Anyone using a P4 3.06GHz / 1M / 533 SL7DT 478pin CPU

[blinky88]

I am about to buy the above CPU and seeking comments from those members who are using it regarding how reliable is it ..ie.. any problems such as over heating etc. I do not intend to overclock it.

[DarrellS]

I have a 478 pin 3.2Ghz P4 in another PC that isn't up and running right now so I can't give you a temp rating but P4's do run hot. The fans on the 478 pin cpu run more efficient than the 775s though since they draw the heat away from the cpu instead of blowing air on it. You'll need a horn on the side of the case to get the hot air out of the case (no fan needed here since the cpu fan is strong enough to blow the hot air out). If you're not going to overclock you don't really need an aftermarket fan but it would help to keep the cpu below 60*C.

I've had this cpu about 5 years but after the motherboard fried, I built a quad core machine and put the P4 on a cheap Biostar board and only use it in emergencies. It's partially disassembled right now since I used parts to get my nephew's PC running..

Wonder where these chips are coming from. Intel stopped selling these 478 chips right after I bought mine but I notice that even newegg has started selling them again.

[TBoneit]

Unless you aresure you can use it in your motherboard I wouldn't do it.

If you plan to change teh motherboard go socket 775 core 2 duo at a minimum. Then plan on new memory and video card.

[aedipuss]

check to make doubly sure the cpu is either a Willimate 478 or Northwood 478. not a Prescott as i don't think your motherboard can use that type of p4.

[DarrellS]

Unless you aresure you can use it in your motherboard I wouldn't do it.

I bought what was supposed to be a socket 478 Pentium III for an HP my brother had and when I got it home, it was a socket 370. No problem I thought since my HP Celeron supported a socket 370 Pentium III. Put it in and nothing.

If you plan to change teh motherboard go socket 775 core 2 duo at a minimum. Then plan on new memory and video card.

Checked newegg and the Q6600 is down to $189.99 retail and $179.99 OEM. The E8500 is $189.99 also.

[gll99]

I have a P4 socket 478 Asus MB but the chipset will only clock up to 2.4. Make sure your MB jumpers and bios will allow you to use any cpu you buy to the max. Mine didn't so that's why instead of a new cpu, I built a new fairly inexpensive 2 core system with enough flexibility to move the cpu up to a Quad when prices drop.

[wtsinnc]

I don't have the P4 3.06 but do have in my Dell E510 a P4 3.0 ghz Prescott (800 mhz fsb/1 mb L2) with hyperthreading and have never experienced any thermal issue using the stock fan/shroud configuration. If you can get a really good price for the cpu and have or can get a good heatsink & fan assembly for an equally good price, that cpu should be just fine for internet browsing and non-intensive video applications. I realize that it's always easy to spend someone else's money, but keep in mind that some true dual core processors from Intel and AMD have dropped substantially below the $100.00 price range and are often bundled with a quality motherboard at very attractive prices. Before you make a final decision, visit www.tigerdirect.com and check out their cpu/mb combos. Newegg doesn't offer the extensive combo selection that Tiger Direct does, but they have the most extensive selection of separate components I know of. In the final analysis, you have to balance cost vs. performance vs. tomorrow's needs.

[blinky88]

The M/B does accept the CPU I noted, I am building this desktop for internet browsing only. I have never been on the web with my work computer.

[budz]

I'm using a P4 Northwood 3.00c cpu in a mini pc. I use it strictly for browsing the internet & a little bit of video encoding. I used to use the Northwood cpu in another pc that strictly did video encoding when I had a ASUS P4P800SE mobo but it died a few years ago. I could get only get from Newegg a cheap BIOSTAR mobo which it now uses. The Northwood processors never ran hot temps. I believe the P4 you are looking at buying is a PRESHOT cpu. PRESCOTT! Those PRESCOTT cpu's run hot so buy a good aftermarket cpu cooler even though you'll only be using it to surf the web.

IMHO there's better Intel processors on the market now which would make better sense to build another pc. You can get a low end Intel core 2 duo cpu for under $70.00.

Intel Allendale E2180 2.00ghz , $69.99, this cpu can easily be overclocked to 3.00ghz using certain mobo's & ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116052

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-S2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard, $58.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128078

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Ram, $38.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134117

Subtotal - $167.97
With that combo you can still upgrade the cpu should you want a faster one down the road. I'll be building a similar computer with that combo when I return from my vacation. Just my 2 cents!

[CBC]

That IS a pretty sweet system for low $$ . Nice!

[blinky88]

The CPU I mentioned is a Northwood (H/T) 478 pin 1Mb cache.

[budz]

The CPU I mentioned is a Northwood (H/T) 478 pin 1Mb cache.

IMHO why buy old technology when you have much faster and cooler Intel cpu's available. To each's own!

[blinky88]

Easy, it is the fastest CPU my M/B will accept.

[TBoneit]

The main problem with using the old mobo is that the CPU will outlast the Mobo as a general rule.

Who knows how much life is left in the old mobo.