Upgrade to X2 4400+

[davidkay]

I'm currently running a P4 2.53GHz.

I'm looking at upgrading to an Athlon X2 4400+ in July.

Would you say they are worth it? Obviously, my upgrade is justified with my current system being pretty dated, but should I upgrade to an X2 or normal Athlon 64?

Last time around I went generic memory but this time i'm looking to go something special, what would you recommend? I get confused with the different types of Corsair and OCZ memory...whats the diff?

Also in terms of memory, the dual channel stuff. If you buy 2x512mb and run dual channel, does that mean you only get 512mb ram, or do you get the full 1024mb but the system dual channels it when it needs it?

Would you recommend I install Windows XP x64 or stick with 32-bit?

thanks in advance!

 

[theMan]

1. its worth it, if you have the money.
2. its not really that important what ram you get, and especially if you arent overclocking. but, you want the lowest latencies, and if overclocking, the highest frequency. but, you can never go wrong with valueram
3. 2x512=1024. you just get better bandwidth. otherwise dual channel wouldnt be worth it.
4. stay with normal winxp

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

you get the full 1024 by running 2x512 in dual channel. Dual channel has to do with bandwidth not the amount of memory.

I would stick with the 32bit windows for now. You could also dualboot the 64bit and 32bit but there still is no compelling reason to go 64bit with the headaches involved.
What are you going to do mainly helps determine whether dualcore is right for you or not.

 

[davidkay]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I might be overclock, it really depends how the temps are. I keep my case on the floor and the ventilation from the back is quite low. I was thinking about the Antec P180 case.

In terms of use, i do some 3D stuff and encoding now and again.