Is it worth the money?

[LnxMad]

Im looking to upgrade my cpu. Im looking for a Pentium 4 2.8 or 3.2 Ghz Should I go all the way and get the 3.2 or is not worth the money and just get 2.8

[butch81385]

it all depends on you. why get a 2.8 over a 2.6? if you feel that it is worth the money then get it. me? i would probably be tight on money to begin with and go with the 2.8, but if i had the money i would go to 3.2 as eventually it will become the norm and probably the min. for some program...

[LnxMad]

yea Im doing alot of video editing, encoding and some high definition.

[thekingofpain]

What are you upgrading from?
What mb and mem are you gonna use?

My 2.66(b) runs at 3.6 with no probs---Abit/OCZ/Aeroflo

A 2.8 will easily run at 3.2 w/retail heatsink and save $100

If you have no interest in overclocking simply buy the 3.2 if 400mhz is worth $100 to you...

[ArcticFox]

Buy a 2.4C, get a high-performance cooler, and run the bus at like 950Mhz or higher. Just IMHO.

[LnxMad]

Well i just looked up my System model(I had a sony vaio) The motherboard and processor is only thing thats stock. I am now very sad =(. First...I just got 256 pc133 stick of ram for 70$ and my other two sticks(one im not using) are pc133, I cant run that ram on new mobos, I need a new mobo to run a new processor, now im going to be spending alot of money.

[LnxMad]

HELP

[rusty4x4]

Um, you know, it would probably help if you were a bit more specific about what you have now. Here's what I can surmise from your earlier posts:

Sony VAIO that...
...Has a stock motherboard and CPU
...Runs PC133 RAM

From the above, it sounds like your machine is a few years old. So, I do not think a CPU upgrade is in your future, if you desire the performance boost of the kind provided by a late-generation P4.

If you are thinking of building, which is what many here do, I suggest studying many of the online guides. Here's one of them, from ArsTechnica. Here's another one from our friends at SysOpt. There are others that you can discover just by Googling.

When you determine the specifications of what you want to build, then you go after parts. But don't just buy anywhere. Use ResellerRatings.com to ensure your parts vendor is reputable. I'm a fan of Newegg myself. The nice thing about building is that you know what you're getting, and you can save a few hundred dollars compared to a similar machine from the majors. I think many here would be more than happy to give you advice on what parts go with what, just so you don't end up with a bunch of paperweights...very expensive ones at that. If you want an example of an assembly of components that work together (i.e., my present gaming system), here it is:

ASUS P4PE-L Black Pearl Edition motherboard;
P4 2.53 GHZ with stock Heat Sink and Fan;
2 x 512MB of Kingston PC2700 RAM;
Chaintech Geforce4 Ti4600 (which I later replaced with a Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro);
Turtle Beach Santa Cruz 5.1 Sound Card driving Cambridge Soundworks midrange/tweeters + subwoofer;
40GB Western Digital Hard Drive;
Sony DVD-ROM;
X-Dreamer Pre-Modded Case, but with a replacement ThermalTake Silent PurePower 480W power supply (did that myself for long-term power stability);
WinXP Home (to be replaced by Pro soon)

Total cost at time of build: ~$980 (already had monitor; reflects GF4 vidcard, not Radeon; not counting the 480W power supply)

It's a year old, and I expect it to last a few years. Big tip: Wait for sales.

But if you think this is beyond you, then you really should consider going with Dell or Gateway - if you want to just be done in one go, and can afford the price tag.

Hope this helps clarify what may be ahead for you.

[DanGrease]

Originally posted by ArcticFox
Buy a 2.4C, get a high-performance cooler, and run the bus at like 950Mhz or higher. Just IMHO.

Ditto
Get the Pentium 4 2.4GHz with 800MHz bus. Its a great option, and not that expensive. Its also a great processor for oveclocking if you someday want to do that.

dan

[LnxMad]

Im getting an Abit mobo(maybe), a 2.8c Ghz processor and two 512mb pc3200

[Shenkoa]

Good combo.

[ArcticFox]

Originally posted by DanGrease

Ditto
Get the Pentium 4 2.4GHz with 800MHz bus. Its a great option, and not that expensive. Its also a great processor for oveclocking if you someday want to do that.

dan

It's only the most overclockable processor ever made!