FS9 ...... intel pentium 4 or celeron processor ?

[Boeing_747]

i was searching throught processors, etc for my upgrade and i saw the celeron processors which were way cheaper and affordable than the pentium processors even at the same speed..
i know that celeron processors work on a 128k cache, 400 fsb ..... but what is the main difference ? will i see a performance hit on FS9 when using a celeron processor rather than an intel pentium 4 processor ..
does anyone out here use a celeron processor ? i have a 700 mhz system rite now, a p3 ...... i wanna upgrade to a P4 ..... and i was lookin into the P4 2.4 ghz, cause thats the farthest i could go due to my limited budget... so , i need some answers.....
what r the main differences .. and which should i buy. ?

[ahmedmumeni]

Go for the P4 ... the Celeron is made more for the business side of the market. The P4 is for gamers!

[greeneg]

Would certainly agree with the P4 over the Celeron for gaming and general use. A lot of people seem to use that 2.4 chip and seem well pleased with it. I would suggest that you do some research on motherboards ( unless you are planning to keep the one that you have now) pick the one that gives you the best features for your investment and then match that with the fastest chip that you can afford.

Tom's Hardware Guide [http://www.tomshardware.com/] is a good place to start. Research each step of the process, motherboard, CPU, memory, Video card thoroughly; a little investment in time on the front end really saves a lot of trouble later. Building a new system is pretty easy; figuring out the right combination of components is the hard part IMHO.

Good luch with it, keep posting if you need help.
Best Regards,

[BGen_SirJohn]

Actually, I'd save the money and go with an Athlon XP-based system instead. It's just as stable and powerful as the Pentium at about $100 less.

[Boeing_747]

thanks for the info......
ive decided i wanna go for the intel p4 2.4 ghz
ive also decided i would try overclocking the cpu ? wht do u guys suggest? should i just go wit the 2.4 ghz and not bother overclocking or should i go ahead and try it ? i read that CPU's can last as long as 10 yrs.. without their normal configuration and overclockin can add wear n tear on the cpu.....
im thinking abt installing a good fan so that my CPU remains cool all the way . im reading a guide for overclockin' my CPU..... it seems that i have to have a fast RAM if i wanna overclock to the max . with speeds higher on the bus frequency. what about the PCI frequency ? does that have to changed wit the change in the bus frequency and clock factor ? ..... well...... lemme know if i should overclock it and im getting a DDR ram.....

[davidvoogd]

I would also suggest an Athlon XP. I have an XP 2600+ with the Barton Core and it runs quite nicely. It cost me $190 CDN where as a P4 2.4 would have been $240. The days of AMD's not working well are long gone, and they are way cheaper.

[cwr737]

That chip is nicely overclockable - I would do some research on whether you will need to upgrade the cpu cooling though - that tends to be a limiting factor.

[greeneg]

I would strongly suggest that you do a little bit more research. Priceline shows ( as of 5 minutes ago) that you can get a P4 2.4/533 for $157US, a 2.4/800 for $163, a P4 2.8/533 for $185 and a P4 2.8/800 for $211. Unless you want to over-clock just to say that you've done it, I think that you would be better off to buy the faster chip for the few dollars more and stay within the design parameters. Remember, overclock=no warranty.

My experience is that the faster P4s tend to run on the hot side and cooling is a must although Intel does say that the chip will slow down if it approaches dangerous levels. Personally take that with some salt, IMHO. Overclocking does tend to make heat more of an issue; personally, I just don't do it.

Here is my system for an example, it handles FS2002 and FS2004 very nicely.

gigaByte 8INXP
P4 3.06 HT enabled
1024 PC266 DDR
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 128 ( Omega 2496b)
3 7200RPM ATA133 HD
Turtle Beach SantaCruz Sound
Saitek X-45.

I am running 2 Intake Case Fans (92 and 80 MM), A thermalTek copper heatsink with 72MM 6000RPM fan using Artic Silver compound, a 92MM Exhaust fan upper right rear, A 110 VAC exhaust Fan upper rear ( 120CFM, and a 60CFM 110VAC to pull air from the lower to the upper section of the case. There is a seperate exhaust fan in a PCI slot next to the AGP slot to assist in circulation for the Radeon. Surprisingly the noise isn't bad. Currently the CPU idle Temp is 29oC with an enviornmental in the case of 26oC. Maximum temps are about 45oC with FS9, Radar Contact, FDC, and FS Meteo running.

Remember that reliabilty and long life are usually proportional to how much you mess with your system and inversely proportional to overclocking and poor air circulation. Just what I think.

Best Regards,

[Boeing_747]

thanks for the info......
yes, i think that coolin a major factor. even if i don't overclock the CPU i still need to make sure that CPU remains cool.....
well, im still looking around and im thinking abt going for the 800 fsb chip.....