I have the Asus P4P800-E Deluxe and a P4 3ghz C Series Northwood on it with 1.5 gig of PC3200. I use this computer mainly for compiling large applications and running it as a database and media server. When I have Visual Studio 2005, Sql Studio 2005, Dreamweaver 8, winamp, firefox, and 2 IE instances open....I can some what feel "lag" when switching windows. (I have plenty of ram left..about 768mb). I'm thinking whether to upgrade the processor or not. Based in this link http://www.digital-daily.com/motherboard/asus-p4p800-e/ I want to know what kind of processors this board supports. It says that the motherboard supports socket 478...so would the Intel duo processor be compatible? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819111180 Some of the reviews for the processor states to use DDR2???? If the processor is compatible, would it be faster than my current processor? Maybe I should just wait for the next intel processor and build a new unit? Maybe build an AMD unit?
BTW, I can oc my current cpu to around 3.57 (stable, watercooled). I had to however reduce my RAM speed from 400mhz to 266mhz so I think it's the limiting factor. If I get, faster RAM, I can expect higher cpu speeds right?
It seems the maximum supported processor by your board is a 3.4GHz Pentium 4E or Extreme Edition.. you board <b>will not</b> support duo processors even though they might use the same socket architecture, it has to do with how the chipsets interface with the processor, not the socket currently I do not know of many boards that do support the duo processors that aren't currently residing within a pretty apple shell i would suggest stepping over to AMD and using one of the new AMD dual core processors, or waiting for the release of the new AMD socket/processors early next year
With all the things you do, what you want for faster performance is either a Pentium D (LGA-775) or an Athlon 64 X2. The former option sticks with the Intel camp and the processors are a bit cheaper. However, you will also have to buy an expensive motherboard and new RAM. With the X2 route, you'll only require a new processor and motherboard, which will be less expensive and (more likely) more powerful.
I'm not sure you want to upgrade just yet. The P4C's are about the most rock steady P4's ever made. They have amazing performance and overclocking ability, due to its Northwood core. If you upgrade, you may not see the same performance that you've become accustomed to.
