[antiherodave]

i am currently upgrading my computer to make it more gaming compatable. i have a dell dimesion 4600 with pentium 4 processor, a nvidia geforce 6200 oc video card, rosewill 500w two rail power supply, windows xp, and a hanns-g 17 inch lcd monitor. i want to know what other things i may need, but mainly can i install a core 2 duo 3.0ghz processor in this desktop? if you need more info about my system i will gladly try to find out and post it. can someone give me some advice on this?

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The Dell Dimension 4600 is a Socket 478 setup.
Core 2 Duos are Socket 775.
The two socket types are not compatible, therefore the answer to your question is, I'm sorry to say, no.

[Neil Jones]

The Dell Dimension 4600 is a Socket 478 setup.
Core 2 Duos are Socket 775.
The two socket types are not compatible, therefore the answer to your question is, I'm sorry to say, no.

[jt1990]

Sometimes even upgrading from a P4 to a Core 2 of the same socket can be disastrous - I have a friend who tried to do that and fried her motherboard AND the CPU.

You can (or could) get Core 2 Duo chips in the Socket 478 line, but they are (or were) ridiculously expensive, and I still wouldn't recommend it, just because (most likely) the motherboard can't support it and you'll likely end up frying both the board and the chip.

[antiherodave]

so you are saying i am better of to buy a new system than to continue trying to upgrade my old one? is there any thing compatable with my system that could be somewhat equal to the core 2 duo 3.0ghz? do i have to purchase a new mother board? what other devices do i need to make my 5 year old dinosaur up to date?

[antiherodave]

what mother board should i install to make it to where i can install a core 2 duo 3.oghz? what other things should i do to make this ancient piece of crap souped up?

[antiherodave]

what products would you guys recomend?

[stettybet0]

You can (or could) get Core 2 Duo chips in the Socket 478 line, but they are (or were) ridiculously expensive, and I still wouldn't recommend it, just because (most likely) the motherboard can't support it and you'll likely end up frying both the board and the chip.

No, you could never get Core 2 Duos for Socket 478. There are mobile Core 2 Duos that have 478 pins, but the name of their socket is Socket P, and they are incompatible with the desktop Socket 478.

Unfortunately, antiherodave, your Dell was not made for gaming. Upgrading the motherboard would also require you to upgrade your RAM and video card, in addition to the CPU as you originally planned. Depending on the video card you select, you might need a new power supply too (you will probably want to get a new one regardless, as Rosewill is not a quality brand), so you basically will have a whole new computer. Therefore, it would make the most sense to buy or build a new computer if you want a suitable gaming experience.

If you decide to go this route, we can help you come up with some ideas of what to buy if you can provide us with your budget.

[antiherodave]

i guess i could come up with a buget of about $500 to $1000. should i return the nvidia geforce 6200 video card that i got from walmart, and i think i am stuck with the rosewill 500 watt two rail power supply and the hanns-g lcd 17 in monitor that i got from newegg. i kept the old power supply and monitor for if i ever get rid of this computer, but could i even get rid of this comp? could i even give it away? i am all ears for suggestions on possible better computers. the main thing i do is download music (soulseek) and movies (mininova), i would like to add gaming to list of things i do with my comp. so with that in mind, what do i need?????

[antiherodave]

i had rather make this comp better than by a whole new system.

[kamille316]

We here at Geeks To Go will not assist you with issues relating to P2P file sharing programs. While many of these programs are in-and-of-themselves legal, most things acquired by their use are not. Instead of attempting to differentiate between the legal use of P2P programs and the illegal use thereof, we have decided to stop helping with issues regarding this software. It is also in your best interest to know that many P2P software packages come bundled with spyware/malware/virii and that their use greatly increases the chances of your computer becoming infected.

i had rather make this comp better than by a whole new system.

As stettybet0 had already mentioned, there is no way to upgrade your system. Even if there is a way (not that I'm saying there is), you'd be spending a lot of money on inferior products. It'll be better to get a new one as it would also be easier to upgrade to down the line (unlike pre-built computers).

So if we're building a new one, you should return the video card as it is also old technology and it would just not be feasible here. It uses AGP slot and most motherboards are now supporting PCI-Express slots. That video card will just hold you back and if you can return it, just do that. If you want a compatible motherboard for your AGP video card, then you'd probably spend a higher price on it than just the one that has PCI-E slot. Also, it would be easier for you to upgrade the video card in the future because AGP video cards nowadays are either non-existent or just totally expensive (sometimes costs twice than its counterpart PCI-E card).

Now to my suggestion, for a budget of $600-$1000, here it is:
Antec 300 Computer Case - $54.95
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L - $104.99 (with a $15 MIR)
EVGA 9600GT video card - $104.99 (with a $20 MIR)
Antec Earthwatts 500W - $49.99 (on sale)
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $164.99
Corsair 2x1GB RAM - $35.99 (with a $13 MIR)
Samsung F1 320GB - $54.99
Samsung 22X DVD-drive - $24.99
Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit - $99.99

We can go cheaper on the processor and get the Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 for $119.99. There is also a cheap Mushkin RAM 2x2GB you can get for $54.99 with a $15 MIR.

[antiherodave]

ok kamille 316,
i took your advice and purchased the hardware you recomended. i went with the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400, and instead of getting the power supply you recommended, i decided to stick with my Rosewill RP500-2 500W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply. my case came in yesterday and the rest of the hardward will be here today according to ups tracking. i quess i am wondering if the particular mother board and other hardware you recomended will be compatable with each other. i am somewhat of a novice, i mean, i have installed power supplies, dvd-roms video cards, things like that but not processors or mother boards. any advice on installation?

[kamille316]

Rosewill is not really a good brand and note that when some brands of power supply dies, it sometimes takes the other components with it.
All the components should work however you have to make sure your power supply has the necessary cables. I believe the Gigabyte motherboard needs a 24-pin however the manual (I believe) mentioned that 20-pin should also work. The video card needs 6-pin connector. You can buy adapters if you don't have a 6-pin connector but I am unsure how effective they are.

My advice is to read our stickied topic about How to Build Your Own Computer created by our GTG Staff.

Kamille

[Troy]

My advice is to read our stickied topic about How to Build Your Own Computer created by our GTG Staff.

Actually I was a Tech Apprentice when we made that, a joint effort between Artellos and myself. But yeah... good tutorial if I say so myself.

And I second that call on the Rosewill PSU, ditch it and get something decent. Antec Earthwatts are some of my favourite PSUs for cheaper systems, still high quality but not breaking the bank. The 500W would be a good choice for your system and that price is great!

Troy

[antiherodave]

i was very excited when i was finished building it. now i am stuck on verifying dmi pool data ...... i don't know what to do and i know nothing about bios. i tried going into bios setup and load fail safe defaults but it went back to being stuck on verifying dmi pool data ..... gigabyte?s tech support is almost non existent. can someone help me step by step???

[antiherodave]

i was very excited when i was finished building it. now i am stuck on verifying dmi pool data ...... i don't know what to do and i know nothing about bios. i tried going into bios setup and load fail safe defaults but it went back to being stuck on verifying dmi pool data ..... gigabyte?s tech support is almost non existent. can someone help me step by step???