whats my bottleneck?

[Timz]

i have a P4 1.8gh 512 mb r9600XT comp. I believe it is the 1.8 gh card that is the bottleneck, but im not sure. any recomendations?

[bigdawgfoxx]

There is no 1.8Gh card. It is a 1.8Ghz chip. I agree with you, and believe that is the main bottleneck.

[tesco]

yup. cpu for sure.

[Timz]

any recommendations for a card, 100-150$ if possible, either from AMD or Intel

[Virtualbody1234]

You didn't read the answers. There isn't a card.

[bigdawgfoxx]

It is not a CARD, but a chip. We need to konw what kind of a motherboard you have.

[kaiweiler]

It is not a CARD, but a chip. We need to konw what kind of a motherboard you have.
Should be a socket 478 Mobo, as he said in his first post that it was a P4 chip that he was using....

[Timz]

how do i check the which motehrboard i have. I used intel's chipset identification tool, but i dont think its what you're looking for. It says my detected chipset is the "Intel(R) 845 Chipset"

[tesco]

Download and install Aida32 (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html) to see what motherboard you have.

[Timz]

Download and install Aida32 (http://www.majorgeeks.com/download181.html) to see what motherboard you have.

according the the app:

Motherboard Name Intel Billings D845BG

Front Side Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel NetBurst
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 100 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 400 MHz
Bandwidth 3200 MB/s

Memory Bus Properties
Bus Type DDR SDRAM
Bus Width 64-bit
Real Clock 133 MHz (DDR)
Effective Clock 267 MHz
Bandwidth 2133 MB/s

Chipset Bus Properties
Bus Type Intel Hub Interface
Bus Width 8-bit
Real Clock 67 MHz (QDR)
Effective Clock 267 MHz
Bandwidth 267 MB/s

Motherboard Physical Info
CPU Sockets/Slots 1
Expansion Slots 6 PCI, 1 AGP
RAM Slots 2 DIMM
Integrated Devices Audio
Form Factor ATX
Motherboard Size 210 mm x 300 mm
Motherboard Chipset i845D

Motherboard Manufacturer
Company Name Intel Corporation
Product Information http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/index.htm
BIOS Download http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/genbios.htm

[spirex]

Your processor has a slower fsb than your memory so that will be the bottleneck at this time. It seems that your mobo will support Northwood processors with the 400 mhz fsb,they go as high as 2.8ghz at newegg. However, I don't think that your mobo will support the newer northwood or prescott processors, so the best option would be to look for a mobo+cpu combo on the net.

[twister]

your bottle neck is the top of your bottle that usually has a cap on top of it, i recomend drinking the liquid inside because thats what you do unless its motor oil or something

[Timz]

ok, jsut to get this straight, I have a motherboard that supports a P4 atm. The P4 is the cpu or processor that is 1.8ghz, and is my bottleneck. To upgrade the 1.8ghrz part, i should buy a compatible cpu to go w/ my motherboard, or buy a all new motherboard w/ a new cpu? Also, on Newegg when they talk about AMD or Intel motherboards, its not AMD or Intel thats acually making the mobo, but some other companies right? Also, ive never heard of any of the companies that make the mobos on NewEgg, i have no doubt that Newegg is a reliable source, but are these no name mobo companies legit?

ive never built computer and dont know much about nething except the vid cards, thx for all the advice thus far

[bigdawgfoxx]

Everything you said up there was pretty much true. Depending on how high a CPU your mobo can hold will determine a lot. You can get a pretty good mobo and cpu for about 160 if you go with AMD.