Going from 2.66Ghz to a 3.2E Ghz. What kind of performance increase.

[shakeshake81]

Well I only have 270 ""CANADIAN"" dollars for a computer upgrade and im thinking of doing this:

Here are my full system specs. I will post what they will be before, and after the upgrade, so that my thread is more clear.

BEFORE
CPU: 2.66Ghz (B) 512K L2 Cache, 533FSB, Socket 478 -Northwood-
Motherboard: P4C800 - DX
Ram: OCZ Dual channel 1GB (2x512mb)
Video Card: BFG 6800 Ultra OC Agp 8x

AFTER
CPU: 3.2E Ghz 1mb L2 Cache 800FSB (HyperThreading)
Motherboard: P4C800 - DX
Ram: OCZ Dual channel 1GB (2x512mb)
Video Card: BFG 6800 Ultra OC Agp 8x

Now what kind of performance increase will I see in this? My video card is being bottlenecked by the 2.66Ghz as well ...I think, so I think theres going to be a performance increase there as well.

Or maybe theres something Different I can buy to make a better performance increase...
Please tell me what I should do with 270 CAD dollars.
Here is my computer store: www.canadacomputers.com (It is where I buy all my parts please look there)

Thanks for any help!

 

[PurdueRy]

Seems pretty pointless to me. I would wait and when the time is right and you have enough money, make a complete mobo/CPU switch, I think this will prove much more efficient money wise

 

[shakeshake81]

But would there be any increase from a 2.66 to a 3.2 thats visible?

 

[natto fire]

If you already have RAM that can handle the 200fsb then why don't you just overclock your Northwood? Save the $230 and wait for the next round of CPU/mobos from AMD and Intel.

 

[Leper Messiah]

Pop the FSB on the northie to 200 You'll have a quick 4Ghz!

 

[dexvx]

Will it be a noticeable difference? Yea.

Is it worth the money to pay retail price for that CPU? No.

If you absolutely desire an upgrade, check the for-sale/trade forums, you could pick up a similar processor for a little over 100 USD. Or better yet pick up a 2.4c/2.6c and overclock it.

 

[jlbenedict]

Originally posted by: shakeshake81
Well I only have 270 ""CANADIAN"" dollars for a computer upgrade and im thinking of doing this:

Here are my full system specs. I will post what they will be before, and after the upgrade, so that my thread is more clear.

BEFORE
CPU: 2.66Ghz (B) 512K L2 Cache, 533FSB, Socket 478 -Northwood-
Motherboard: P4C800 - DX
Ram: OCZ Dual channel 1GB (2x512mb)
Video Card: BFG 6800 Ultra OC Agp 8x

AFTER
CPU: 3.2E Ghz 1mb L2 Cache 800FSB (HyperThreading)
Motherboard: P4C800 - DX
Ram: OCZ Dual channel 1GB (2x512mb)
Video Card: BFG 6800 Ultra OC Agp 8x

Now what kind of performance increase will I see in this? My video card is being bottlenecked by the 2.66Ghz as well ...I think, so I think theres going to be a performance increase there as well.

Or maybe theres something Different I can buy to make a better performance increase...
Please tell me what I should do with 270 CAD dollars.
Here is my computer store: www.canadacomputers.com (It is where I buy all my parts please look there)

Thanks for any help!

I believe you are only CPU limited at lower resolutions..
What resolutions do you game at? That 6800 Ultra is still a quite capable card for some time to come...

 

[dguy6789]

Your system as it is, is VERY capable for the games of today. Upgrading to the 3.2E would be a waste. There is nothing you can run with a 3.2E that you can't with a 2.66.

I would reccomend upgrading to 2GB of ram, and after that, wait until you have the money necessary for a major improvement(New mainboard, cpu, gpu).

The slowest cpu that would be a worthwhile step up from your machine would likely be a 3.6Ghz P4 or 3400+ Athlon 64. Of course I do not reccomend buying either, as overclocking a 3000+ venice is the best possible option.

 

[shakeshake81]

How far do you think the 3.2E would overclock?

 

[foodfightr]

Originally posted by: shakeshake81
How far do you think the 3.2E would overclock?

:disgust: Woah...

"Extreme Editions" aren't a cost effective performance solution. In fact, if you're gaming you're really just shooting yourself in the foot. Take a look at these Doom3 benchmarks for example. An old socket 754 version of AMD's Athlon 64 3000+ surpassed the 3.2E.

And you're planning to overclock? I'd grab a socket 939 motherboard and an Opteron 144 or 146 and a nice heatsink. You're looking at 2500-2800Mhz (by AMD's scale, which doesn't compare equally to Intel's scale) easily. 3000Mhz if you get the right batch and use the right cooling. Now that is some serious performance.

Total price? $250.

 

[dwcal]

I think he means the 3.2E Prescott, not the EE. Anyway, I don't think it's worth it. The Prescotts were barely an improvement over the Northwoods: hotter, more power, slower at the same clock because of the long pipeline, and not much more overclocking headroom. Did you try OCing the 2.66B?

 

[Nextman916]

WOW!! thats so strange i have the exact same system as you.

P4 2.66ghz s478 northwood OC'ed to 3.22ghz
Gigabyte GA-8S648FXP-RZ
1.5gb pqi turbo (running at 2-3-3-6)
EVGA 6800 Ultra agp (425/1140)

I scored 5627 max on 3dmark05. I dont really think the cpu is that much of a bottleneck, at least not to me. I run all my games at 1280x1024 except F.E.A.R and some others. My advice is to OC your cpu. It is a hell of an overclocker most people reaching 3.0ghz easy. All I did was go in my bios and up my fsb to a stable level, no added voltage or AS5 on stock cooler. Idles at 34c and 48c load, keep in mind my air flow is extremely good in my case.

Edit: Oh yah OC you gpu.

 

[bcoupland]

Get this mobo: Asrock 939Dual
You can use your agp card and still be future-proof to a certain degree. Also, this board has received great reviews, quite fast, and well-priced.

Get this cpu: 3200+Venice

Everything else you can re-use from your old pc. You may need to buy a 20-24 pin adapter for the psu, but that's all. You have a socket 939 board with both AGP and PCI-e x16 slots so you can upgrade the graphics at any time.