazoon. Right now I get 10 FPS."

Example 2: "I want to double my current 3DMark06 score of 20."

[Veruliyam]

As a former Intel drone, all Pentium 4s run hot.

[Dhalin]

As a former Intel drone, all Pentium 4s run hot.

Is there a processor that delivers performance and doesn't run hot?

Tho, in AMD's defense, AMD tends to be more stable from everything I've read. They run a little hotter, but yet they are designed to, and they give you better stability. Not quite as much raw power from what I've been reading, but more stability and they seem to be able to run hotter before they reach that "bad temp" where you start seeing crashes.

Either way, my AMD only has standard cooling (though my case DOES have a huge fan on the side, like, nearly as big as a small record) and it doesn't overheat, even when loaded with WoW with its settings turned up as high as possible and still get 60 FPS in most places.

[Akrion]

Is there a processor that delivers performance and doesn't run hot?

I think they mean hotter than other processors of matching performance.

[velveeta]

As a former Intel drone, all Pentium 4s run hot.

i second this - i have extra fans (one external for my laptop, 2 internal on my desktop) for my machines, cause the pents run noticeably hotter than other processors i have used....

[Ladydragon]

whoa I missed a bunch of convo in this thread while I've been searching for upgrade parts. O.o Okay, here goes:

Steelclaw: I want my computer to run faster in general. It would be nice to have more detail for istaria, but just general smooth performace would be great. As for the specs for running istaria uhm what? I'm still learning. How do I look for that information you asked.

As for the current specs on my comp now:
cpu: intel pentium 4 cpu 3.20GHz
ram: 3.19GHZ 512MB of RAM
video card: now is an ATI RAdeon HD 3650 (don't remember what is was to be honest)

I am looking at an intel core 2 duo but not sure if my comp can handle that. On newegg.com, the intel core 2 duo does come with heatsink and fan for a reasonable price. I am also looking at these memory sticks:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

hope this helps you guys help me figure things out. thanx so much for the help.

[Steelclaw]

Good thing you asked. You won't see any performance improvment going from your current CPU to the Prescott you proposed.

2GB is more than enough to run Istaria comfortably. Completely smooth performance is going to be difficult if not impossible to achive with the current client. (We're trying to improve that ...)

If you've got less than $100 to spend, look at a RAM upgrade to 2GB. That will make the biggest improvement. If your motherboard supports dual-channel ram, get two 1GB sticks (they don't have to be in a "dual channel kit" to work -- two identical 1GB sticks are fine) for about $25 each. If your motherboard does not support dual-channel, get a single 2GB stick for about $42.

If you've got more to spend, start looking at a new system. (Hint: get parts on newegg, assemble them on your own or have a friend do it)

[Ladydragon]

okay.. I know that I can upgrade to the memory sticks I had linked.. so I think I will stick with those. As for the processor.. can I use the intel core 2 duo or no? if I increase my ram do I need to update my processor? I was toying with the idea of building my own, but there is a lot that I do not know. Esp in regards to installing an OS and making everything work together. As for asking my friend, he'd have to ask his brother-in-law so it would take a while. But thanx for the info.. I'm learning much so this is great for me . thanx again.

[Steelclaw]

I don't know if the Core2 Duo will run in your machine. It will physically fit, but there are conflicting reports on whether or not the BIOS supports it. You don't have to upgrade your processor, if you upgrade the ram.

However, you'll likely find that only 3GB of the 4GB is practically usable. The Istaria client can even use less than that, about 2GB. Get yourself a pair of 1GB sticks and save your money. (like these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211066 )

[Ladydragon]

Thank you Steelclaw. I'll let you know how new memory sticks work once I get and install them.