p4 ht vs. pentium d

[Oalet]

I was wondering if I would notice any difference with the following upgrade. This is a medium gaming PC, mostly gonna be using it for some of the newer MMOs such as Age of Conan/Warhammer Online. I unfortunately cannot upgrade to a core 2 duo because I don't think my dimension 9150's motherboard supports it.

Current CPU:
Processor Speed: 3.2 GHz
Processor Interface: Socket 775
Processor Class: Pentium 4 540
Processor Core: Prescott
Cache Size: 1024 KB L2
Bus Speed: 800 MHz

Prospective Upgrade:
Processor Speed: 945 / 3.4Ghz
Processor Interface: Socket 775
Processor Class: Pentium D
Processor Core: Presler
Cache Size: 4MB L2
Bus Speed: 800MHz

 

[AmberClad]

Hmm, that is quite the bind. There's no really ideal upgrade path. The concern with upgrading to a Pentium D is that the heatsink in your Dell might not be designed to handle the added heat.

 

[Oalet]

Ah really? That's a bummer. I thought a Pentium D would work as some of the newer dimension 9150's came with Pentium D's. I believe they were 800 series. Maybe the newer 9150's got heatsink upgrades? Would I notice a pretty decent performance increase if I tried anyway?

 

[Arkaign]

Risky, IIRC the 9150 mobo can run certain P-D's, but not the Presler.

Better off saving for a new rig build. You can re-use your current hdd, dvd, and probably your memory (DDR2-667 or so?). Go for a budget X2 5000+, you can probably rebuild with new case and all for $200ish, and be far far ahead of where you're at. Finish it off with a HD3850 video or so, and you're golden.

 

[Oalet]

Alright, thanks for the suggestions guys!

 

[Drsignguy]

I agree with Arkaign's sugestion...With the socket 775 at its end, and prices coming down, Getting a budget chip and mobo combo would be a better upgrade than what you have right now. As far as purchasing any pentium D, not a good Idea as the core2duo smoke them in every way, run cooler and use less power.

 

[toadeater]

Originally posted by: Oalet
mostly gonna be using it for some of the newer MMOs such as Age of Conan/Warhammer Online.

AOC is an intensive game. You should get a Core 2 Duo and a good graphics card if you want to run it at more than 1024x768, Low Quality.

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6192732/index.html

 

[evilbix]

I ran it on my rig just fine at 1280x1024 and medium/high settings.. if you put on the dx10 stuff that's where the frame rates drop