I have a very good and stable system now, running Win Xp SP3 32bit. My current 3DMark benchmarks are: 3DMark03 = 33330 3DMark06 = 6548 Current System complete history and specs are in this thread (first post): http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?p=3751379#post3751379 I don’t OverClock my system cuz I don’t know much about it, and I’m not really interested in getting that deep, or generating that much heat. Swapping computer parts is something I am able to do. I may have an opportunity to get a new motherboard for X-Mas – in the $150 range. I am thinking of the ASRock P55 EXTREME4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 for $150 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157206&cm_re=asrock-_-13-157-206-_-Product If I get that board, it means that I need a new CPU and memory. Also a 64 bit version of Win XP or Win 7. For this Mobo, I can afford the Intel Core i7 870 CPU for about $290 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115213 I can also afford about 8 GB of DDR3 1333 memory = $260: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BHECHI/ref=asc_df_B001BHECHI1290706?smid=A2YLYLTN75J8LR&tag=shopzilla_mp_1376-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B001BHECHI Hardware List: Mobo = $150 CPU=$290 8 Gb Mem = $260 Total Hardware = $700 Win 7 64 bit = $180 So, here is the question: In essence I want to go from a Win XP - 32 bit - Intel Duo Core EE 3.46 Ghz CPU, to a Win 7 - 64 bit Intel Quad Core i7 2.93 Ghz CPU. How much of a speed increase should I expect, and is that really worth $900? c1:
Are you in the USA? If you are I'll give you a parts list (whole PC) for $900 that will kill your old PC like there's no tomorrow.
Anything built in this day and age will roadkill your Pentium 4. Even an AMD Athlon II 240 can run your Pentium 4 over lol. For $260, you can get a hexacore with an unlocked multiplier. Don't see why don't you get this instead: AMD Phenom II 1090T Black Edition ($260.99) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849 ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 ($149.99) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631 You get a hexacore, what's there not to love? If all you need is a quad core, you can get the AMD Phenom II 965BE for $159.99. All prices in US Dollars from NewEgg. Prices are subject to change at retailer's discretion. EDIT: You do realize, Windows 7 is only $99.99. Unless you're using your computer in a corporate environment, you don't need the Professional Edition. This isn't Windows XP anymore. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 deltatux
Remote desktop is included in Win7 Pro but not home edition. Home premium is limited to 16GB of ram, which although insignificant now may not be in 4 years time. (pro is limited to 192GB of ram) eta: that's also an OEM version, supposed to only work with a single motherboard. It can be used with more, but that's technically piracy.
You would be better off with this memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311 The memory voltage spec for LGA1156 and 1366 processors is 1.65v max. This set: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BHECHI...e=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B001BHECHI is CL9 and uses 1.8v which can damage the integrated memory controller on LGA1156 and 1366 processors. The G.Skill memory is also nearly 1/2 the price...for the exact same performance. But, to answer your question....no, it's not really worth it to spend $900 on that.....especially considering you can spend roughly $710-$770 by getting the G.Skill I linked to...which 8gb is a bit overkill... This set would save you more money, while providing the similar performance: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275 being CL8@1.5v This set would give you better performance: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231351 being CL6@1.6v In 4 years, 8gb may pretty well be normal....but I highly doubt 16gb will be as it's still possible to get by on 3gb. Nobody said anything about Remote Desktop....but, Win7 Home can accept Remote connections, just can't initiate them.
Does the OP really need Remote Desktop? As for the RAM, it's up to him, is he going to go 16 GB before Windows 8 comes out. If not, Home Premium is really just enough. deltatux
Somebody said there was no reason to use pro instead of home so I gave you some. You might not think they're good reasons, but they are considerations to be aware of nonetheless. I felt saying there's no reason was misleading. When I started computing 8MB of ram was considered a great amount, now we're talking 8GB on a single stick on the server market & 4gb on the desktop. In 4 years, I do believe that most folks will be plopping 24GB+ of ram into their rigs simply because it'll be cheap to do. If 4 years seems unreasonable to you, consider that I still have XP installed on one of my rigs 10 years after the fact. In the future I probably won't even keep an XP rig around since I can just make it virtual, & I'll probably do the same thing with 7/whatever else comes down the pike. But ya'll are all like "16gb should be enough for anybody". I an't telling people to buy 16GB today, I'm saying it's good to keep your options open. That OS license will outlast his hardware by a long time if he doesn't buy OEM.
Win 7 64 bit = $180 That sounds like you are buying a retail one. Get cheaper OEM (1-pack for system builders) when you are building new PC. Saves you some cash which you can put to hardware.
I was agreeing that he won't need more than 16GB lol. OP wanted 8 GB so I didn't say anything. I myself can top 8 GB (but on an average day around 4 GB). @Dustpuppy: We're not quoting business machines, most likely the OP will upgrade to Windows 8 before he needs more than 16 GB of RAM. Consumers tend to upgrade way before businesses do. Personally, I jumped to Windows 7 before it was released on the market (then again, I have MSDNAA which made the jump easier). deltatux
Pentium691, in short yes it is worth upgrading. Let some of the guys here recommend you a full spec though before going off on your own. They'll always find you deals!
Yea mate, any system nowadays would completely destory a P4 based computer. At my work they still have P4 based PC's with Windows 2000 on them. Its laughable to see how slow they are compared to even my sisters laptop which contains a Core i3.
When I started "computing", 1mb was overkill....my first computer only had 768kb of ram. My second computer only had 4mb. As long as 32bit applications are still normal....there will be no real need for the average home user to have more than 4gb as 32bit applications can only use 2gb. Power users/enthusiasts MIGHT need 8gb, but I don't forsee Windows 8 having that high a memory requirement.
Hey, everyone - thank you so much for the excellent feedback. A lot of great info, and the AMD and G.Skill info is seriously worth considering. I am sure I will have more questions as I start looking at different specs. It does seem that a new 64 bit based system will kill my P4 - 32 bit, but I am wondering - are we talking 10% faster or 50% faster?
The best comparison I can give you is based on 3DMark06.... your score is just over 6k....mine is just under 20k at all stock clocks...BUT, 3DMark doesn't take harddrive performance into account even though the harddrive makes a big difference in overall system performance. My system gets just over 16k in 3DMark Vantage though....and I'm using a budget H55 motherboard.
your P4 would get destroyed. i would even go as far as to say that an i7 870 or a phenom x6 will be 400% faster in benchmarks, and quite notably faster in real world usage. as for 8gb ram, i find it useful for when you want to alt tab out of a game or when doing video editing. heck, just running a game on windows 7 brings me close to maxing out 4gb, so more is definitely useful. and as for the OS argument, it depends on what he plans to do with the PC and whether or not microsoft plan to do another windows vista and force people to upgrade to be able to use a new version of directX. at the moment, the only reason why windows xp can still play modern games is because most games are designed for consoles, and current gen consoles only use dx9, so its less effort to do a direct port compared to adding dx11 features to pretty up the game for the minority; us enthusiasts.
yea it will be like night and day like i mentioned in other thread for 3dmark06 i went from ~6000 with p4 and 8800gts, to ~18.200 with the oc and gpu in spec., if you don't Oc you would get kinda the same score because its very cpu bound.. Other than that it will own that old dual p4 lol:nerd:
Nope, we're talking about maybe 5x faster. The Pentium 4 era cannot compete with the efficiency of modern processors. It's like pitting a Pentium II against a Pentium 4. deltatux
He explains that in his thread here: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=331328 Basically, it comes down to...He bought 1 piece of hardware carrying the "Fata1ity" moniker and was happy with it, so he decided to buy the entire collection.
