9600GT on Penitum 4 3.0Ghz HT (~4.5Ghz)

[umerwahla]

hey guys .... i am thinking of getting 9600GT for my 3 year old system (i currently have the sucky intel card) but I am not sure if my system will be able to use it fully. This is my system:-

Intel 3.0Ghz Hyper Threaded
Asus P5LD2-VM Motherboard
1.5 GB DDR2 667 RAM (mightbe upgrading it to 2.5GB)
19" 1280 X 1024 display

Do you think its wise to spend 200 dollars on 9600 GT? Will i be able to use 9600 GT fully. I plan to play the latest games including crysis.

Or should i instead save me 80 dollars and get a 8600GT?

Also, is there any chance of the 9600GT or 3850 prices going down in a couple of months?

Will very much appreciate ur input

Edit: changed the processor speed (removed 4.5Ghz as it turns out its not equivalent to that) ..... how do I change the thread title??

[DaMulta]

you can get the palit 9600gt for 119.99 at newegg after the rebate

[3870x2]

From what i hear, the 9xxx series of Nvidia cards scales better with a higher clocked CPU, so im willing to bet your performance will be pretty hardcore, enough that you should put some benchmarks on this thread.

[umerwahla]

you can get the palit 9600gt for 119.99 at newegg after the rebate

I live in Singapore and newegg doesnt deliver here

[DaedalusHelios]

From what i hear, the 9xxx series of Nvidia cards scales better with a higher clocked CPU, so im willing to bet your performance will be pretty hardcore, enough that you should put some benchmarks on this thread.

Your being sarcastic right. :wtf:

Archetecture means just as much as overall speed. :laugh:

I live in Singapore and newegg doesnt deliver here

Awww DaMulta failed. :( ;) j/k

[umerwahla]

From what i hear, the 9xxx series of Nvidia cards scales better with a higher clocked CPU, so im willing to bet your performance will be pretty hardcore, enough that you should put some benchmarks on this thread.

I dont understand. Are you saying that 9600 GT will perform better with higher clocks rather than more cores?

that should mean that it will be utilised properly by my system?

also will my processor be able to handle the latest games such as crysis or COD4 (this may seema stupid question but ive not been involved with games recently)

[JC316]

At the resolution that you play at, you are going to notice a HUGE difference over the 8600GT. The 8600 was a good card last year but it WILL chug on Crysis. Your CPU won't be able to utilize the full power of the 9600, but it will still be a great card for you.

[DaedalusHelios]

I dont understand. Are you saying that 9600 GT will perform better with higher clocks rather than more cores?

that should mean that it will be utilised properly by my system?

also will my processor be able to handle the latest games such as crysis or COD4 (this may seema stupid question but ive not been involved with games recently)


What he is saying doesn't apply to P4's right now.

Crysis would run, just not very well.

COD4 will play great though. :D



At the resolution that you play at, you are going to notice a HUGE difference over the 8600GT. The 8600 was a good card last year but it WILL chug on Crysis. Your CPU won't be able to utilize the full power of the 9600, but it will still be a great card for you.


He is very right. ;)

[Mussels]

In my opinion, you will indeed get a lot faster performance upgrading to a 9600GT.

You will be hampered a little by your CPU - but i think the 9600GT is the perfect card for your system as anything faster would be held back quite a lot more.

You do have a 'low' resolution display, so i dont think you'll have any problems running crysis on medium and CoD4 on high with that system and the 9600GT :)

[wolf]

also remember that clock for clock a core 2 is better, but 4.5ghz is still nice.

[umerwahla]

hmmm so what u guys are suggesting is that although my system wont be able to fully utilize 9600gt, its performance on 1280 X 1024 resolution will still be so superior to that of 8600GT, so as to make the extra 80 dollars worth??

if so ....... whats the best 9600gt (non OC, cause i guess OC will be a waste on my system) out there? I have an option to buy ASUS, MSI, GIGABYTE, XFX, XPVision orLeadtek ..... leadtek and XPVision being 10 dollars cheaper than the rest here in singapore.

Also, any chance of price cuts in the next couple months cause i can wait

[AddSub]

Yeah, 9600GT is superior to 8600GT (GPUReview comparison link below). 9600GT has twice the shading and raw pixel pushing power as well as more memory bandwidth than 8600GT.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=557&card2=513

The 8600 was a good card last year

No 8600 card, GT or GTS was good, any year. This, last, or the following. Unless you are only into playing DOS oldies or what not.

[Darren]

1.5 Ghz DDR2 667 RAM (mightbe upgrading it to 2.5Ghz)
19" 1280 X 1024 display


RAM is measured in GB
CPU is measured in Ghz

The 9600 GT is highly recommended and should be enough to play new games decently. Avoid the 8600 GT/S they are very slow in comparison to the 9600 GT. The 8600 GT is only worth using as a temporary card until one can afford a more better one. You say you have a Pentium 4, however the motherboard you quoted is socket 775 for Pentium D dual core, can you be more specific as to the processor type you own.

Edit: 9600 GT should allow for older games 2005-2007 to play at high settings, but newer games 2008-2009 to play medium settings (taking into consideration of your spec). Forget Crysis it is not worth the hassle, people with high end systems can barely play it in it's full glory.

I guarantee you won't be able to play Crysis on your machine.
I 100% agree with you.

umerwahla, the 8800 GT/GTS are also a good choices. 8800 GTS can be found extremely cheap these days.

[OzzmanFloyd120]

Do you think its wise to spend 200 dollars on 9600 GT? Will i be able to use 9600 GT fully. I plan to play the latest games including crysis.

I guarantee you won't be able to play Crysis on your machine, I barely get 30FPS in it with my machine, and that's on VERY LOW. On topic though, you're way better off getting a 9600GT than the 8600GT, My best friend has a 8600GT and his card doesn't even perform as well as my old 7900GS.
If you just want DX10 for the price then I would get a 8600, if you want performance I would get the 9600.

[Mussels]

I guarantee you won't be able to play Crysis on your machine, I barely get 30FPS in it with my machine, and that's on VERY LOW. On topic though, you're way better off getting a 9600GT than the 8600GT, My best friend has a 8600GT and his card doesn't even perform as well as my old 7900GS.
If you just want DX10 for the price then I would get a 8600, if you want performance I would get the 9600.

something is really f*cked up on your system then. my housemate with a P4D presler @ 3.2G with an X1650pro 256MB (AGP) gets around 40-45FPS on very low.

[hat]

Pairing a P4 with a 9600 is like pairing a monster truck with a lawnmower engine.

[OzzmanFloyd120]

something is really f*cked up on your system then. my housemate with a P4D presler @ 3.2G with an X1650pro 256MB (AGP) gets around 40-45FPS on very low.

I was exaggerating, but max settings with aa off I only get around 15 frames. That will change when I get my other card though. ETA on Monday. :D

[Mussels]

I was exaggerating, but max settings with aa off I only get around 15 frames. That will change when I get my other card though. ETA on Monday. :D

i thought SLI didnt scale well in crysis?

Anyway its off topic. P4's so people know, DO have different flavours. preslers own prescott, and this ones at 4.7G - its going to keep up with say, an athlon64 3500+ at least. slow yes, useless now. Hyperthreading will provide a decent boost too.

[webwizard]

I like the XFX 9600GT Alpha Dog card running two of them. Plus the life time warranty is nice.

[OzzmanFloyd120]

i thought SLI didnt scale well in crysis?

Anyway its off topic. P4's so people know, DO have different flavours. preslers own prescott, and this ones at 4.7G - its going to keep up with say, an athlon64 3500+ at least. slow yes, useless now. Hyperthreading will provide a decent boost too.

Yeah, your housemate probably does run it 45frames very low. My uncle has some 939Opty oced to hell and he also has a 1650pro and he gets right around 45/50fps on crysis.
umer is going to want to rethink his entire system, though if he wants to play crysis at decent quality.

[OzzmanFloyd120]

I like the XFX 9600GT Alpha Dog card running two of them. Plus the life time warranty is nice.

The warranty is VERY VERY VERY nice. It's actually how I'm getting my second card. I sent in my 7900GS for RMA when it died and they offered me the 9600GT because my card was out of stock. Now I stand by XFX for life.

[umerwahla]

Just found this review ......... theyve tested "World in Conflict" on a P4 3.6 Ghz at 800X600, high quality, AA and AF turned off and 8800GTX

the result: 10fps :S
heres the review
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2200932,00.asp

it just put me off buying a 9600gt. if 8800gtx cant get more than 10fps on 3.6Ghz P4 World in conflict at 800 X 600 and AA anf AF turned off, i dont think 9600gt will do any better on my system :'(

what do ya guys think?

[umerwahla]

RAM is measured in GB
CPU is measured in Ghz


lol ... ya i know that ....... i dont know why i wrote that :P


You say you have a Pentium 4, however the motherboard you quoted is socket 775 for Pentium D dual core, can you be more specific as to the processor type you own.


its a 3.0Ghz HT bought it some 2.5 years ago ........ its not dual core thats for sure ....... and the motherboard is P5 LD2-VM ..... thats the model number used in singapore ...... maybe its different elsewhere



umerwahla, the 8800 GT/GTS are also a good choices. 8800 GTS can be found extremely cheap these days.

not in singapore ... its costs a 100 dollar more than 9600 gt

[hat]

Actually I would upgrade your processor before your video card.

[umerwahla]

The warranty is VERY VERY VERY nice. It's actually how I'm getting my second card. I sent in my 7900GS for RMA when it died and they offered me the 9600GT because my card was out of stock. Now I stand by XFX for life.

i think they only have a 2 year warranty here in asia :cry:...... atleast according to their site ... i just checked

[umerwahla]

Actually I would upgrade your processor before your video card.

Ill be making me a good gaming system in like a year ....... just needed a temporary and cost effective solution for now

[ShadowFold]

Actually I would upgrade your processor before your video card.

Then you have to update the ram and motherboard. And he probly has AGP so then a new video card would be needed.

[hat]

If he has AGP now why is he considering a 9600gt?

[umerwahla]

Then you have to update the ram and motherboard. And he probly has AGP so then a new video card would be needed.

no ... i have pci-e

[webwizard]

I agree a CPU upgrade will do wonders for you.

[umerwahla]

I agree a CPU upgrade will do wonders for you.

thats not an option for me right now ........ i can only do a CPU upgrade in another year or so.

I am just looking for a temporary solution ...... so its between 8600 GT (90 US$ in singapore) and 9600 GT (180 US$ in Singapore). as the following link suggests, my system wont let me play latest games well, such as world in conflict, with a 9600GT either ... so im thinking y waste extra 90 dollars

The link is http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2200932,00.asp

[Morgoth]

RAM is measured in GB
CPU is measured in Ghz



ehh you mean Ram is Measured in Bytes
Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte,
and CPU in Hertz
hertz, Dekahertz, Hektohertz, Kilohertz, Megahertz,Gigahertz,Terahertz, Petahertz, ect

[umerwahla]

also i found this link ..... the same story ...... tomhardware (supposedly) mark 06 figures and the repliers suggesting not to put a 9600gt on pentium D

http://www.computing.net/answers/cpus/celeron-d-351-and-9600gt/14652.html

[Darren]

ehh you mean Ram is Measured in Bytes
Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte,
and CPU in Hertz
hertz, Dekahertz, Hektohertz, Kilohertz, Megahertz,Gigahertz,Terahertz, Petahertz, ect

I'm fully aware of the measurement terminologies and deliberate didn't give a full summery of different measurement possibilities as umerwahla was only confused with GB and Ghz, if anything it as most probably a typo.

so its between 8600 GT (90 US$ in singapore) and 9600 GT (180 US$ in Singapore). as the following link suggests, my system wont let me play latest games well, such as world in conflict, with a 9600GT either

I'm going to say this one last time as you seemed to have ignored my golden advice, and a lot of other golden knowledge. The 8600 GT isn't a very good card, its cheap and makes an excellent temporary card however since your computer is weak due to your slow processor and limited ram a 8600 GT wouldn't be sufficient for those newer games which you keep banging on about such as Crysis, and is an absolute no-go for upcoming games such as Farcry 2 - (COD4 should play fine with a tiny bit more ram)

The following cards are the best deal in terms of cost/performance ratio and should last a good year and a half. 8800 GT or GTS/ 9600 GT/ 3870. Your motherboard appears to be core 2 compatible so perhaps late summer you can fit in a E-range CPU such as the E6600 and a tiny bit more ram.

Edit: after doing a bit of research your motherboard I found out that your motherboard is indeed core 2 ready http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=194&l4=0&model=536&modelmenu=1

[umerwahla]

I'm going to say this one last time as you seemed to have ignored my golden advice, and a lot of other golden knowledge. The 8600 GT isn't a very good card, its cheap and makes an excellent temporary card however since your computer is weak due to your slow processor and limited ram a 8600 GT wouldn't be sufficient for those newer games which you keep banging on about such as Crysis, and is an absolute no-go for upcoming games such as Farcry 2 - (COD4 should play fine with a tiny bit more ram)

hey! I beleive you :D .... yes 8600gt isnt a good card. and i was convinced on getting 9600gt untill i read the following review:-
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2200932,00.asp

this indicates that my system wont be able to run those games even on an 8800gtx let alone 9600gt (as indicated by the 10fps for Pentium 4 560 at 3.6GHz). so im just thinking that if even 9600 gt aint gonna run the latest games on my pc then why not save me 90 dollars.

im just seeking ur opinion on that link that i just pasted, in reference to the issue. wouldnt that be the case with all the upcoming games and the more recent ones? i mean 10fps is quite simply unplayable.

theres also a mention of testing of a Pentium 4 530 (3.0GHz) system with 8800gtx resulting in a very low benchmark score of 4910 in the following link:
http://www.computing.net/answers/cpus/celeron-d-351-and-9600gt/14652.html

so what do u think? is that benchmark enuff to run upcoming or latest games at good quality. if not, then y 8600gt should be more effective choice right?


The following cards are the best deal in terms of cost/performance ratio and should last a good year and a half. 8800 GT or GTS/ 9600 GT/ 3870. Your motherboard appears to be core 2 compatible so perhaps late summer you can fit in a E-range CPU such as the E6600 and a tiny bit more ram.


i see ur point ...... but im not in a position to spend that kinda money right now ..... not for another year infact. id be emptying my pocket paying for the graphics card. just btw ... how much is an E6600 btw?
yeah im definitely getting me 1 more gb of ram. its only 20 dollars


Edit: after doing a bit of research your motherboard I found out that your motherboard is indeed core 2 ready http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=194&l4=0&model=536&modelmenu=1

thats wierd cause i bought it in september of 2005 ........ there was no core 2 then :S and there is no mention in the booklet either

i guess its just far sightetness on asus' part.


hey i just want ur opinion cause u guys are obviously more experienced and knowledgable in this regard.

[OzzmanFloyd120]

On newegg the only e6600 I seen was pretty expensive, but this was cheap!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116070

[umerwahla]

On newegg the only e6600 I seen was pretty expensive, but this was cheap!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116070

yeah maybe that i can buy in a few months .... but woud it be much of a boost?? i mean how does a dual core 2.4 compare to 3.0HT


theres no way i can afford that 6600 and anywayz according to darren's link, my motherboard doesnt support quad cores

[umerwahla]

oooopps it was a duplicate post :P

[umerwahla]

Edit: after doing a bit of research your motherboard I found out that your motherboard is indeed core 2 ready http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=194&l4=0&model=536&modelmenu=1

it also says "*Only PCB R2.0(or higher) support Intel® Core™2 processor"

how to i check if mine is pcb R2.0???

[Darren]

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2200932,00.asp


That review is months old, like almost 6 months old. That link shows World in Conflict's built in CPU test and it's not an indication of in game performance as these new games tend to be GPU dependant more than CPU dependent. The 9600 GT should perform similar to the 8800 GTS and achieve between 25-40 FPS at 1200x1600 - look at the direct X 9.0 forget about the DX10 results as the game had major performance issues initially until Nvida and ATI released newer drivers.


wouldnt that be the case with all the upcoming games and the more recent ones? i mean 10fps is quite simply unplayable.


Any of the following cards 9600GT/8800GT/GTS/3870 or better should play current games and most newer games at high (with the exception of crysis) at resolutions of 1440x900 with a frame rate of approximately 30-60 frames. The 8600 GT would handle current games but never the upcoming revolutionary games, they are simily out of the question.


i see ur point ...... but im not in a position to spend that kinda money right now ..... not for another year infact. id be emptying my pocket paying for the graphics card. just btw ... how much is an E6600 btw?


You will be emptying your pocket twice, once for the 8600 GT, then after a few weeks you're going to realise it's not too powerful, and you will empty it again on a 9600 GT equivalent performing card or better

The E6600 is much faster than what you have, it's in a different league and is worth every penny as far as dual cores go. Think the E8xxx range is slightly cheaper and faster. The E8400 can be found for $209, the E8200 is around $180-190.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3574211&Sku=CP1-DUO-E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037


yeah im definitely getting me 1 more gb of ram. its only 20 dollars


Good good. 2 GB minimum for the latest games, 4 GB recommended.


thats wierd cause I bought it in september of 2005 ........ there was no core 2 then :S and there is no mention in the booklet either


Perhaps Asus added additional core 2 duo support via a bios update.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Look out for the 8600 GT and 9600 GT to give you an idea of the performance gap.


http://i1.techpowerup.com/reviews/Biostar/GeForce_9600_GT/images/fear_2048_1536.gif

http://i2.techpowerup.com/reviews/Biostar/GeForce_9600_GT/images/crysis_1280_1024.gif

http://i5.techpowerup.com/reviews/Biostar/GeForce_9600_GT/images/ut3_2048_1536.gif

[umerwahla]

Darren, i was never in doubt that 9600 GT is a much better card than 8600 GT ...... the doubt hung over the difference in performance after the P4 bottleneck. thanks for the generously informative reply though


Any of the following cards 9600GT/8800GT/GTS/3870 or better should play current games and most newer games at high (with the exception of crysis) at resolutions of 1440x900 with a frame rate of approximately 30-60 frames. The 8600 GT would handle current games but never the upcoming revolutionary games, they are simily out of the question.


I am Assuming you wrote this considering the P4 bottleneck.

I'll be doing some further checking on my motherboard. If it can support core2 duo, (it sure as hell cant support quad so e6600 is out of question) than its ill be getting me a 9600gt now and and then prolly up my cpu in 3,4 months.

btw how much of a boost 2180 /2200 would give my system?? cause i wont be spending more than 100 dollars on cpu upgrade

also how do i check if my motherboard has "pcb R2.0" or not??? cause thall decide if it can run core2duo or not

[Darren]

doubt hung over the difference in performance after the P4 bottleneck. thanks for the generously informative reply though

Admittedly the P4 will become a huge bottleneck, especially on upcoming games but unlikely to the extent where games are completely unplayable. CPU isn't much of a factor these days any cheap core 2 duo should be suffice as long as the GPU is well enough to support it. The e2180/2200 range aren't excellent products and are not very performance worthy at stock, however over clocked on a good motherboard can reach E6600 speeds.



also how do i check if my motherboard has "pcb R2.0" or not??? cause thall decide if it can run core2duo or not

I'm guessing "pcb R2.0" would mean that there are physical differences and not just a mere bios update. All you can do is consult your motherboard's manual, or obtain the manufacturer details from CPU-z or Sandra Lite match it upto Asus's specification.

list of cheap suitable cards: Do a bit of research as some 9600 GT's have been shipped faulty especially EVGA and PNY branded cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121242
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127325

PS. What graphics card are you currently using and what model number is your P4? Some of the early P4 were extension of the Pentium D's which are dual core and are decent. If it's a Pentium D, you might get away without needing to upgrade your CPU. :)

[umerwahla]

well its official .... my mobo sucks :( .. it is pcb R1.03 which means that it cant run core 2 or dual core or even the latest celeron processors.

It can only run penitum D, Pentium D 960(3.6GHz, 800 FSB, L2 4MB, revD0) being the fastest and Celeron D, Celeron D 351 (3.2 GHz, 533 FSB, revG1, LGA775) being the fastest.

these processors are almost impossible to find in market and the performance boost is not worth the effort or money (spitballing here). And since i am in no position of upgrading both the mobo and cpu for the next 1-1.5 years ........ so my cpu aint gaining no speed.

so back to the the core question. I think the overwhelming response has bee that 9600 gt will still be worth the extra 90 dollars. I guess ill just get some tutorials on overclocking my cpu. perhaps OC with HT will widen the bottleneck.

thanks everyone for the overwhelming response. Its very much appreciated. If u still have some advice, please let me know....... cheerz

[umerwahla]

list of cheap suitable cards: Do a bit of research as some 9600 GT's have been shipped faulty especially EVGA and PNY branded cards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134038
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121242
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127325

PS. What graphics card are you currently using and what model number is your P4? Some of the early P4 were extension of the Pentium D's which are dual core and are decent. If it's a Pentium D, you might get away without needing to upgrade your CPU. :)

hey thanks for the effort man. newegg doesnt work me cause ill have to pay 50 extra dollars for a third party delivery (i live in singapore). Ill definitely do some research on what is the most reliable of 9600gt's

thanks for the informative posts :toast:

[umerwahla]

PS. What graphics card are you currently using and what model number is your P4? Some of the early P4 were extension of the Pentium D's which are dual core and are decent. If it's a Pentium D, you might get away without needing to upgrade your CPU. :)

I am using the sucky intel extreme 2. 224mb (thought it always remains at 64 mb). I ahvent doen much gaming for the past 3 years so dint have a problem thus far (it ran strategy games like civ IV just fine for my taste)

I dont know how to tell the model number, so ill just paste whatever is writen on the box:-
Pentium 4 Processor 630, LGA775 Pkg 3 Ghz, 2MB L2-Cache, 800 MHz FSB

it is hyperthreaded btw

[ShadowFold]

well its official .... my mobo sucks :( .. it is pcb R1.03 which means that it cant run core 2 or dual core or even the latest celeron processors.

It can only run penitum D, Pentium D 960(3.6GHz, 800 FSB, L2 4MB, revD0) being the fastest and Celeron D, Celeron D 351 (3.2 GHz, 533 FSB, revG1, LGA775) being the fastest.

these processors are almost impossible to find in market and the performance boost is not worth the effort or money (spitballing here). And since i am in no position of upgrading both the mobo and cpu for the next 1-1.5 years ........ so my cpu aint gaining no speed.

so back to the the core question. I think the overwhelming response has bee that 9600 gt will still be worth the extra 90 dollars. I guess ill just get some tutorials on overclocking my cpu. perhaps OC with HT will widen the bottleneck.

thanks everyone for the overwhelming response. Its very much appreciated. If u still have some advice, please let me know....... cheerz

Even with a bios flash? Im sure you can 1066/800 fsb Core2 support with a bios flash..

[umerwahla]

Even with a bios flash? Im sure you can 1066/800 fsb Core2 support with a bios flash..

I dont know much about bios flash but as far as i can tell its an architecture thing and i dont think (based on my naive knowledge) u can fix an architecture thing with bios

heres the link detailing the processors that can be run on my mobo (the ones with All, 1.02G or 1.03G writen under "since PCB" column are the ones)

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=P5LD2-VM

if u think it shuld work, can u educate me on bios flash? and just btw .... isnt bios flash supposed to be risky?

[OzzmanFloyd120]

I dont know much about bios flash but as far as i can tell its an architecture thing and i dont think (based on my naive knowledge) u can fix an architecture thing with bios

heres the link detailing the processors that can be run on my mobo (the ones with All, 1.02G or 1.03G writen under "since PCB" column are the ones)

http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupport.aspx?SLanguage=en-us&model=P5LD2-VM

if u think it shuld work, can u educate me on bios flash? and just btw .... isnt bios flash supposed to be risky?

Bios flashing isn't risky at all if you do it right. I prefer the floppy method, get two 1.44mb 3.5" disks and make one of them a windows 98 boot disk, if you have a hard time finding that on google give me a PM and I'll hook you up. On the second disk unpack the bios flash utility and the new bios, all of those you'll be able to find on Asus' website.
Boot floppy first and make sure the 98 boot disk is in, when it boots into bios take the disk out and put in the one with the flash utility and the new bios on it. type the file name of the flash utility eg. "A:/autoexec.exe" and it'll be a cake walk from there.

Edit: Just don't turn off the computer while it's flashing and rewiting. Sometimes it takes a while to rewite the bios.
The only risky flashing utilities are the ones that work in windows.

[Mussels]

Keep this in mind - even if your CPU holds you back now, at least a 9600GT will be useful on your next PC.


You cannot get a core2 on that mobo with the PCB revision you have. A bios update cannot fix that. BIOS updates are not that risky, but there is a chance that if the power goes out or something that you will have a failure.

[Darren]

I dont know how to tell the model number, so ill just paste whatever is writen on the box:- Pentium 4 Processor 630, LGA775 Pkg 3 Ghz, 2MB L2-Cache, 800 MHz FSB


It's appears to be a single core Prescott, perhaps you can get hold a dual core Pentium D 945, 925 or 915, ebay has them for practically nothing, and the performance difference will be huge.

[umerwahla]

It's appears to be a single core Prescott, perhaps you can get hold a dual core Pentium D 945 or 915, ebay has them for practically nothing, and the performance difference will be huge.

how about overclocking my processor. 630 are supposed to be good at that. how much of a difference would that make?

150 dollars (after delivery) aint exactly "nothing" for me

[Mussels]

how about overclocking my processor. 630 are supposed to be good at that. how much of a difference would that make?

150 dollars (after delivery) aint exactly "nothing" for me

OCing would make a difference, but that really depends on your ram and motherboard.

A late model pentium D (presler) is a HUGE leap over the older single core models... perhaps hunt around a bit more?

[umerwahla]

OCing would make a difference, but that really depends on your ram and motherboard.

A late model pentium D (presler) is a HUGE leap over the older single core models... perhaps hunt around a bit more?

How to tell if the motherboard is good for OC? mine is Asus P5LD2-VM. Ill be upgrading my RAM to 2.5Ghz 677.

hmmm ....... yeah i'll keep hunting. But it seems difficult to get one under 100 cause the official intel price is 168 :S:S:S ... how come so high. heres the link:-
http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/101302/April_20_08_pricelist.pdf

found it on zdnet

[Mussels]

How to tell if the motherboard is good for OC? mine is Asus P5LD2-VM. Ill be upgrading my RAM to 2.5Ghz 677.

hmmm ....... yeah i'll keep hunting. But it seems difficult to get one under 100 cause the official intel price is 168 :S:S:S ... how come so high. heres the link:-
http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/101302/April_20_08_pricelist.pdf

found it on zdnet

Because P4's are quite old and many people sell them off second hand.

As for overclocking, start another thread for that - list every spec of your system (motherboard revision, bios version, CPU information, ram information) and we should be able to give you a headstart - mostly it comes down to what settings your BIOS offers. You have an asus, so there is a chance it will be an OCing model.

You say its a 4.5GHz Pentium 4, so doesnt that mean its overclocked already?

Also please dont confuse things - you said "Ill be upgrading my RAM to 2.5Ghz 677."

Size is in Bytes. Megabytes MB or Gigabytes GB. Speed is the MHz value.
You would be meaning upgrading to 2.5GB or 667MHz ram.

When overclocking, using less sticks often overclocks easier and you DO get a performance loss if you go to single channel. To run dual channel, you require 2 (or 4) IDENTICAL sticks - speed and size. Thats 2 (or 4) 512MB, 1GB or 2GB sticks of ram, of the same speed.

[umerwahla]

As for overclocking, start another thread for that - list every spec of your system (motherboard revision, bios version, CPU information, ram information) and we should be able to give you a headstart - mostly it comes down to what settings your BIOS offers. You have an asus, so there is a chance it will be an OCing model.

hmmm ... OK will do


You say its a 4.5GHz Pentium 4, so doesnt that mean its overclocked already?

No ... its a 3.0Ghz model. but since its hyperthreaded, so it is supposed to be an equivalent of 4.5Ghz (I have been told. Is that right??)

Also please dont confuse things - you said "Ill be upgrading my RAM to 2.5Ghz 677."

Size is in Bytes. Megabytes MB or Gigabytes GB. Speed is the MHz value.
You would be meaning upgrading to 2.5GB or 667MHz ram.

LOL:laugh:... yeah I know that ... this is the secod time I made that mistake ........ its just a typo


When overclocking, using less sticks often overclocks easier and you DO get a performance loss if you go to single channel. To run dual channel, you require 2 (or 4) IDENTICAL sticks - speed and size. Thats 2 (or 4) 512MB, 1GB or 2GB sticks of ram, of the same speed.

hmmmm .... Actually righ now I have one 1GB DDR2 667Mhz stick and one 512mb DDR2 533Mhz stick. I was planning to get another 1GB DDR2 667Mhz stick. but as u say that its best to have 2 identical sticks, so i guess ill get rid of the 512 stick. Or can I get another 512 533 MHz. Would that work?

[ghost101]

hmmm ... OK will do


No ... its a 3.0Ghz model. but since its hyperthreaded, so it is supposed to be an equivalent of 4.5Ghz (I have been told. Is that right??)

Oh no. Thats completely false. Its still 3.0ghz. In fact, in single threaded games, the hyperthreading makes it worse as it only uses about 80% of the core.

Hyperthreading was brought so that the core was used more efficiently via 2 threads.

The best example i can give is when i used to fold with a pentium 530.

The maximum data crunched was via using 2 clients using 2 threads using hyperthreading. Second was using a single client without hyperthreading. Last was a single client using hyperthreading.

People's advice in this thread have been completely dependent on you having oced your cpu to 4.5ghz. A 9600gt will be massively bottlenecked by that cpu. Its roughly equivalent to say a celeron 430 (single core allendale @1.8ghz).

edit: my advice if you do not want a new system is get an 8600gt for the time being http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130085

[Mussels]

Hyperthreading is half of a dual core.

The second core is only half there, designed so that basic 2D stuff (windows use etc) can be moved over and run on that 'core' while the first one is busy with other things. It definately does not add up.

Think of it like a bus and a motor scooter - the main core is the bus, the hyperthreading is the scooter. Yes the scooter is just as fast, but it cant carry anywhere near as much workload.

at 3GHz the speed is totally slower than we thought. Go for a cheaper card - 3850, 8600GT - find some good bargains and let us know what you can get, and we'll help you choose.

[Mussels]

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=762174#post762174

check post 1 - the guy is selling a pentium D 830 for $50.

[freakshow]

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=762174#post762174

check post 1 - the guy is selling a pentium D 830 for $50.

damn u beat me to it :laugh:

[umerwahla]

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?p=762174#post762174

check post 1 - the guy is selling a pentium D 830 for $50.

WOW ... thanks .... ill look into it ... I hope he ships to Singapore

Mussels and Ghost101 .... thanks alot for the ellaborate explanation on hyper threading ..... it was really stupid to think that it increased the CPU speed :laugh:

I think I might also consider getting a 9600GT now and then selling my current processor and motherboard (if i can get somewhere around 100 bucks for it) and then maybe get C2D4600 and starter mobo. It all depends if I can get a good deal for em. Or else 8600GT it is. Any chance of prices of C2D4600 or 9600GT coming down (9600 GSO is coming in may) in next couple months?

[umerwahla]

Hey mussels, I tried replying to Bogmali's PC Parts (the one with pentium D) thread .... but it says that I dont have permission ?????? why?

[freakshow]

;Hey mussels, I tried replying to Bogmali's PC Parts (the one with pentium D) thread .... but it says that I dont have permission ?????? why?


try to PM him....it might be cause your still new to the forms;)

[umerwahla]

;


try to PM him....it might be cause your still new to the forms;)

done. thanks

[Mussels]

odds are is that it would be you are too new - thats there to stop newbies selling things fakely, but a buyer should have no concerns - he wont send it until you've already paid anyway.

He would ship to Singapore i guess as he's shipping to me - it may just cost you extra.

[umerwahla]

He would ship to Singapore i guess as he's shipping to me - it may just cost you extra.

I just got his response ... hes not shipping internationally. anywayz ill keep looking for a pentium D ... if not then ill see if I can sell my current mobo and cpu and get a cheap C2D ... or else 8600gt it is

[Mussels]

I just got his response ... hes not shipping internationally. anywayz ill keep looking for a pentium D ... if not then ill see if I can sell my current mobo and cpu and get a cheap C2D ... or else 8600gt it is

say what? he's shipping the HDD's to me...

[umerwahla]

say what? he's shipping the HDD's to me...

well then i dont know .... thats what he told me

[Mussels]

well damn. i dont see why he wouldnt, as long as you paid whatever the shipping cost - offer him some more money, even at $100, its a lot cheaper than you can get locally.

[Mussels]

PM'd him - he made an offer of $60USD shipped.

I suggest you PM him again, and get the ball rolling.

[candle_86]

Yeah, 9600GT is superior to 8600GT (GPUReview comparison link below). 9600GT has twice the shading and raw pixel pushing power as well as more memory bandwidth than 8600GT.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=557&card2=513



No 8600 card, GT or GTS was good, any year. This, last, or the following. Unless you are only into playing DOS oldies or what not.

really where do you base that from?

the 8600GT @ 100 dollars was a great card, though now the 8600GTS is @ 100 dollars, and i promise in the 100 dollar bracket its unbeatable. Mine plays COD4 maxed @ 12x10, Crysis at low/med @ 10x7. Granted mine is 512mb but they are not bad cards at all.

[Mussels]

really where do you base that from?

the 8600GT @ 100 dollars was a great card, though now the 8600GTS is @ 100 dollars, and i promise in the 100 dollar bracket its unbeatable. Mine plays COD4 maxed @ 12x10, Crysis at low/med @ 10x7. Granted mine is 512mb but they are not bad cards at all.

i bought an 86GT new for $180 - they sucked ass at the original price point.

[candle_86]

true they did, I wont argue that, but today they are great cards, really great cards. This 8600GTS im running i paid 120 for it, and its well worth it

[Mussels]

strangely enough, one of my suppliers has a 256MB 3850 for $110 listed... odd thing. (i was looking at prices for cards, in relation to this thread)

[candle_86]

to bad you can't order from the egg, the 8800GS 99 after MIR

[umerwahla]

to bad you can't order from the egg, the 8800GS 99 after MIR

yeah toooooo bad :cry:

infact i can but itll cost me 50 dollars extra (delivery via third party delivery service) and a lot of hassle. and 8800GS doesnt have pure video .... and im into HD movies

[umerwahla]

a few clips on youtube ..... crysis, COD4 running on high settings and 1280 X 1024 on Pentium 4

Crysis On 2.8 Ghz Pentium 4 + 8600GT
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MeeHOYf24Ww

crysis+8800gt+pentium 4+very very high settings
http://youtube.com/watch?v=V3K3mQ62WmY

Call Of Duty 4 on GForce8500GT (Pentium 4) Max Settings
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9kw3hAjFOik

so what do you guys think of these? the first one, 8800GS + P4 is hard to beleive but it seemed to be running well

[umerwahla]

really where do you base that from?

the 8600GT @ 100 dollars was a great card, though now the 8600GTS is @ 100 dollars, and i promise in the 100 dollar bracket its unbeatable. Mine plays COD4 maxed @ 12x10, Crysis at low/med @ 10x7. Granted mine is 512mb but they are not bad cards at all.

whats your CPU? will it give similar performance on a P4

[umerwahla]

WOW!!! ... i just saw XFX 8800GS 384MB DDR3 / DVI (580M) going for 130 US$ (only XFX selss 8800GS in Singapore)

how big is the difference in HD movie playback between 9600GT and 8800GS and what is the overall performance gap (in gaming). Also how about bottleneck effect of P4 on 8800GS

btw the price of this 8800Gs is 35US$ cheaper than the cheapest 9600GT and 2850 available in singapore and only

so what do you guys think?

[Darren]

WOW!!! ... i just saw XFX 8800GS 384MB DDR3 / DVI (580M) going for 130 US$ (only XFX selss 8800GS in Singapore)



The 8800GS are great cards, slightly faster than the ATI 3850 but slightly slower than the 9600 GT. It is a more than capable card, but here in the UK there is only small price gaps between these cards so the 9600 GT works out better value.


how big is the difference in HD movie playback between 9600GT and 8800GS and what is the overall performance gap (in gaming). Also how about bottleneck effect of P4 on 8800GS
so what do you guys think?

Playing HD-content isn't very hard. My crappy x1600 Pro can play HD content 16 GB files. The problem isn't GPU related it's CPU related mostly, I've noticed I run around 65% of my CPU usage when playing HD stuff, bare in mind my processor is slightly faster than yours. Whether you buy a 8800 GS or a lesser card HD content wouldn't be a huge performance difference.

[umerwahla]

The 8800GS are great cards, slightly faster than the ATI 3850 but slightly slower than the 9600 GT. It is a more than capable card, but here in the UK there is only small price gaps between these cards so the 9600 GT works out better value.
.

since the two cards are slightly different. Is there a chance that 8800gs will have less of a bottleneck effect from P4? or it may perform better on a P4 compared to 9600 GT? just being wishful :laugh:

Playing HD-content isn't very hard. My crappy x1600 Pro can play HD content 16 GB files. The problem isn't GPU related it's CPU related mostly, I've noticed I run around 65% of my CPU usage when playing HD stuff, bare in mind my processor is slightly faster than yours. Whether you buy a 8800 GS or a lesser card HD content wouldn't be a huge performance difference.

ahh thats good to know. then whats the hype around the pure video? i just wanna run HD 1280p smoothly on my pc. if it does the trick then im fine

[umerwahla]

I think ig ot a bit overexcited about that 8800gs (it was 200US$ last week, thats why) but i did a spec comparision as below
8800GS 9600GT96 Winner
Shared Units 96 64 8800GS
ROPS 12 16 9600GT
Memory Size 384M 512MB 9600GT
Memory bus width 192-bit 256-bit 9600GT
Core Clock 550Mhz 650Mhz 9600GT
Memory Clock 800Mhz 900Mhz 9600GT
PCIE-2 Yes Yes -
DX10 Yes YEs -

9600GT seems to be much better at everything. Although as darren pointed out .... the hardware tests that i checked on several sites dont point out much difference between them

but since they are different cards ........ is there a possibility that it will run better on my 3.0Ghz HT P4 than 9600GT .... just wishful thinking

also i have a 450W psu ... but im guessing it should be enough

Edit: I cant get the table to get copied properly, though it looks fine in the editing box :S so heres the link to a comparision of specs http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=3&id=2501

[webwizard]

I have found the 9600GT runs cooler than all the cards I had before. At idle mine stays at 31C. I am using a Antec Earthwatts 500 PSU and it does the job nicely.

[Mussels]

to the HD questions: HD decoding DOES get assisted by the video card, its more there to make the CPU's work easier. if you have a 2.4GHz CPU (dual core, any type) you'll have no issues with 1080p - LESS than that, and you're screwed without video decoding.

The video decoding will lower CPU usage, so on a media PC it will save you power - if you have speedstep or CnQ enabled, it will allow the CPU to clock down for a quieter/cooler PC during movie playback.

Also keep in mind this only works on VC1 or H264 codecs - therse no guarantees your downloaded HD files will work with video acceleration, afaik only blu ray and HD-DVD movies are officially supported.

[umerwahla]

I just found out that 8800GS does have Nvidia pure video and XFX is also bundling COD4 with it :P

well its settled then ..... ill check the shop up tomorrow (if theyre open) and buy it asap. I just hope the price isnt a typo lol .... strangely though .... this is the only place thats selling it for 135 (as per theyre online pricelist updated today) .... its 190 - 200 everywhere else (according to the other pricelists updated today. within singapore ofcourse)

[umerwahla]

Also keep in mind this only works on VC1 or H264 codecs - therse no guarantees your downloaded HD files will work with video acceleration, afaik only blu ray and HD-DVD movies are officially supported.

I use H264 codecs only ... so i guess it should be fine .... there might be the cpu issue that ill see later

[umerwahla]

I just bought me the 8800 GS :rockout:

everyone.... thanks for being so responsive and helpful. :toast:

cheers

[Mussels]

and the pentium D?

As you get each part, let us know how much faster things are getting!

[umerwahla]

and the pentium D?

As you get each part, let us know how much faster things are getting!

Im still thinking about it. Ill see the performance now. If I feel the urge than I have 2 options. I might be getting a very good internship. The pay will be more than enough to get me a new mobo and cpu. Will get the confirmation this week. Or else ill get a pentium D. all depends how wellt he P4 works with 8800GS and whether i get that internship or not

[umerwahla]

I just played COD4 demo on a 1280 X 1024 resolution with everything maxed up ........ and it worked flawlessly ... am having my exams so ... will do some proper testing with better games once im over with them

[umerwahla]

btw are there any precautionary measure that I ahve to take with this new card? given that I only have stock cooling. I normally keep my system running .... forever ... i rarely shut it down.

could that be a problem with 8800gs? overheating or something?

[Mussels]

btw are there any precautionary measure that I ahve to take with this new card? given that I only have stock cooling. I normally keep my system running .... forever ... i rarely shut it down.

could that be a problem with 8800gs? overheating or something?

as it gets hot, the fan gets louder. if the fan is extremely loud for long periods of time, it may be overheating. The only thing i'd avoid is having it run 3D constantly - when you leave the PC alone, leave it on the desktop and not a game.