Upgrading

[Snakeeyes]

Hi guys.

I'm looking to get maximum performance out of DW and I have a question for you real "cyber gear-heads" out there.

Here are my current system specs:

Pentium 4 1.6.
1 GIG RAM
GeForce 5700 128sdram
Soundblaster Audigy
2x250 HD

I need a faster processor. Not just for DW but other games too.

I was wondering... If I jump from my current 1.6 MHz to a 3.0Mhz... will I need to buy a new motherboard or will it work with my current one?

Let me know your thoughts quickly because I'm on a time-crunch here for a good deal on a processor.

Thanks Gents!

[SquidB]

Okay ill go out on a limb here, im sure their are many that know more about this than me.

The proccessor isnt the only thing in the super gliding comp performance as far as my/your sim goes.

By upgrading your MB you should get higher buss speeds.

Its hard to say exactly what you should do because you dont list your excat specs as far as your MB goes.

However given that if you go for a decent processor you should have a decent mb to back it up then i say yes, sod the bank balance.

[Snakeeyes]

Here are my specs. Will I see a remarkable change in gaming performance from my simple 1.6 to a hyperthreading 3.0?


Operating System System Model
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (build 2600) Intel Corporation
Processor a Main Circuit Board b
1.60 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
8 kilobyte primary memory cache
512 kilobyte secondary memory cache Board: Intel Corporation D845EBG2 AAA83975-205
Serial Number: CF2B22402624
Bus Clock: 100 megahertz
BIOS: Intel Corp. PT84520A.86A.0009.P04.0205291548 05/29/2002
Drives Memory Modules c,d
40.01 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
22.56 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

SONY CD-RW CRX175A1 [CD-ROM drive]
SONY DVD-ROM DDU1613 [CD-ROM drive]
SONY DVD-ROM DDU1621 [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

ST340016A [Hard drive] (40.02 GB) -- drive 0 1024 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'J6G2' has 512 MB
Slot 'J6G1' has 512 MB
Local Drive Volumes

c: (NTFS on drive 0) 40.01 GB 22.56 GB free

Network Drives
None detected
Users (mouse over user name for details) Printers
local user accounts last logon
The Sabins 8/27/2005 9:55:04 PM (admin)
local system accounts
Administrator never (admin)
Guest never
HelpAssistant never
SUPPORT_388945a0 never


Marks a disabled account; Marks a locked account Canon PIXMA iP1500 on USB001
HP DeskJet 340 on LPT1:

Controllers Display
Standard floppy disk controller
Intel(R) 82801DB Ultra ATA Storage Controller - 24CB
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller] NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE [Display adapter]
Envision 7E [Monitor] (15.7"vis, May 2002)
Bus Adapters Multimedia
Intel PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C2
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4
Intel(R) 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7 Creative Game Port
Creative SB Live! Value
Unimodem Full-Duplex Audio Device
Communications Other Devices
HSP56 MicroModem #2


Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
RAS Async Adapter
IP Address: 4.153.211.254 / 32
Gateway: 4.153.211.254
Physical Address: 00:53:45:00:00:00
HID-compliant consumer control device (2x)
Logitech WingMan Extreme Digital 3D (USB)
Logitech WingMan Extreme Digital 3D (USB) (HID)
USB Human Interface Device
Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Microsoft USB IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0 (IntelliPoint)
USB 2.0 Root Hub
USB Root Hub (3x)
Virus Protection [Back to Top]
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Last Disk Scan on Sunday, June 26, 2005 1:51:38 PM
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[zma]

Originally Posted by Snakeeyes

I was wondering... If I jump from my current 1.6 MHz to a 3.0Mhz... will I need to buy a new motherboard or will it work with my current one?

That's hard to say... Officially, the fastest CPU your motherboard supports is a 2.8GHz P4 (see: http://support.intel.com/support/mot.../CS-008639.htm). That said, I guess it's not uncommon for manufacturers to stop updating the compatibility charts of older hardware, so a 3.0GHz P4 CPU might work as well.

DW definitely likes a fast processor. I recently upgraded from AthlonXP 2000+ / KT266A chipset / 512MB RAM -setup to Athlon64 3000+ / nForce4 chipset / 1024MB dual-channel RAM -setup, and saw, if not remarkable, then at least a notable improvement in DW. Performance with the old system was sufficient, with occasional slowdowns. With the new system, DW runs like a dream! Of course, since I changed more than just the CPU, I can't say for sure how much a processor upgrade alone will improve things.

In your situation, you should try (if possible) to get a deal that will allow you to return the CPU if it will not work with your motherboard.

[Dr.Sid]

Dw does lots of computing .. especially with time compression you need fast CPU. Otherwise the gime will not 'catch' with indicated time compression. Especially when there is lots of ships. For DW, faster is alwas the better.
On the other hand, in multiplayer there is no time compression. Fast CPU is not needed that much.

Good graphical card can give you better sea reflections and faster shadows, thats all.