I want to upgrade my processor- plz suggest

[sajeeb]

I want to upgrade the processor in my system. I want to upgrade the Intel Dual Core. so do you recommend I also upgrade my mother board... I want to go quad-core so which do you guys recommend...

Should I change it now or Upgrade. It just worked fine but I have heard of great performance by quad-processor. Is it wise to go for Core2Duo or Quad?

Do you know if the prices are going to drop on these processors any time in the next 4-5 months? I haven't been keeping up with everything recently.

 

[Livewire]

We need all your current specs; if it's a pre-built computer, the make and model will help as well. Because of how cpu's work, chances are you'll have to upgrade the motherboard (CPU's have different sockets, and there's no way to make a Socket A cpu fit into a Socket 799 or whatever the bunches of others are). My recommendation is go quad if you can afford it, but I'm sure prices will drop within the next 4-5 months - pc prices are a volatile market and if it's not the newest tech out there, the price is sure to drop. Now, how much it's going to drop is up for debate; I'm eyeing a cpu that has dropped $5 in 1 month (not kidding, exactly $5 ), a motherboard that's been at the same price for 2 months, and ram that hasn't dropped a penny for 4. Oh, and if you've got a limited budget, we need to know that too - it'll help locate a good cpu/mobo(if needed) combination that fits within your budget

 

[Smith6612]

Basically, we need to know your current CPU (and your CPU's model/CPU Socket type) and your budget, and then we can suggest one for you. I am a big fan of the quad core chips, even though they will typically have lower clock speeds than a dual core. My suggestion is, if you want a flexible quad that has lots of power, an Intel Q6600 is the way to go. If you use something such as the AM3 socket, an AMD Phenom X4 chip would be good.

But before buying anything, post up what I asked for above.

 

[intertec]

Also another thing you should consider is what is your computer used mainly for. This is how it works:

Duo Core: Gaming
Quad Core: Multitasking/Photoshop(graphic editing programs)

Good Luck

 

[daayglow]

Updating your processor is simple. Where you are upgrading from could be expensive. If you are trying to use the same operating system, ram and video card hopefully you are already using DDR2 at least, Vista or XP 64 and a pci express video card. Quad core cpu's really don't take advantage of 32bit OS's. If your Hard drive(s) are IDE and your Optical drive(s) are IDE on newer mother boards they usually only have 1 ide port so you can only use 2 ide units and the rest have to be SATA. Updating from socket 478 to quad core may force your to buy a new computer. Or at least the guts of it. And one more thing, your power supply should have enough power to boot a different board (20 pin vs 24 pin, 250watts vs 400watts etc...) So post your specs....so you can get the best deal and a lot of real help.