I am currenty upgrading my computer to an Intel one however once I started to research of it I found that there are alot of improvments that I dont really know about and also dont know how they work in Linux (or in any other OS for that matter) So I wanted to ask a few questions about them before deciding which Hardware to buy.

first of all CPU's... I am gonna use a Intel Socket 775(Already bought the motherboard so I cant really change it) but I've found dozens of 775 CPU's which support various things in them, one had Hyperthreading the other was 64bit and the third was Duo-Core so I'd like to know the pros and cons of each and explanasion about how they work in Linux(and in other OS's Like Windows and Mac's incase you know) Which one should I spend on to get a capable yet fairly cheap video gaming machine which can even play in Emulated modes like in Cedega or Wine (atm most of my games put take a heavy toll on my comp especially wine and cedega games in the FPS and performance part) but is also good for work and studying (For programming and heavy duty video/photo editing). what I do know so far:

*To get 64Bit support I will need to use 64Bit supporting Distro and program

Second, PCI Express(Graphics). I do know its faster, but does it give better graphical performance in comparison to my AGPx8. How much faster, is PCI Express support in Linux (fully? partially?) will I feel any diffrent (especially in Wine/Cedega gaming).What are its pros and cons in Linux (If you know please include a comparison with Mac and Windows) I dont know which model I will use but I am certain I'll use a Nvidia Gefroce(currently I am thinking of 7300GT/7600GS/6600 but I am open to suggestions)

furthermore I would be helpful if you would recommend me particular models, especially in the CPU part since I am completely new to Intel CPU's(I only know AMD slightly since I used it for a decade now)

PCI express is fully supported. It is about your only choice on a modern motherboard. They do require an additional power plug from the power supply (no using ancient power supplies). Most of the slowness you see in linux is still a driver problem and not a hardware problem. I have a 6600 and it works without issue (I do not game).

Hyperthreading makes on cpu look like two. The duo-core is just like a X2. You do want to be careful because the newer(conroe) are p3 based and run much cooler(the ones you want). The older ones are P4 based and run much slower and much, much hotter (avoid).

Most of you questions are hardware specific so any review (windows) will answer most of your questions.

All the mainstream 64bit cpus support 32bit OSs. Unless you are running some real industrial strength computing you will see no performance gain in switching to 64bit. You will run into a few headaches (flash, java , etc do not like 64bit).

Here is a link to a cpu comparison chart:

http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

You can see what your extra $ buys you in terms of performance. The e6600 seems to be a favorite.

Good Luck
Lazlow

I didnt really got that part... is the conroe part about the duo-core? and also how would I know if its Conroe (It doesnt say in the websites I've looked at). And I dont understand what do you mean by X2? Twice the power? (3GHZx2). if so then what makes it diffrent then Hyperthreading (since you said it makes CPU look like two) and more imporantly what gives better performance, Duo-Core or Hyperthreading

EDIT:

I've Checked Tom Hardware and the only Duo-Core which fits my budget is P4 631 Cedar Mill.

p.s.

The rest of the information really helped me narrow down the field Thanks

You should avoid as much as possible to buy a Netburst based CPU ; it's now totally outdated. Since every Pentium 4 or Pentium D fits this description, I strongly recommend you to choose some flavor of Core 2 Duo such as E4300 or E6300... They are not that expensive and their price should drop significantly on July 22. And you'll have a much cooler and yet faster CPU for your money.

The X2 or Dual Core means there is actually 2 processors on the chip and that your OS should see 2 CPU instead of one. This is not Hyperthreading and there is really two (or 4) execution cores so the performance increase can be really interesting (well actually, that was done because neither Intel nor AMD was able to really increase the CPU frequency above 3 GHz without overheating). Anyway it is now the standard and most of the modern CPU available are dual-core ones.

I'll add that if you want to play modern games you'd better keep a Windows installation, this is still the best platform to play games on PC.

Basically if you buy the older generation cpu (P4 based) you will save money on the cpu itself only. You will spend a lot money keeping it cool. So if you look at total cost of the old generation plus cooling or the new generation (minimal cooling) you come out about the same (money wise), except the new generation has much more capability (computing power).

Here is a good price list: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2&name=LGA+775

yeah but in israel there is a big diffrent because some of them are made locally while other are imported (which cost much more due to the rather large import tax) and some arent even sold here. so its kinda problematic can you tell me how to Identify if its good or bad according to its model/series or any other identifying detail? (except the whole Cedar Mill/Cconroe/Presscot thing since from some reason its not noted in Israel)

You could look at the link I posted and get the numbers there. They list the numbers and the type. You could also post a link to where you are planning to buy from.

It's all in the names: Duo-Core = the older, Pentium-based architecture, Core 2 Duo = the newer one (those start with an E as far as I know: E6300, E 6400 etc). Conroes are a branch of the Core 2 Duo line.

lazlow, theres no real point in posting the site where I am buying from since

A)its based on the Shekel currency
B)Its all in Hebrew

and now for two more questions

First of all If I'll buy a Dual Core 1.6GHZ. Then how will the computer recognize it? will I still be able to run games which demand 3GHZ+ to run or will they start complaining that its 1.6GHZ

Second, Cooling wise... I've been told that if I buy a CPU in its 'BOX' version I get cooling in the box, is it true and if so is it enough to cool down the CPU to 20-35 temp. (Since Currently I am having major Software issues in Linux due to the fact that my CPU refuses to work at 40+ degress

Note:By Degress I mean Celcius.

EDIT:

Heres two CPU's I am considering atm:

INTEL PENTIUM S775 1.6GHz(E2140) 800MHz/FSB 1MB - BOX
INTEL PENTIUM S775 1.8GHz(E2160) 800MHz/FSB 1MB - BOX

Both are Core 2 Duo series

The BIOS in the computer has a table in there of CPUID strings which tells it which CPUs it can run then the OS that is installed needs to be multi-cpu aware to use both.
Take it your talking windows here as far as I know the games don't really check to see if the CPU is fast enough they just won't run smoothly as the CPU is not powerful enough.

Well here you have big problems then your in Israel right I imagine the temperature there in the summer is going to be in at least the 30's so a processor running at 5-10 degrees over ambient temperature is already over that limit. Now almost any modern processor should be able to run at 40-60+ C without major problems. You need to figure out what the problem is with your current setup before moving on to the same possible problem with the new.
You should check the CPU support page to make sure that those are supported out of the box with the BIOS that is on the motherboard you have bought otherwise you may end up with the board not booting and having to borrow a chip from someone that will flash the BIOS to a newer version to be able to use your chip in it.

Edit: Typo

As long as your kernel recognizes it, you will be fine. You will not get twice the performance but you will get about 1.6X performance versus a single core of the same speed. Most of the new kernels have smp (dual core capable) built in. Even if it is not built in it will run(just not both cores).

These are both the cooler running cpus so heat should NOT be an issue. They are also relatively new release cpus (not on market very long). But on the old cpus, the coolers provided in the box where not really enough for most people.

Different cpus run at different temps my 3800+X2 idles at 32C and runs under full load at 54C(this is relatively normal for this cpu)


These both look like good cpus. Here are the reviews form newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116037

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116036

I think the one hot review was just some guy posting in the wrong thread or who did not install the heat sink properly.

Either looks like a good choice to me.

Good Luck
Lazlow


Edit: Being these are newly released cpus HappyTux has a point about the bios(nice catch).

I was refuring to Linux (Doom3 and Wine gaming) Windows and any other OS I might use

Well actually its in the 30's only at peak hours and its about 27-28 in-doors so its not that bad... only in serios heatwaves it goes up to 32 in-doors. but I have a friend who bought a full comp from the store and it appears that they gave me a standard CPU cooler but he's temp is only 24-25 idle and 34 full power usage
err Dont know if it support it :P and I lost the MB manual...

all I know is that the Model is

D915GAV and heres its Intel page

Here is the last cpu support page I could find:

http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-026958.htm

There have been a couple of bios updates that are not listed in above.

http://downloadmirror.intel.com/1014...leaseNotes.pdf

But I think your motherboard just limited you back to the old style cpus. If it does I would look at a better cpu cooler than stock. Something along the lines of a thermalright si-128: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...lright%2bsi128

Be aware that that particular cooler does not come with a fan. It needs a 120mm fan to run in most applications.

Good luck

Lazlow

You will want 32bit for your OS then as Wine does not work on 64bit.


The BIOS on his board must be giving false reading then unless using some peltier cooler as the CPU temp can never be below the room temperature its impossible most CPU run at least 10-15C above the room temperature at idle.
I do I had one of those boards and as lazlow also points out it will only support older P4. A friend of mine still uses the same board and with a P4 3.06 I think it is he has it was running in the mid 50's until he took the side of the case off and put a house fan pointing at it. This was with the stock cooling fan with some arctic silver 5 with the temperature around here being in the high 20's so you will want better cooling if you get a chip in that speed range.

You will also want a ton of case fans. I run two 120mm in and 1 120mm out (psu has 120mm out too). If the case is not cool the cooler cannot cool the cpu.