CPU upgrade.. compatible?

[Ogloo]

Hey, i have a pretty bad computer.. but for some reason its holding up 4 accounts even in BG"s and arenas.
But i need a little more.. unpff.. i want to be able to have full control with no small hickups in the lag..
i know my computer is crap.. but im looking for what upgrades i can make.. with a buget
So atm.. i have 4GB of DRR2 ram..

CPU- I want to upgrade this.. but im not sure what upgrade will be compatible.. how do i know?

I am looking at
Intel® Core™ I7-920 Processor (2.66 GHz)
Intel Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
Core™ 2 Quad processor Q9550

the price on these are about the same.. but what one is better? for running 4 accounts.. in pvp.. thanks!

Also, 4gb is all my computer can handle..

Questions-

1. What preformance upgrade do u get with a new videocard? is there less lag? or does it make it look nicer (and does making it look nicer slow down ur computer more)
2. Which one of the CPU's is compatible with DRR2, and the rest of my computer...
3. does upgrading to 64bit help! thanks!

[Sajuuk]

For CPU compatibility, first look at the slot your current motherboard/cpu uses.

What do you have right now?

And to answer your compatibility question, the i7 uses DDR3 RAM, while the QXXXX will use DDR2. And yes, going to a 64 bit OS can improve performance by allowing you to take full advantage of your 4Gigs of ram.

[Ogloo]

what do u mean by slot? thanks!

[Freddie]

Printed somewhere on the motherboard you'll find the manufacturer's name, model number, and maybe a revision number. Go to the manufacturer's website and look up that exact model. You'll find a list of "supported" CPUs.

[Ogloo]

well i have a intel pentium 4 cpu 3.40ghz... if that helps

[aboron]

"well i have a intel pentium 4 cpu 3.40ghz... if that helps"

Then in that case, none of the cpu's you listed will work. Pentium 4 is a different socket than the Core series, which is different than the i7 also.

[Sajuuk]

Pentium 4 would indicate a socket 478 motherboard, which means with any of the processors you have listed you'll need a new motherboard.

Your RAM may be an issue. (Depending on if it's 184 pin or 240 pin, among other things. I'm inclined to think 184 pin)

[Ogloo]

ok thanks alot! ima upgrade to a i7 board, buy 17, buy DRR3 RAM, and will be set..


or is there something else i need.. if i upgrade my board, ram, and CPU.. does something get affected.. i read something about a chipset (sorry im noob with this)

[Sajuuk]

You'll most likely need to reinstall your OS.

[slo0py]

Questions-

1. What preformance upgrade do u get with a new videocard? is there less lag? or does it make it look nicer (and does making it look nicer slow down ur computer more)
2. Which one of the CPU's is compatible with DRR2, and the rest of my computer...
3. does upgrading to 64bit help! thanks!

1. By new, i assume you mean better. A better video card will allow you to run your games at a higher resolution and better quality settings while maintaining a decent framerate.
2. The i7 as stated earlier, is a different socket than any pentium 4 so that will require you to upgrade your motherboard. It also requires triple-channel ddr3 memory. Unlike what was said earlier, Pentium 4's were not only made in a socket-478 configuration. They were continued in the LGA775 socket with the 500 and 600 series processors. Since you have ddr2(240-pin) memory, you most likely are running an LGA775 P4. Both the Q6600 and the Q9550 are LGA775 but it is very unlikely that they will be supported by your current motherboard's chipset. Depending on the frequency of your ram, you might be able to reuse it on a new motherboard with the Q6600 or Q9550.
3. Moving to a 64-bit OS will let you run more than 4gb of ram. That is probably the only major benefit that you would notice.

If the i7, along with the parts needed to get it in your system is within your budget, go for it. The benchmarks have been amazing from what I have seen.

Some things you might have to upgrade as well:

Power supply - Make sure it can support the new parts' power requirements as well as have the correct connections for the newer motherboards
Video card - Check the interface of your current card. Your current system was made right around the time AGP switched to PCI-e. All new motherboards will be PCI-e.
Hard drives/optical drives - Check to see if the new motherboard has enough connections for your drives. Most new motherboards have only 1 IDE connection if any at all.