Upgrading motherboard, processor and RAM

Uberg · 06-03-2007, 05:44 PM

Hi,

I'm planning to upgrade my mothboard and processor from a Pentium 4 3.2ghz with a motherboard im not to sure what is, it's made by Foxconn and has a SiS chipset.

The new motherboard, processor and RAM will be this:
Motherboard Bundle Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 1024MB 667Mhz DDR2 Heatsink And Fan Gigabyte Motherboard : mbb-c2d631

I will also buy an extra gigabyte of ram to go with it, to total 2gb.

I use the computer mainly for gaming, but also for video editing/special effects and a bit of graphics editing.

I am keeping my graphics card the same, Geforce 7600gs.

Does anyone know if this is a good upgrade deal, or am i wasting my money? I can't help feeling my current motherboard and RAM (1gb of 200mhz) is really restricting my computer.

Thanks in advance!

b1gapl · 06-03-2007, 05:50 PM

Hey Uberg,
Welcome to T.F.!

You're not wasting your money, I don't think. It's a huge upgrade for you, since you're coming from a P4. If you can afford more ram, that will be great, because it will benefit the video and graphics editing.

Uberg · 06-03-2007, 05:57 PM

Wow, thanks! That was a quick reply.

I wasn't too sure about the processor upgrade, as i see it going from 3.2ghz to 2x1.8 (3.6ghz) isn't a huge jump... what advantages does it have apart from allowing two things to be processed at once? Will it makes games run faster at all?

Will the jump from 1gb of 200mhz RAM to 2gb of 667mhz RAM be noticeable?

If you looked at the stats for the mothboard, do you know if they're actually good? Motherboards are my weakest point and i honestly don't know the difference between one and another.

b1gapl · 06-03-2007, 06:02 PM

A Pentium 4 can never touch a Core 2 Duo, in performance even though it looks slower. It's not about speed anymore. It is so much faster than that P4. Also when talking about dual core speeds, you don't combine them. It's just simply like having two processors in one chip. One major and obvious advantage of a dual core, is the ability to multi-task a lot more than a single core like the P4.

Yes, you will notice a difference in the ram upgrade too.

That motherboard I believe, is a Gigabyte 965P-DS3, which is a very good motherboard. Especially for overclocking.

Uberg · 06-03-2007, 06:09 PM

You're being a really good help, thanks!

Can you confirm for me that two of these:
667MHz 240Pin 512MB PC5400 DDR2 RAM DIMM 1.8V : ram-67/512

Will be compatible with the motherboard, I'm pretty sure they're identical to the ram that comes with it, i just want to make sure before i order.

Also, I plan on upgrading to this power supply:
550W ATX Power Supply for AMD, P3 and P4 mainboards 24Pin : nov-psu550

As i need to upgrade my current one, is there any obvious problems with this or anything i need to watch out for? Will it definately have all the right wires to fit my hardware?

b1gapl · 06-03-2007, 06:13 PM

Why not just get the 1gb stick of that? It's cheaper:
1GB 240Pin 667 DDR2 PC5400 RAM DIMM 1.8V : ram-67/1gb

Uberg · 06-03-2007, 06:15 PM

I see, i was under the impression it was generally better to buy RAM in pairs, although i was never really sure? Is buying it in pairs just a bit of a myth?

b1gapl · 06-03-2007, 06:19 PM

Oh buying in pairs will keep the ram running in dual channel mode. I was just picking out a cheaper solution.

Uberg · 06-03-2007, 06:23 PM

Ok thanks!

I'll definately come back here when i have more hardware questions

b1gapl · 06-03-2007, 06:27 PM

I think you should buy from ebuyer.com instead. It came out cheaper, if you buy the parts separately.

From novatech, the bundle with the 2 pieces of ram, comes to 243.22...

From ebuyer, the same components comes to 216.94, if you buy them separately.

Here are the links:
MSI P6N SLI-FI nvidia 650i Socket 775 ATX
Intel E6320 Core 2 Duo CPU - Cheap at Ebuyer!
Corsair 2GB Kit (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300/5400 (667/675MHz)CL4 with Heat Spreader

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