Processor slots (1 Viewer)

[deyveed]

Could someone explain to me which intel CPUs go into which slots and what the slot names are?

I've got a PIII CPU and it goes into a rectangular slot with clips on the side. What slot is that called?
Whats the square one called?
Are there only these two?

If i want to upgrade to an intel processor that requires a square slot, can i use any old motherboard with a square slot or do i need a specific intel processor motherboard?

 

[Acid]

Don't quote me on this, but i'm 90% sure that rectangular PIII's are in a slot called "Slot 1" (could be "Slot A"), and the square ones are Socket 370.

If you are upgrading to a Pentium 4, you need to upgrade your motherboard to a Socket 478 one. My suggestions is one based on the i865PE chipset.

 

[Huy]

If you are using:

P3 - Slot 1 or Socket 370
P4 - Socket 478
AMD - Socket A

The rectangular one you have, is a Slot 1.

The square one is a Socket 370 (for Pentium IIIs)

If you have a Pentium 4, you will use the Socket 478 (this is the square one, you "drop" the chip in).

If you require an Intel processor, to be used in a mainboard, then you cannot use "any old motherboard" - but one designed for that particular socket (or slot).

I would imagine that you will be wanting to upgrade to the Pentium 4.

In which case, you will be looking for the Socket 478 mainboards, as you cannot use your existing mainboard (which supports only Slot 1) CPUs.

If you are buying an AMD (but you say you're using an Intel, now and into the future) - then naturally you will want a Socket A mainboard, and an AMD CPU.

To recap:

Intel - Pentium III = Slot 1 (rectangular), or Socket 370 (square)
Intel - Pentium 4 = Socket 478 (square)
AMD - Athlon = Socket A (square)

 

[deyveed]

Ok. I've got this old motherboard that i think was designed for a P2 CPU. Its got a square socket
If i get a P4 CPU (square one), can i use it on that motherboard?

Also, how much would each of these cost?
a P4 2.8Ghz
a quality motherboard for it without those built in extras like sound/video.


I think I've got SD RAM in my P3 comp. Can i use this on a P4 motherboard?

 

[Huy]

Ok. I've got this old motherboard that i think was designed for a P2 CPU. Its got a square socket
If i get a P4 CPU (square one), can i use it on that motherboard?

No.

I think I've got SD RAM in my P3 comp. Can i use this on a P4 motherboard?

There are some mainboards out there which support SD-RAM (PC133), but generally, you would not be able to use standard PC133 RAM for Pentium 4s, as they would require either:

* RDRAM
* DDR RAM

The RDRAM modules (DIMMs) aren't all that popular these days, so you would be looking at a mainboard which supports DDR RAM. This means that not only will you have to throw out your old mainboard (or keep it, but purchase a new one) which uses DDR RAM, but you will also need one which supports the Pentium 4 CPU, (Socket 478). You will also need to buy new ram (DDR) to be used on the mainboard.

With an old motherboard, designed for the Pentium II CPUs, you will not be able to use the Pentium 4 CPUs, in the same motherboard. You will have to buy a new one (see above).

The new motherboard must support:

* Socket 478, designed for Pentium 4 CPUs
* DDR RAM, which can also be used on an AMD mainboard if you decide to buy AMD (using a different mainboard of course, for Socket As).

Also, how much would each of these cost?
a P4 2.8Ghz
a quality motherboard for it without those built in extras like sound/video.

A 2.8GHz P4 (800FSB, HT) at present goes for about $215.

The mainboard is up to you, but it must support HyperThreading (HT) technology, I have an i875 chipset in mine - and you will also need to find one that has everything you want.

For example the number of PCI slots, 8x AGP (or 4x), number of RAM banks, the number of USB 1.1 or 2.0 ports, FireWire, onboard video, sound or LAN - these are all decisions that you will have to make for your budget and needs. (I cannot tell you which one will suit your needs).

 

[deyveed]

Ok. I think i'll be needing a new video card.
I'll need something thats cheap but can run the latest games with nice detail and sufficient speed.
Is there anything like this for around $100?

 

[Huy]

Originally posted by deyveed
Ok. I think i'll be needing a new video card.
I'll need something thats cheap but can run the latest games with nice detail and sufficient speed.
Is there anything like this for around $100?

That's really scraping the barrel.

For what you are asking for: "cheap but can run the latest games with nice detail and sufficient speed" - that's asking for the impossible.

For $100, however, you can probably buy yourself a video card which can play some of the latest games, but the rule is: "you get what you pay for".

I'd probably recommend something like the GeForce FX5200 or a an ATi 9200.

There are other options out there, like the MX440 (64MB) GeForce 4 cards, but it's really your decision to make, in the end.

 

[Winston]

Originally posted by Huy
That's really scraping the barrel.

For what you are asking for: "cheap but can run the latest games with nice detail and sufficient speed" - that's asking for the impossible.

For $100, however, you can probably buy yourself a video card which can play some of the latest games, but the rule is: "you get what you pay for".

I'd probably recommend something like the GeForce FX5200 or a an ATi 9200.

There are other options out there, like the MX440 (64MB) GeForce 4 cards, but it's really your decision to make, in the end.

I'd probably oppose Huy's recommendation and unrecommend nVidia products for now, if your looking for a sustainable system and looking forward for the new Windows releasing in 2004/05 i'd advise avoiding nVidia products, close sources internally have told me it doesnt like nVidia much with their hardware, besides Geforce isnt the best, i'd go with ATI's Raedon's

 

[deyveed]

Ohh. Its cos i've only got $100 to spend and i want something thats worth it so i'm not paying for a brand that does nothing.

Are these ATIs good? Will it be able to play CS on a high resolution? Do you think it will have continuous support in the future in case i need drivers and patches?

 

[Huy]

Are these ATIs good? Will it be able to play CS on a high resolution? Do you think it will have continuous support in the future in case i need drivers and patches?

I don't own any ATi cards, but yes, they are good for your purposes.

You will be able to play CS - but at a high resolution? How large is your monitor (dimensions, in inches) and what resolution are you thinking of running CS?

If you've got a 15" or 17" CRT, then you're probably looking at the 1024*768 res. You can then lower the resolution on CS (I don't play the game, sorry) but generally speaking, you should be able to have a higher frame rate by lowering the resolution of the game - to say 640*480 or 600*800.

I don't really play the game, or any other, so I can't really say for sure. But yes, you should be able to get warranty on the card, as well as some sort of support (website, manuals, store) out of the card - be it through drivers and patches, just visit the official website or use the supplied CDs for drivers (when you purchase it) - then upgrade or update the drivers when you're online.

 

[deyveed]

Thanks for the info

Could someone explain what nvidia, geforce etc are?
Someone said that geforce is the chipset?
does that mean that nvidia is the company and it produces video cards called geforce just like intel makes pentiums?


One more thing, is the intel xeon the processor to succeed p4?

 

[Huy]

Could someone explain what nvidia, geforce etc are?

nVidia = company that makes video cards
GeForce = line of graphics card, made by nVidia

does that mean that nvidia is the company and it produces video cards called geforce just like intel makes pentiums?

Yes.

One more thing, is the intel xeon the processor to succeed p4?

Different purposes.

So no, they will not succeed the Pentium 4.

The Pentium "5" will succeed the Pentium 4.

5 > 4 > III > II > Pentium
(with the Celeron chips in-between 2 and 3 but I wont confuse you).

The Xeon chips are for a whole other purpose, so don't worry about them. (Don't even worry about the Itanium line of CPUs, you will not see one, or ever use one in your life time )

 

[deyveed]

Do you think i should save money for a better speaker system or a better sound card? Which one makes the most difference?

 

[Huy]

Do you think i should save money for a better speaker system or a better sound card? Which one makes the most difference?

Better speakers, IMO.

I am using my onboard audio! (AC'97) 6 channel I believe, but I'm not what you'll call a music afficionado (sp) - I listen to a few mp3's every now and again. It does the job for me (since I'm not a audiophile).

I think you will be better off with a great speaker system, rather than a really good sound card, with "cheap" speakers as outputs. (I'd much prefer to have crisp audio from a middle-ranged sound card, going out through a decent set of speakers or headphones).

 

[deyveed]

CooL

What are the numbers that follow some of the hardware like DDR 2100, DDR 2700, P4 2.8Ghz, P4 2.8GHz 800Mhz?
Do i need to worry about it or can i go for the cheaper one?

 

[Huy]

So many questions...

What are the numbers that follow some of the hardware like DDR 2100, DDR 2700, P4 2.8Ghz, P4 2.8GHz 800Mhz?

You will never see anything like "DDR 2100"

But more likely, you will find:

"PC3200 DDR400"

This means that the type of RAM being used, DDR 400 runs at 400MHz.

For PC2100, it will run at 266MHz.
For PC2700, it will run at 333MHz.


As for the CPUs.

P4 2.8Ghz, P4 2.8GHz 800Mhz?

The 800MHz signifies the Front-Side-Bus (FSB) frequency.

In this case, it would be the Pentium 4, with 800MHz FSB (HyperThreading P4 "C"; for Canterwood CPUs will be running at 800MHz).

All other Pentium 4's will run at 533MHz (the older ones).


In your particular situation, I would not want to create more questions than is necessary - so as to not confuse you, creating more questions, and so on.

Do i need to worry about it or can i go for the cheaper one?

PC2100, DDR266 should be fine if you're working on a budget.

Bare in mind that if you purchase motherboard that supports PC3200 (for example, DDR400) - when using DDR266 RAM, you will be reduced to 266MHz, instead of having the "right" type of RAM - running at 400MHz.

The good thing about buying DDR400 or higher RAM is that it is backward compatible and can be "underclocked" to run at slower speeds, on older boards.

So if I used my DDR400 RAM on a machine, such as Winston's running an AMD CPU, I would be able to use my faster-rated RAM (at 400MHz) in a slower system, be it 266MHz or 333MHz.

You should not worry too much about this, unless you are willing to read a lot on your own, do your own research because I will not be here to hold your hand and spoonfeed you, guiding you step-by-step.

Search the Internet and read plenty of reviews, learn the basics before you attempt to find out the specifics or read technical documents.

That is all I can really say, you shouldn't worry too much right now - if money is an issue, then go for what is best suited for you, and your budget.

Ask plenty of questions, but don't rely on others because ultimately - you will have to make the purchasing decisions on your own, for your own personal needs and uses.

 

[deyveed]

Thanks for answering all of my questions Huy
I really appreciate it.

 

[Huy]

Originally posted by deyveed


Thanks for answering all of my questions Huy
I really appreciate it.

No problems, glad to have helped you deyveed

 

[Newbie]

if money is an issue
dump the speakers and sound card and get a better vid card

theres no point getting great sound but playing cs at 15 fps, well thats what i've been doing for the last 4 years lol

 

[Fosweb]

If money isnt an issue:
Get new EXTERNAL Audigy and either:

Altech Lansing 621 speakers if you want 2.1 sound (these are GREAT! Best $220 i ever spent on speakers...)
Or Altech Lansing 641 speakers if you want more sound... (These would be even better if you can afford $500 for a set of speakers.)