Slow Performance and Degradation

[Srock97]

I had a 7 years old system with

Core2Duo E4400 2.0Ghz

Intel G31 Motherboard

500GB Seagate HDD

2GB DDR2 RAM

 

Now i am experiencing slow processing , freezing and most of the 100% CPU usage.

 

some time it even says "missing operating system " or takes a long time to boot

 

So should i add more RAM and a new hard drive for performance or buy a new cpu ?

 

Today buying a new CPU is expensive because of motherboard compatibility issue,

 

For CPU , hows the performace difference in Pentium 4th Generation G3220 and Core2Duo E4400 ?

 

Does CPU , Board and Ram degrades over time ?

[Arty]

get an ssd

it will never feel slow agian

 

but the whole system is dated.. you need a new computer

new everything

[Majestic]

Intel Haswell Dual cores are about 2.5-3 times faster than your current CPU (because it's only a 2ghz version). SSD should breathe some new life into that PC, assuming you can reinstall your windows and it's not some pre-built windows that doesn't allow for hardware swaps or if you've lost the key.

[Srock97]

Intel Haswell Dual cores are about 3 times faster than your current CPU (because it's only a 2ghz version). SSD should breathe some new life into that PC, assuming you can reinstall your windows and it's not some pre-built windows that doesn't allow for hardware swaps or if you've lost the key.

 

For 100% CPU usage and Freezes

 

which one i should go for ? more RAM or better CPU ?

 

Also better CPU here means more Ghz like dual core 3.0Ghz or cores like quad ?

[Un4tural]

well u could get a q6600 or something, i've seen here in UK them going really cheap, they're dated but could pick up a q6600 for 15£ or so which isn't bad value to refresh an old system.

 

if you get an ssd add more ram too, i know ssds aren't as brittle as most people say, i still wouldn't give them a full fury of a pagefile. 

 

is windows a fresh install? do you clean registry? like just general clogging up and garbage in os can kill performance quite drastically.

[Srock97]

well u could get a q6600 or something, i've seen here in UK them going really cheap, they're dated but could pick up a q6600 for 15£ or so which isn't bad value to refresh an old system.

 

if you get an ssd add more ram too, i know ssds aren't as brittle as most people say, i still wouldn't give them a full fury of a pagefile. 

 

is windows a fresh install? do you clean registry? like just general clogging up and garbage in os can kill performance quite drastically.

 completely formatted and fresh installed windows , i regularly clean using CCleaner 

i am from INDIA and here Core 2 series are not available as new.

[Un4tural]

not as new, used. nothing wrong with them, just check for a used one. same with ram. don't look for new parts for such an old system. and cpu usage at 100% is really odd on a fresh install, so new cpu might be the best option, followed by a ram upgrade.

[Srock97]

not as new, used. nothing wrong with them, just check for a used one. same with ram. don't look for new parts for such an old system. and cpu usage at 100% is really odd on a fresh install, so new cpu might be the best option, followed by a ram upgrade.

 

Well core2quad or core2duo , wnich will be better ?

 

also 6mb L2 cahche vs 3mb shared L3 chache ?

[Srock97]

Well core2quad or core2duo , wnich will be better ?

 

also 6mb L2 cahche vs 3mb shared L3 chache ?

Also i need a hard drive. Should i buy a new or used ?

[Un4tural]

i'd say go for new on hard drive. wouldn't trust a used one for that, unless you can get a refund easily, as bad sectors, general failures are a lot more common for those.

 

quad would be better of course, cache i doubt it'll matter much considering age of the part. essentially higher number = better when it comes to their naming with core2 series.

 

make sure your motherboard supports it though. they normally do, but just to be sure. might need a bios update too.

[Srock97]

i'd say go for new on hard drive. wouldn't trust a used one for that, unless you can get a refund easily, as bad sectors, general failures are a lot more common for those.

 

quad would be better of course, cache i doubt it'll matter much considering age of the part. essentially higher number = better when it comes to their naming with core2 series.

 

make sure your motherboard supports it though. they normally do, but just to be sure. might need a bios update too.

someone is selling 6months old HDD under warranty on half cost but i can't trust if there any issues voiding warranty exist. 

Quad core is 2.66GHz Q9400 and core2duo is 3.0ghz E8400..which will be better ?

[Un4tural]

pretty much any quad core will beat out the dual core. if your motherboard supports a quad, no reason not to get it. don't pay much attention to ghz. either will be a fair bit better than your current cpu.

[Srock97]

i am pretty clear what to do.

 

Well does a USB3.0 PCI card performs same as motherboard USB3.0 ports ?

[Srock97]

pretty much any quad core will beat out the dual core. if your motherboard supports a quad, no reason not to get it. don't pay much attention to ghz. either will be a fair bit better than your current cpu.

 

Thank you

 

i am pretty clear what to do now

 

Well does a USB3.0 PCI card performs same as motherboard USB3.0 ports ?

[Un4tural]

will probably need a driver, but yes u just stuff it in a pci slot and u get whatever the amount of usb3 ports the card gives. might need extensions.