[Writin_Reg]

Hi again,

Well some good news, I have a new mobo, processor, with matching memory being shipped as I speak.
I was ordered the following: Gigabyte Pentium D 3.0ghz motherboard CPU Combo P4 x2 Dual Core DDR3
Sata Vid 4mb Cache. I'm also getting a matched pair of ram sticks for this setup and 2 extra fans, 1 for the cpu and 1 for my case.

Now will this make my Nvidia Geforce 7300gt work better with the Sims 2 and all it's expansion packs.

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now, the

"Gigabyte Pentium D 3.0ghz motherboard CPU Combo P4 x2 Dual Core DDR3
Sata Vid 4mb Cache."

part didnt make much sense. "DDR3 Sata Vid" especially... DDR3 is a brand new type of memory which is not even available to the public yet. (it will be mid-2007). it will also be obscenely expensive. lets hope that was a typo of some sort.

anyways, I just hope that you made sure this mobo has an AGP 8x/4x slot, because as we have discussed before, most mobos these days have PCI-E x16 slots.

this system, however, will not make much of a difference in playing the sims 2, unless you bought more RAM or faster RAM than you had before. (not sure if you did, cause u didn't say) The CPU will not give that much of an advantage, because frankly the Pentium D's are awful. They lose performance in single-threaded apps (like the Sims 2) compared to similar single-core CPUs and they only gain modest increases in multi-threaded apps (of which there aren't many).

[stettybet0]

now, the

"Gigabyte Pentium D 3.0ghz motherboard CPU Combo P4 x2 Dual Core DDR3
Sata Vid 4mb Cache."

part didnt make much sense. "DDR3 Sata Vid" especially... DDR3 is a brand new type of memory which is not even available to the public yet. (it will be mid-2007). it will also be obscenely expensive. lets hope that was a typo of some sort.

anyways, I just hope that you made sure this mobo has an AGP 8x/4x slot, because as we have discussed before, most mobos these days have PCI-E x16 slots.

this system, however, will not make much of a difference in playing the sims 2, unless you bought more RAM or faster RAM than you had before. (not sure if you did, cause u didn't say) The CPU will not give that much of an advantage, because frankly the Pentium D's are awful. They lose performance in single-threaded apps (like the Sims 2) compared to similar single-core CPUs and they only gain modest increases in multi-threaded apps (of which there aren't many).

[Writin_Reg]

Well I wrote down exactly what it said, so if there is a typo then it is theirs. Yes I ordered matching memory for that system which I believe they said was ddr 2, but still just a gig. They told me it was faster than my present ram. And yes it has a 4x/8x agp socket as well as pci express.

Personally I did not pick this system out, my son did. He works as a Tech and programmer for Digital Connections and says this system is about 2 to 2 and a half faster than mine. As I stated before I am no expert and go on the advice of others. (In fact I'm not even a novice). I'm just a kids book writer who happens to like relaxing with the Sims.

You still didn't answer my question though - will my 400 watt power supply be okay for this or do I need to upgrade. It's a Powmax Ultra 400 Watt.

Edited by Writin_Reg, 06 February 2007 - 04:31 PM.

[stettybet0]

i'm sorry. i just re-looked through your posts, and don't see anything about this question. i'll be glad to answer it now though:

the PSU in question supplies enough for your new system, though Powmax isn't a very reliable brand. (Exhibit A: The infamous Powmax Demon) it might be in your best interest to invest ~$100 in a good power supply, because a bad one can go out, and take your whole system with it.

also, one last thought. i'm assuming this PSU is left over from your old computer (the one which you are replacing the mobo+CPU+RAM)... the new mobo might need a different power connector than the old one. ask your son what type of power pin your new mobo has. then ask him if your old PSU has that type of connector. (or you could give me the exact specs of the mobo and PSU... like the model #, and any other info you have)

Edited by stettybet0, 06 February 2007 - 06:04 PM.

[Writin_Reg]

I didn't have the numbers, all I had was what was wrote down. I did mention what you said to my husband though and he said that he also thought it might have a different plug. He said he'd find out, that maybe he should get me another power supply then.

Anyway, thanks for the info and the Powmax warning. I'd be devastated to lose my new set up before I even got to use it.

Thnx again -Reggie

[Writin_Reg]

On an added note we changed from the Pentium D to the Pentium 4 dual channel with hyperthreading. It has an 800 front bus and a 2000 cache or something like that. I also replaced my four case fans with new ones, the mobo has a fan, and the video card does to. I also added a new samsung 80 gig harddrive (sata or something like that) and reformatted my older hd and made it a slave (where I store my writings). Also added a new cool max psu and it has dual fans.

I mentioned what you fellows said about my 7300 not being a very good video card to my son and he seemed perplexed as the one he ordered me was a special order with "extra's" that wasn't even on the market and one they use at Digital Connections building some of their game systems. He said that at cost it cost him fifty extra dollars over the cost of their stock xfx force 7300 gt's. Mine is considered a 7300 gtx. But frankly all that is greek to me, especially when he explained to my husband some of the "extras" on these special order cards. All I actually got out of it was it was something about more pipes being opened then standard 7300 gt's. Lord only knows what that means, but he said it could hold it's own pretty well against the pci's with far more stability. Again greek to me - but I would hope my son knows what he is talking about being both an avid gamer and a Tech. Now if I could just get him to talk to me in a language I can get a grip on - like all you guys try to do. At least you seem to understand that the majority of us computer "Users" have no idea what makes our systems tick. My son seems to forget this more often than not.

Anyway, again thanks to the reply about the Pentium D, I was able to get gigabyte to change the processor, as the board I was getting took both the Pentium 4 or the D. The Pent 4 had a better front bus at 800 - the D only had like 512 I think it was.

Hope this isn't confusing - but I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate the guidance. My system may not be state of the art - but it sure runs nice, and Sims 2 isn't crashing anymore. There's a huge difference in load time for the games - no more 5-6 minutes of load; it's practically instantly and I'm still only using 1 gig of ram, but it's dual channel. I'm hoping for 2 gig still - but I don't see it as urgent anymore.

Thanks everyone - Writin_Reg