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I have a chance to get quite cheaply Pentium 4 3GHz 1MB L2 Prescott, Socket 478 (basically if I'll give any other S478 CPU, I'll get this P4 in exchange...so the price for it is around 38€ right now). Since this post will be long and my hand is broken, I'll get straight to questions:
1. The dillema of course is - is it worth it. Currently I have Athlon XP 1700+. And while P4 will feel more responsive in every imaginable situtation (I think)...I'm generally satisfied with my current CPU (it can do everything I want from it...).
Except in one case - it happens from time to time that my computer must do two tasks, one of which consumes 20 to 30% of CPU (runs in background) and the other one is playing a movie(xvid/divx)/watching TV. Both CPU usages don't sum up to 100% (80 tops), however video playback is jerky anyway. I imagine this is not a problem with raw CPU power, but with switching between tasks. And while dual CPU/core machine would certainly be "optimal" solution...isn't Hyperthreading supposed to help in such situations? DO you think it will? (can't easily test it...)
2. Motherboard.
If I'm going with Intel CPU, I'm going also with Intel chipset, and rather decent one. However since mobos for S478/DDR are hard to get...don't have much choices. Definatelly two decent ones: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe (i875P) and Asus P4GPL-X (i915PL). Of course certainly FPS performance differences are negligible for me, but there are few factors that might differentiate things...
- integrated network card
In October I'll be moving to place which has quite good and fast Internet acces. And, naturally
, I'll be using eMule/bt quite a lot. From what I've heard, very good NIC can make quite a difference (especially if you have great one among the mediocre ones, I imagine - net acces is through LAN there). i875 mobo has superb NIC for sure - not only Intel ("Intel CSA 82547EI Gigabit Ethernet Controller"), but also the one that has, apparently, separate connection with i875 northbridge. However I'm not sure about the one in i915 mobo - "Marvell 88E8053 PCIe Gigabit LAN Controller". Same class as Intel one on i875? Even if yes on Windows...how much worse under Linux? (=are still 3com and Intel the only safe bets there?)
- SATA
I decided that I definatelly need new, big HDD soon - and it seems that I'll go with SATA after all. But mobos have one difference - i875 has first gen SATA, and i915/ICH6 southbridge second, with NCQ. So question - does this feature make a difference in OS/apps that you can feel?
- sound
Supposedly on i9xx mobos there's some new decent integrated audio. How decent? Finally something on par/better than Aureal Vortex SQ2500? (think SB Live quality, perhaps slightly better)
- integrated VIA firewire on i875 mobo (OK, that's not really that relevant)
Is this particular VIA product decent enough to not be afraid of turning it on in the BIOS? Or, as usual - "run away!"?
- 24-pin ATX power connector (on i915 mobo)
My PSU doesn't have such connector. Big problem?
Of course forgetting for a moment dillemas that one has AGP and the other PCIe (not a bif problem...I'm in need of upgrade anyway, and temporalily can use either G400 AGP or G450 PCI) or that i875 would end up cheaper, but with more hassle (it's in the machine with CPU)
3. Cooling/sound
I currently use Zalman CNPS-7000 AlCu in most quiet mode. Can't hear it, AXP 1700+ (70W) is just below 50 degrees. This Prescott pumps out around 100W AFAI remember...but is (effectivelly) noiseless cooling possible? It sits now in badly ventilated case, using stock Intel cooler, at 70 degrees and seems fine...(and I don't mind "high" temperatures as long as they are in range allowed by Intel) OTOH Zalman says to put fan speed on max with this CPU...
OK, I think I haven't forgotten anything...
PS. Yes, I'm considering the possiblity that prices for AMD CPU's currently on the market will fall rapidly...but I have 2 months to decide whether or not do this upgrade.
PPS. I might seem a bit too worrying about the details...but it's just that if I'll upgrade I'll be left with such machine for some time...
1. The dillema of course is - is it worth it. Currently I have Athlon XP 1700+. And while P4 will feel more responsive in every imaginable situtation (I think)...I'm generally satisfied with my current CPU (it can do everything I want from it...).
Except in one case - it happens from time to time that my computer must do two tasks, one of which consumes 20 to 30% of CPU (runs in background) and the other one is playing a movie(xvid/divx)/watching TV. Both CPU usages don't sum up to 100% (80 tops), however video playback is jerky anyway. I imagine this is not a problem with raw CPU power, but with switching between tasks. And while dual CPU/core machine would certainly be "optimal" solution...isn't Hyperthreading supposed to help in such situations? DO you think it will? (can't easily test it...)
2. Motherboard.
If I'm going with Intel CPU, I'm going also with Intel chipset, and rather decent one. However since mobos for S478/DDR are hard to get...don't have much choices. Definatelly two decent ones: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe (i875P) and Asus P4GPL-X (i915PL). Of course certainly FPS performance differences are negligible for me, but there are few factors that might differentiate things...
- integrated network card
In October I'll be moving to place which has quite good and fast Internet acces. And, naturally
, I'll be using eMule/bt quite a lot. From what I've heard, very good NIC can make quite a difference (especially if you have great one among the mediocre ones, I imagine - net acces is through LAN there). i875 mobo has superb NIC for sure - not only Intel ("Intel CSA 82547EI Gigabit Ethernet Controller"), but also the one that has, apparently, separate connection with i875 northbridge. However I'm not sure about the one in i915 mobo - "Marvell 88E8053 PCIe Gigabit LAN Controller". Same class as Intel one on i875? Even if yes on Windows...how much worse under Linux? (=are still 3com and Intel the only safe bets there?)- SATA
I decided that I definatelly need new, big HDD soon - and it seems that I'll go with SATA after all. But mobos have one difference - i875 has first gen SATA, and i915/ICH6 southbridge second, with NCQ. So question - does this feature make a difference in OS/apps that you can feel?
- sound
Supposedly on i9xx mobos there's some new decent integrated audio. How decent? Finally something on par/better than Aureal Vortex SQ2500? (think SB Live quality, perhaps slightly better)
- integrated VIA firewire on i875 mobo (OK, that's not really that relevant)
Is this particular VIA product decent enough to not be afraid of turning it on in the BIOS? Or, as usual - "run away!"?
- 24-pin ATX power connector (on i915 mobo)
My PSU doesn't have such connector. Big problem?
Of course forgetting for a moment dillemas that one has AGP and the other PCIe (not a bif problem...I'm in need of upgrade anyway, and temporalily can use either G400 AGP or G450 PCI) or that i875 would end up cheaper, but with more hassle (it's in the machine with CPU)
3. Cooling/sound
I currently use Zalman CNPS-7000 AlCu in most quiet mode. Can't hear it, AXP 1700+ (70W) is just below 50 degrees. This Prescott pumps out around 100W AFAI remember...but is (effectivelly) noiseless cooling possible? It sits now in badly ventilated case, using stock Intel cooler, at 70 degrees and seems fine...(and I don't mind "high" temperatures as long as they are in range allowed by Intel) OTOH Zalman says to put fan speed on max with this CPU...
OK, I think I haven't forgotten anything...
PS. Yes, I'm considering the possiblity that prices for AMD CPU's currently on the market will fall rapidly...but I have 2 months to decide whether or not do this upgrade.
PPS. I might seem a bit too worrying about the details...but it's just that if I'll upgrade I'll be left with such machine for some time...
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