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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Can my old desktop run 64 bit vista or 7?
Can my old desktop run 64 bit vista or 7?
2009-11-10, 2:01 PM #1
Dell Dimension 8400 pentium 4. The reason I ask is I recently upgraded this old desktop with 4 gigs of ddr3 ram and a 1gb graphics card but XP maxes your ram out to 3 GB because its not a 64 bit operating system. I've tried googling the answer to my question but can't figure out if the hardware that I have will support a 64 bit OS. Everything I can find says the only difference is in software, but if that were the case why would anyone even run 32 bit anymore? Any help?
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:03 PM #2
no it cant, i dont think any p4's can run 64 bit

also, that much ram is useless with that processor.. get a new one
2009-11-10, 2:06 PM #3
No, it isn't useless. I'm running Dragon Age (among other things, Modern Warfare 2) on full now with no lag or choppiness. It's a great computer. Are you positive it isn't capable? I've seen people online saying it is but I didn't want to make the jump to a reformat since you can't upgrade until I know for sure.
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:06 PM #4
No, the best you can do is enable PAE.
2009-11-10, 2:08 PM #5
The Prescott2M and Cedar Mill Pentium 4s do have the x86-64 instruction set.

You can use CPUz to determine your architecture.
2009-11-10, 2:08 PM #6
I'm not running Vista CM.
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:09 PM #7
Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
The Prescott2M and Cedar Mill Pentium 4s do have the x86-64 instruction set.


Do I have either of these? If you don't know, tell me how to find out?

Can I replace a processor just like I would RAM or a video card? Or would it screw up a bunch of stuff and I would have to reformat? I might as well upgrade the rest of this thing.
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:13 PM #8
Yea of course video games aren't going to be as laggy when you have a beast GfX card...

im sure your load times are very slow and multitasking sucks in comparison to even a low end core 2 duo
2009-11-10, 2:16 PM #9
Yea, I'll give it to you that loading times are a bit slow but as long as the game plays smooth I'm okay. And multitasking hasn't been a problem. I've been alt tabbing out of those 2 games to put on music or check for hints and stuff in chrome and itunes without any problems.

I'm on newegg right now looking for a processor. Can anyone give me some advice on if I should just replace my processor or go ahead and get a new motherboard to? If so, what should I look for? I don't want something top of the line, I would just like something that would complement what I already have, preferably around the $150-200 range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115057

^Thats what I found so far. Can anyone tell me how to find out what kind of motherboard I have and if that would fit?
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:18 PM #10
If you replace the processor you'll have to upgrade the mobo, so basically after you pick the processor you gotta pick a mobo that not only matches that processor but the 4gb of ram you bought
2009-11-10, 2:19 PM #11
Originally posted by drizzt2k2:
I'm not running Vista CM.


You can enable it for XP too. Just google. I assumed Vista/7 since that's what your thread title mentioned. :downs:
2009-11-10, 2:21 PM #12
So I might as well buy a new case and build a new computer?

So, can you help me find a reasonable mobo + cpu that would fit a pci-express Geforce 9500GT, 2x 2GB RAM, standard sound and internet?
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:24 PM #13
Wait you got DDR3 ram?

If you have DDR3 ram,

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724&cm_re=athlon_ii_x3-_-19-103-724-_-Product

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006&cm_re=earthwatts-_-17-371-006-_-Product

Totals to around $285
一个大西瓜
2009-11-10, 2:24 PM #14
Originally posted by drizzt2k2:
Do I have either of these? If you don't know, tell me how to find out?

Can I replace a processor just like I would RAM or a video card? Or would it screw up a bunch of stuff and I would have to reformat? I might as well upgrade the rest of this thing.


Run this: http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz/cpuz_152.zip

It will tell you.

If you can run it it will have "EMT64' in the Instructions list.
2009-11-10, 2:25 PM #15
if you link me the exact ram you bought, ill whip together a decent setup

edit: didnt see ddr3

cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128371
case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 <im using that case, its beast
psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371021

thats a pretty budget setup, if you could afford it id suggest getting one of the i7 processors
2009-11-10, 2:28 PM #16
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Memory+Master+-+2GB+PC3-10666+DDR3+DIMM+Memory/9359883.p?id=1218090908448&skuId=9359883
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:29 PM #17
Originally posted by Pommy:
Wait you got DDR3 ram?

If you have DDR3 ram,

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103724&cm_re=athlon_ii_x3-_-19-103-724-_-Product

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006&cm_re=earthwatts-_-17-371-006-_-Product

Totals to around $285


Triple core meaning I would have almost 9ghz speed?!!
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:32 PM #18
No, it means you would have 3 cores running at the stated speed. More cores means you can do more things simultaneously, which is good if you run a lot of programs at the same time or run a CPU-heavy program that does multithreading.
2009-11-10, 2:34 PM #19
Whats the difference between AMD and Intel chipsets? I know a lot of people prefer AMD for gaming but why?
America, home of the free gift with purchase.
2009-11-10, 2:38 PM #20
i think i linked the wrong thing lol, i meant http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056

As far as im aware, intel processors are harder to overclock so theyre not preferred by enthusiasts (dont quote me on this)

i prefer intel because theyre easier to cool, i dont overclock
2009-11-10, 2:42 PM #21
Originally posted by Reid:
i think i linked the wrong thing lol, i meant http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056

As far as im aware, intel processors are harder to overclock so theyre not preferred by enthusiasts (dont quote me on this)

i prefer intel because theyre easier to cool, i dont overclock


Everything after the P4's have been incredible overclockers. My Core 2 Duo E8500 runs at 4Ghz, stock is 3.12Ghz.
2009-11-10, 2:44 PM #22
thats good to hear, i remember intel was getting raped by amd when p4's were new
2009-11-10, 2:49 PM #23
Yeah that's all changed now. Intel owns the mid to high-end CPU market by a landslide. AMD still has good budget chips though.
2009-11-10, 4:39 PM #24
4 gigs or ddr3... and a p4.
That's Frankensteins monster.
2009-11-10, 4:42 PM #25
The Athlon II X3 I linked is cheaper than the E7500 and also better. And it's on AM3, which leaves you open for upgrades.

The one thing you may want to spend more on is the PSU ... I linked a relatively cheaper (but still high quality) one; if you plan on sticking in higher power processors or video cards in the future, you might want to consider one with a higher wattage.
一个大西瓜
2009-11-10, 4:44 PM #26
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
Everything after the P4's have been incredible overclockers. My Core 2 Duo E8500 runs at 4Ghz, stock is 3.12Ghz.


i7 920s are the epitome of this el oh el. Stock 2.66Ghz and nearly all the D0s run at 4. Mine is running at 3.6 (19x) on full load and 4 on turbo (21x)
一个大西瓜
2009-11-10, 5:08 PM #27
The iX series is designed to overclock itself if it detects something using 2 cores or less.
2009-11-10, 5:55 PM #28
drizzt2k2- what speed is it running at? I have the 3.4GHz 8400, and it does not have EM64T, but it looks like the 3.0 might.
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2009-11-10, 6:18 PM #29
Originally posted by Tibby:
The iX series is designed to overclock itself if it detects something using 2 cores or less.


That's what I said (Turbo mode) and it's actually anything less than full load depending on the mobo ... I get a 21x multiplier with all four cores active sometimes
一个大西瓜
2009-11-10, 6:22 PM #30
Are you sure its DDR3 you added and not DDR2? I just find it amazing that DDR3 fit/works in your Dimension 8400.
My favorite JKDF2 h4x:
EAH XMAS v2
MANIPULATOR GUN
EAH SMOOTH SNIPER
2009-11-10, 7:27 PM #31
it's ddr2.
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2009-11-10, 7:30 PM #32
it appears that the 3.6ghz model has the p4 660 which is 64 bit. if you have that, yay. if not:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Pentium-4-Processor-660-SL7Z5-3-60GHZ-LGA-775_W0QQitemZ310179812778QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCPUs?hash=item48382855aa
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT

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