XP and dual/quad core

uktyler

I need a new PC, and I'm looking at either a dual or quad core processor, will my old version of Windows XP run smoothly? I know its not designed for multiple processors, but I don't like Vista.

skint999

i dont see why not, what spec pc are you getting? will you get the most out of the new pc's components? worth checking XP 64

rheme

Have recently got a new Sony Vaio dual core laptop and at work have a stand alone quad core processor both running XP and have had no problems.

Red_Cat

I run XP on a 2.2GHz Dual Core with no probs whatsoever.

uktyler

skint999 wrote: »

i dont see why not, what spec pc are you getting? will you get the most out of the new pc's components? worth checking XP 64

I want a quiet media PC for the lounge, with a HD output, so it will have a decent grapics card (dual output) and 4GB with a newish dual/quad core processor. Mostly it will be used for web/word documents, but occasionaly I create DVD's and these take forever on my Duron based Shuttle PC.

globalds

Xp runs very well on Quadcore.
Remember if you get 64 bit xp you can run more than 4 gig of ram ..It is very cheap nowadays .

skint999

globalds wrote: »

Xp runs very well on Quadcore.
Remember if you get 64 bit xp you can run more than 4 gig of ram ..It is very cheap nowadays .

yep, would deffinately be worth the upgrade if your using it for a media pc. Remember to have decent cooling system (silent fans and well vented air flow to stop the hardware overheating - this will also maximise performance and stability)

DCFC79

Why buy a quad core cpu, theres not many programs out there which would utilise the 4 core, why not get mobo which supports both dual and quad cpu so you could replace the dual with a quad cpu later down the line

uktyler

DCFC79 wrote: »

Why buy a quad core cpu, theres not many programs out there which would utilise the 4 core, why not get mobo which supports both dual and quad cpu so you could replace the dual with a quad cpu later down the line

The cost difference is minimal, certainly less than the cost of a new processor sometime down the line. My current PC has lasted years, I'm hoping its replacement will give the same service!

globalds

Quad core prices are dropping The only thing that may be worth considering for future proofing is that there is a new slot due soon .

Poppycat

Quads will drop more soon as the new versions come out later this year, Nehalem.

If you use Vista you can set it up to use multi core processor including dual core a simply edit to make it slightly faster and show all processors in the task manager

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tips/2008/06/24/make_vista_use_multiple_cores_to_speed_boot_time-2.html

only for Vista

Not many programs and games use a quad yet although I am sure this will improve in time

The Kentsfield cores like the Q6600 seem to be a good buy at more and good overclockers over 3ghz for a 2.4 processor, these are not the latest 45nm processors though

If you want a pre built system or custom you can get a fairly good deal below. I cant vouch for

Spartan 300 features a 3.5GHz overclock, a Radeon HD 4850 and 2GB of OCZ PC2-8500 Reaper memory (You can add more memory, different case etc)

http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/604548/yoyotech-announces-499-overclocked-gaming-rig.html