best 478 CPU for the money

[glenda17]

I have a 478 MB that supports 200 FSB. Currently I have a SL6 2.4B that I can clock to about 2.6ghz. I have had this chip for 2 years. Is there something better that would be worth the expense that will work with my MB?

[glenda17]

I use my computer to bit torrent, burn cd/dvd's, internet, encode/decode audio files. No gaming

[turd]

Well we would need to know other things to answer the question, like what is that motherboard, what kinda and how much memory. Cooling? and other system stats. You may do better with a used CPU known for overclocking like say a 3.0 running at 3.5 with an 800 FSB and you would see some significant gains, but it depends on what you have. That 2.4 may be able to go well beyond what you have as well, is that it's limit? How do you know?

[orionlion82]

i prey nightly to my 2.8C northwood.
it clocks to about 3.2/3.4 on a good day.

those are really really hard to find now though, and to the question of "worth the expense" i would say no. it would be hard to find a situation where one would say yes.
even the highest end *brand new* rig today wont be much faster for daily use. the encoding on the other hand, how much is the encoding worth to you?
if the answer is greater than or equal to the cost of the processor you want, get it while you still can.
the best place to look might actually be the little trading post (classifieds) here on OC/forums.
youve been a member for a while, however you need a certian postcount to be able to see it. good solid quality posts though, spamming gets you locked out forever. float around, contribute, and youll be in in a week or so.

[Quailane]

I say either buy a 3.0E prescot, or if you want a really cheap upgrade, a celeron D. The celeron will overclock high to make up for its cheapness.

A celeron D is 80% as powerful as a prescott running at the same speed. Remember that. I think it is worth it for a cheap upgrade from what you have now. Anything else like buying a p4 will be over priced and not worth it on an obsolete socket.

[orionlion82]

i just answered a post with a celeron and encoding and an unhappy camper.
not sure, but the lack of cache (meaning less cache - of course - heh) might have a negative impact.

just found a 2.8 NW on the classifieds for $140 shipped, so thats a good baseline price (from what ive seen so far) for one of those.
look around, and you might find an even better price. it will probably take some work though

[Stewie]

I'd say go with the Prescott 3.0E; they overclock great, and as long as you have ample cooling, they run very stable at high speeds. I currently have my 3.0E @ 3.9 and it's rock solid; I also have more room to take it higher one of these days. :)

[orionlion82]

now stewie...., (sorry, couldnt help meself :santa: )

on old northwood board like that might not take too kindly to the power demands of a heavily overclocked prescott.

Edit: remember, we really dont know what sort of rig this is since we dont yet have details of the rest....

[ronaldo]

edit: i got my answer...

[glenda17]

Funny you mentioned the 3.0 prescott, I can get a good deal on a used one. What heatsink/fan is recommended for OCing on a budget? The motherboard is a gigabyte it supports 200 fsb and is an oddball in that it holds three DDR's (not four) so I have 3 x 256 DDR 266.

I have tried two MB's with the 2.4 SL6, never been able to go over 2.6 ghz.

[Stewie]

now stewie...., (sorry, couldnt help meself :santa: )

on old northwood board like that might not take too kindly to the power demands of a heavily overclocked prescott.

Edit: remember, we really dont know what sort of rig this is since we dont yet have details of the rest....

Guess I should have read more...didn't know he was keeping his motherboard.

Funny you mentioned the 3.0 prescott, I can get a good deal on a used one. What heatsink/fan is recommended for OCing on a budget? The motherboard is a gigabyte it supports 200 fsb and is an oddball in that it holds three DDR's (not four) so I have 3 x 256 DDR 266.

As far as I know, there is no Intel P4 with a 200Mhz FSB. The new Intels have a 200Mhz CORE speed, but the actual FSB is quad pumped to 800Mhz. Is this what you are referring to?

If you're going to buy a new processor, go big (3.0E or better), and also buy a new motherboard. You're not going to notice much of a difference only going up a few hundred mhz on the same board. I was once in the same position; I had a 2.4B and was looking to upgrade. After buying a new motherboard and my 3.0E, on stock cooling I got the beast up to 3.6Ghz. Now that's a noticeable difference. :)

[Category 5]

Don't get a used chip and expect huge overclocks though. ...not saying it isn't possibly, but certainly not likely.

[glenda17]

what difference would it make whether it is used as far as OCing goes, it was used in an office and never been OCed.

The MB is a Gigabyte 8s648fxp-rz sis 648fx chipset, and yes I mean 200x4 fsb