" I'd like to upgrade my current system and have $300 us to do it. "
With the kind of usage you have for your system, and because of your
consideration for dual-channel, it would perhaps be foolish to recommend a
socket 754 Athlon 64 setup, even if it will support 64-bit Windows (whenever
that appears). So do you add to what you have, or upgrade the motherboard
for an all-round faster P4 system?
The P4PE is limited to 533FSB CPUs. You could opt for a 533FSB 3.06Ghz but
you might only wish you had upgraded your motherboard, especially as the
800FSB 3.0Ghz costs about the same as the 533FSB 3.06Ghz.
I see that your P4 2.4B Ghz is running at 2.88Ghz, so it's obvious you
should be looking at an 800FSB dual-channel motherboard with some
overclocking potential. A RAM upgrade should be considered along with the
choice of CPU, as 2x256MB PC3500 RAM would help you overclock an 800FSB CPU
much better.
Looking just at Newegg, there are a few combinations that can be looked at:
Asus 800FSB P4 ATX Motherboards:
- P4P800 SE
http://snipurl.com/70sp ($94.00)
- P4S800D-E Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70sn ($100.00)
- P4P800-E Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70sl ($116.00)
- P4C800 Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70s5 ($163.00)
- P4C800-E Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70rh ($169.00)
800FSB P4 CPUs::
- P4 2.8C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70s9 ($180.00)
- P4 2.8E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sa ($176.00)
- P4 3.0C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/6kc3 ($219.00)
- P4 3.0E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70rk ($219.00)
- P4 3.2C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sg ($277.00)
- P4 3.2E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sf ($281.00)
( comparison at
http://snipurl.com/70p8 )
PC3500 Dual-Channel RAM:
- SimpleTech 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t9 ($115.00)
- PMI 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70tc ($125.00)
- Geil 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70rz ($133.00)
- OCZ 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t8 ($140.00)
- Geil Golden Dragon 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t7 ($147.00)
- Kingston HyperX 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t5 ($155.00)
- Mushkin 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t2 ($158.00)
- OCZ Platinum 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t0 ($161.00)
- SimpleTech 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70tt ($215.00)
- OCZ 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70rq ($230.00)
- Geil 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70tq ($259.00)
- Mushkin 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70to ($275.00)
- Kingston HyperX 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70tn ($301.00)
Selling your hardware on eBay for around $200 would give you a $500 budget.
The following combinations should hopefully give you some ideas:
- P4P800-E Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70sl ($116.00)
- P4 2.8C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70s9 ($180.00)
(or)
- P4 2.8E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sa ($176.00)
- SimpleTech 2x 512MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70tt ($215.00)
TOTAL = $511.00 / $507.00
- P4C800-E Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70rh ($169.00)
- P4 2.8C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70s9 ($180.00)
(or)
- P4 2.8E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sa ($176.00)
- OCZ Platinum 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70t0 ($161.00)
TOTAL = $510.00 / $506.00
- P4C800 Deluxe
http://snipurl.com/70s5 ($163.00)
- P4 3.0C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/6kc3 ($219.00)
(or)
- P4 3.0E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70rk ($219.00)
- Geil 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70rz ($133.00)
TOTAL = $515.00
- P4P800 SE
http://snipurl.com/70sp ($94.00)
- P4 3.2C Ghz (512KB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sg ($277.00)
(or)
- P4 3.2E Ghz (1MB L2)
http://snipurl.com/70sf ($281.00)
- Geil 2x 256MB PC3500
http://snipurl.com/70rz ($133.00)
TOTAL = $504.00 / $508.00