- Sep 27, 2006
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I have an Intel 946GZIS Motherboard with E6300 2MBL2 cache, 2GB 667MHz RAM, and a SATAII 16MB HDD and 7600GT PCI-E video card. I just upgraded the RAM to 2GB from 1GB after the price fell below $100. I would similarly like to upgrade the CPU when prices get low enough, but I would like to make sure I upgrade efficiently, taking into account any bottlenecks my MB may contain.
The subject of bottlenecks has become an issue to me, because I have major slowdowns on my PC, when it is only at 50% RAM and 15% CPU usage. I am unsure if my Intel 946GZIS MB has a 800 or 1066MHz FSB....the literature simply states I can install a 800 or 1066 CPU. Is my 946 MB a major bottleneck on my system? Am I correct in assuming my low resource usage figures are indicative of a bottleneck situation?
Also, when I transfer a file from my C drive SATA2, from or to my D drive a PATA, the fastest transfer speeds I ever see are 30MB/s. Would running dual SATA drives X4 my transfer capacity within my PC drive to drive? And what would be the highest rated current or upcomming Intel CPU that would best work with my 946 MB and 667MHz PC5300 RAM? Obviously a higher clock speed would be beneficial, but I dont want to be driving a Formula 1 car thats got only 1st gear, if that analogy works. If my CPU usage is low, does this mean the L2 cache is not a issue? If the CPU usage is 15% am I correct in beleiveing a faster CPU wouldn't help, because the little data being cruched is simply not leaving the CPU fast enough to the rest of the system??
Any help appreciated, I am on a very tight budget, and my "plan" dictates any upgrades I do should not cost more than if I had chosen them at the time of PC purchase......I like to be able to have a second PC from free parts after upgrading, hehe, my CPU was $200 or so new
Oh yeah, I mostly use the system with MCA to record and watch HDTV simultaneously, while running P2P app 24/7, works 100% perfect, can even watch 2 video players at once while recording HD.........
The subject of bottlenecks has become an issue to me, because I have major slowdowns on my PC, when it is only at 50% RAM and 15% CPU usage. I am unsure if my Intel 946GZIS MB has a 800 or 1066MHz FSB....the literature simply states I can install a 800 or 1066 CPU. Is my 946 MB a major bottleneck on my system? Am I correct in assuming my low resource usage figures are indicative of a bottleneck situation?
Also, when I transfer a file from my C drive SATA2, from or to my D drive a PATA, the fastest transfer speeds I ever see are 30MB/s. Would running dual SATA drives X4 my transfer capacity within my PC drive to drive? And what would be the highest rated current or upcomming Intel CPU that would best work with my 946 MB and 667MHz PC5300 RAM? Obviously a higher clock speed would be beneficial, but I dont want to be driving a Formula 1 car thats got only 1st gear, if that analogy works. If my CPU usage is low, does this mean the L2 cache is not a issue? If the CPU usage is 15% am I correct in beleiveing a faster CPU wouldn't help, because the little data being cruched is simply not leaving the CPU fast enough to the rest of the system??
Any help appreciated, I am on a very tight budget, and my "plan" dictates any upgrades I do should not cost more than if I had chosen them at the time of PC purchase......I like to be able to have a second PC from free parts after upgrading, hehe, my CPU was $200 or so new
Oh yeah, I mostly use the system with MCA to record and watch HDTV simultaneously, while running P2P app 24/7, works 100% perfect, can even watch 2 video players at once while recording HD.........