Upgrade a P4HT to.......??

[supra21]

A mate wants to upgrade his CPU. He currently has a P4HT 3.4GHz; i just dont know what processor would be a worthy upgrade, can anyone give me some advice?? (not looking to spend too much)

 

[Craig321]

I think most CPUs in the Core 2 Duo range are definitely worth it (can't comment on anything below the E6600 as I went from 3Ghz HT to E6600).

The performance increase I noticed was absolutely huge when going from 3.0Ghz HT to Core 2 Duo E6600, my Conroe build is the best PC I've ever had.

I'd say something like the E8400 if he has around £100 to spend, or maybe even the E2200 and overclock it.

 

[supra21]

so the core2's will work on current p4 mobo?

 

[RJC]

What mobo has he got, He will need a 965 on wards or a later revision 945 board, not sure which Nvidia board though.

He might need to check the motherboards manufacturer website.

 

[Corasik]

so the core2's will work on current p4 mobo?

P4's work in all(most?) Core 2 motherboards, but unfortunatly most older P4 motherboards cannot accept the Core2, as Intel changed the voltage specs. Even if you have the right chipset (965/975), may of the older models still wont take a Core 2 processor.

Even worse if he has AGP, as if he changes the motherboard to support a Core2 processor, he'll need a PCI Express graphics card as well, and perhaps even memory, if his P4 board is DDR rather than DDR2.

Need more info on his current system, even the PSU specs.

Most P4 systems are just too outdated to slap in a new processor, and the 3.4 was about the best balanced of the P4 range that didnt need crazy cooling.

 

[Banjo]

If it's a P4 with HT then it might be a socket 478 board, which means a definite motherboard upgrade as well...

Banjo

 

[Garyj881]

Not to mention new memory and maybe graphics card if he's on agp

Try to find what he's currently on, if it'a S478, DDR1, AGP system then he really needs a new system.

If he doesn't game then things could be a lot cheaper.

 

[Smorgasbord]

Well, I went from P4 to an E6400, and the E6400 at stock was so much better, it was pretty unbelievable.