Upgrades

[Bubba]

Ok Im about to bite the bullet and upgrade to a new CPU and some more memory. I have an Abit IP 35 E MB and a good graphics card GT 8800. I have about 300 dollars to spend. I was wondering about the difference between the quads on my MB platform. Went to Frys last night and they had a 9 series quad for 184 including heat sink; so that and 4 gB memory would do nicely and be close to my price.

i alos am going to Win 7, so would pro be the best? What are the diff between the home, premium, pro and extreme? My kid can grab a copy for 30 bucks, what a deal.

[Nghtmr9999]

Hehe, I can get 7 for $30 as well

As for the comparisons between versions, look here: Compare, buy Windows 7 software from Microsoft Store

[Bubba]

LOL my student days are long behind me. like 30 plus years.

[burningforce]

i have the quad core q6600, was the best you can get(besides the extreme) at the time. But now intel discontinued it in favor for the q9000 series. The difference between the q6600 and q9000 series is the q9000 has a higher frontside bus, clock speed, and L2 Cache. This translate to improved speeds for multitasking and what not.

here is a list of q9000 series processors and how they differ from one-another in terms of speed. Multimedia Computer - Intel

i would get the Q9550 if you are into overclocking, seeing as how it is a beast when overclocking and it has double the L2 cache.

as for windows 7 for $30, it might be an upgrade version or a pirated version. you really do not want the latter, then you will only have 30 days to pay for it or use a "windows 7 loader" to fake a registration. But microsoft will/can blacklist these things and you would have to find another loader(which you would probably have to reformat you hard drive) to use.

as for the differences in windows 7 versions, pro or ultimate would do nicely. If you are strapped for cash, pro would be just as good as ultimate. Nghtmr9999 posted the comparison chart, so you can make a decision on what you would prefer

hope this helps

[Nghtmr9999]

Originally Posted by burningforce

as for windows 7 for $30, it might be an upgrade version or a pirated version. you really do not want the latter, then you will only have 30 days to pay for it or use a "windows 7 loader" to fake a registration. But microsoft will/can blacklist these things and you would have to find another loader(which you would probably have to reformat you hard drive) to use.

Windows 7 for $30 is legit. Microsoft even said they were selling it for $30 for any student with a valid .edu e-mail address

[Poyzon]

$29.99 Student Offer provides a link to http://www.win741.com/ where you enter your student email address.

Given that I'm almost at the top of the hill and haven't had (a valid) student email address in a bunch of years, I can't tell you what else happens after you enter your email address.

[burningforce]

oh and one more thing, depending on what version your motherboard is and CPU you buy, you may have to do a BIOS update. BIOS updates are very risky and could brick your motherboard if done incorrectly.

So if your new CPU does not function properly, you either need to clear the CMOS and load default BIOS profile and try again or do a BIOS update.

here is the board I think you mentioned
Universal abit > Motherboard, Digital Speakers, iDome, AirPace, Multimedia

[burningforce]

ah ok, cool wish I were still a student

I also thought the $30 for 7 expired awhile ago, nice to see it is still active

[Bubba]

Burn that be the MB aright. Been 2 year since I got er arrg and time fer a refit she be. Havent overclockled in about 10 year now. Its easier now ya dont have to physically mar the chips from what I hear.

I guess Im looking fer the 9550 with 12 MB of cache and 2 MB more memory.

Overclock probably wouldnt help much, would it? And then you get the problems ... always problems.

[Bubba]

Pyzon what is the top of the hill? I assumed it was when you about to croak? Maybe around 85 or so? Couldnt be 50 because I passed that and I'm still climbing.