Core 2 Duo processors

Intel Core 2 Duo, performance rated, has a better architecture and over all speed. You can look at the intel benchmarking results. I think it's great how the pins for core 2 duo processors are on the motherboard, the cpu is more resistant to damage that way.



Core 2 Duo vs. Pentium 4
Core 2 Duo is much more stable than Pentium 4 when overclocking, but it depends on what you want to do. If you want a gaming system with raw power, a Pentium 4 would be a very nice and cheap CPU. If however you need multiple cores, the Core 2 Duo would be better. A nice way to imagine is if you want to host a game server and play the game on the same computer. It's not recommended that you host a dedicated game server and then play on the same machine, but if you host the server on 1 core you can play on the other core.

How much airflow do you need?

I plan on getting myself a case fan for my computer with over 100 CFM. This is a great amount of air circulation, but it will get loud. I personally don't care, I have a padded case. Fans that move so much air aren't typically used on home computers, they are used in large server rooms where noise isn't a problem. I plan on using this fan to bring air into the case, as I want a positive charge.

My custom computer

I just finished building my custom computer. 1.6 GHZ core 2 duo is the CPU I am using, aalthough it can be overclocked to 2.2 GHZ dual core. I also have a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 I can use, but I prefer the Dual Core. I will soon be buying a new HArd Drive to replace my 40 Gig. I am currently using a hard drive I took out of a sattelite reciever. WOr anyone assembling their own computer using a socket 775 cpu, remember 1. Plug the seperate power into your motherboard that goes just to the CPU, 2. Socket 775 CPUs HAVE THE PINS ON THE MOTHERBOARD, not THE CPU. THE MOTHERBOARD IS ONLY GUARENTEED FOR 20 CHANGES of the CPU.I think there age pros and cons to having the CPU pins on the motherboard. If your motherboard breaks, you can get a cheap replacement for around $30. I have already seen people break tehir motherboard while inserting a socket 775 CPU. The up side is that the CPU is harder to damage, which is good for CPUs over $150.

Anyways, I thought I would be using my old power supply and RAM for this build. All I had ordered was a MOtherboard and CPU. Think again. If you want more power and protection gat a power supply with 24 pins for the motherboard. MOst motherboards, including my motherboard, will support old 20 pin power supplies. 24 pin is reccomended. Also remember to get new RAM. My custom built computer now has a 1 GB DDR2 stick of RAM. My motherboard supports up to 4 GB and has 2 slots for RAM. I will probably buy myself a 2 GB later on, and then upgrade my motherboard to something over $100 for more power.

My only problem for now is that I still have an old CRT monitor. Around christmas, I will buy myself something around a 20 inch flatpanel. I am looking for a high resolution, brightness, and fast response and refresh rate.

many people ask me if I have an upgraded video card or plan to upgrade. My motherboard has an on board NVIdia GeForce with VGA and HDMI. I iam not going to buy myself another or better video adapter. The good video adapters that will be any good for me to buy are over $300. Anything less isn't usually good. If I have $300 that I am willing to spend on computers I will probably get myself a great quad-core CPU. Another option would be a huge RAM and motherboard upgrade. Think of how much RAM I could get for $300!

If you have any ideas, have found cheap products, or want to leave feedback, please post a comment. You don't have to register or anything. Thanks!

Overclocking your CPU

Overclocking a CPU is the process of making it run faster. When you overclock a CPU, there are two main factors. One of the limitations to overclocking your CPU is the amount of heat the CPU will generate. CPUs heat up, and you will need to buy better fans or even a water cooling system if you are serious about overclocking. The second limitation is how fast it operates. There is a certain limit to every CPU, it can't be passed. Don't worry about the second limitation unless you will be overclocking at sub-zero temperatures.

So how do you overclock? To overclock a CPU, you can either increase the multiplier or the FSB. (Front Side bus speed) If you increase the speed of your computers FSB, you are overclocking all the components a bit. The most common way to overclock a CPU is to raise the FSB speed. There is no way to increase the CPU multiplier using software. You can speed up the FSB by using a program called CPUFSB. Download CPUFSB here.
You will need to open up your computer and check a specific number which you enter into the software.

You can further increase how fast your CPU can be by downlaoding and using a program called CPU burn in.

If your computer freezes up or randomly reboots after you overclock it, downclock it a bit.