3.4 intel single core trouble

[Neocloud]

Hello,
I have been a long time fan coming here and reading the answers for many of my computing problems which most have worked.I have a Intel prescott 3.4 single core on a Intel 865 mobo that runs games pretty good but its bottlenecking somewhere.Specs are 1.5 gb ram 220 total 2 hard drives space,zalman flower heat sink with hood that blows out the rear fan with 2x thermaltake 5k fan speeds.Still runs kinda hot about 140 idle and 180 during hardcore cpu speeds.Gforce 7600 evga superclocked 512mb video card.I just want to know is there a mobo better suited for my processor or anything I can do to keep this dinosaur playing faster and better.If I could just get a cheap mobo that supports my core and ram better or is overclockable would that help speed up framerates and let me choose better graphics options on games like need for speed pro street and fallout 3?

 

[mosox]

The bottleneck is your video card. What's your budget?

 

[Neocloud]

about 100-200 dollars,but what Im saying is it seems the cpu isnt working to its full potential on that board.Im hoping getting an overclockable board might run it a little faster and better than mine.The vid card is up to spec with the games requirements.Maybe a nforce board or something similar would help cpu clock speeds,the question is for anyone with a similar cpu that may have a mobo solution that is perfect for that cpu match up.

 

[saaiello]

I wouldnt suggest really buying anything for that CPU a better graphics card would be the best upgrade since that can at least be used for a future upgrade. Overclocking that Pentium 4 will provide little if any better results for performance. Your best bet would be to wait til you can do a real upgrade a cheap Athlon II will give you way better performance then that P4.

 

[mosox]

I think you have a mobo with a 478 socket and AGP. They don't make such boards anymore. You can buy a better AGP video card or much better, sell the mobo, cpu, RAM and video card, add some money and get a new system.

 

[Neocloud]

Like a x2 dual or quad athlon u mean or?yes mosox you are right about the mobo.I just didnt want to have to invest in a dual core or better thinking I could make this old p4 3.4 scream on some kinda crazy overclock rig but Im starting to realize it wont get any better unless I put a copper nitro tube on it lol.

 

[saaiello]

Like a x2 dual or quad athlon u mean or?yes mosox you are right about the mobo.I just didnt want to have to invest in a dual core or better thinking I could make this old p4 3.4 scream on some kinda crazy overclock rig but Im starting to realize it wont get any better unless I put a copper nitro tube on it lol.

Yes thats exactly what I mean those Athlons will cost around $75 to $100 and will run circles around your old P4 all day. As for your video card I didn't realize you are on an AGP system there is nothing you can really upgrade too on that platform to make any real difference. Even with some crazy LN system on that processor with some crazy overclock will be pointless it just will be spinning its wheels and creating a ton of heat.

AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103843

This processor would be a great to start a new build on if you are on a budget on the right motherboard it will overclock fairly good and has a possibility for it to be unlocked into a quad core. You could get away with useing some parts out of your system like hard drive, case and maybe PSU. For $250 to $300 you can build something that will be way faster then that P4 you have.

 

[Neocloud]

Thank you for all your help you guys.Just another question while you guys are here.The only reason I thought about the rebuild in the 1st place was I did hear of a ln liquid cooled p4 system that ran something like my cpu that oc'd to 6 or 8 ghz on some extreme equipment like an nforce board and something else.I forgot where I seen it but as Im am going to invest in a new system maybe I could blow up the old one on some kinda benchmark test for kicks lol.So basically I could use my 600 watt psu,super power case and hdds, dvd drives,cables, etc.I really just need cpu mobo and memory hmm,I seen a intel system at comp usa for that stuff for about 180 bucks,but I think ill spend the extra and get the black athon x2 stuff as Im hearing its better.lol key chain.So yeah im going with the system you said looks pretty good and not too expensive.Now to look for a compatible vid card that will play most new games.

 

[saaiello]

Thank you for all your help you guys.Just another question while you guys are here.The only reason I thought about the rebuild in the 1st place was I did hear of a ln liquid cooled p4 system that ran something like my cpu that oc'd to 6 or 8 ghz on some extreme equipment like an nforce board and something else.I forgot where I seen it but as Im am going to invest in a new system maybe I could blow up the old one on some kinda benchmark test for kicks lol.

You could if you want to throw some cash away but those extremely high OC's are usually done with liquid Nitrogen or dry ICE and doing one of those setup cost alot so it is possible but be prepared to drop some dough to do it I would just make a key chain out of the P4.

 

[Neocloud]

Best answer selected by NeoCloud.

 

[mosox]

I don't know the second hand prices in your country but I think you can get like $150 for your mobo, CPU, RAM and video card and if you throw in another $200 you can buy something very nice.

 

[Neocloud]

was looking at this cpu instead of the x3 because its not that much more expensive any thoughts.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

 

[Neocloud]

I don't know the second hand prices in your country but I think you can get like $150 for your mobo, CPU, RAM and video card and if you throw in another $200 you can buy something very nice.

U know I dont know anywhere to sell this kinda stuff.Noone ever wants to buy an old system when you can go to cheapo dell and get a dual core desktop for like 300 bucks now.Im in Florida so any help of where I might be able to sell off any of my old equip would be nice.

 

[saaiello]

was looking at this cpu instead of the x3 because its not that much more expensive any thoughts.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

The 955 is a great CPU but you should wait til the end of the month the prices may drop a little after AMD releases the Thuban 6 core CPU.

U know I dont know anywhere to sell this kinda stuff.Noone ever wants to buy an old system when you can go to cheapo dell and get a dual core desktop for like 300 bucks now.Im in Florida so any help of where I might be able to sell off any of my old equip would be nice.

You could put it up on ebay and probably get $75 to $100 for your motherboard, CPU, and RAM as a combo deal.

 

[Neocloud]

cool thanks,now that sounds enticing a 6 core lol.but i guess unless im trying to keep up with nasa's supercomp that crashed run ning crysis awhile back lol,I wont need something that powerfull.wonder what happened to cell cpu technology like in sonys ps3,supposed to be 8 nano cell type cores or something.I thought that was supposed to be the future of cpus but I guess not,havent been keeping up with the news.Thanks.