P4 feeling slow.. oh the irony.

[Kantastic]

For some reason I feel that my system should be a lot snappier than it is right now. I can't tell exactly what the components are but here's a general idea:

2.4GHz P4 w/ HT
512MB DDR 333MHz
GeForce FX 5200
WD 80GB IDE HDD

Windows XP installed with all startups disabled.

The motherboard I can't name for the life of me, it's old purple and feels like it's going to give up on me any moment now. I've used P4's before but never one that's felt this laggy. Is something severely bottlenecking the system or am I just too accustomed to i7's and Phenom II's? Hell even my old Athlon X2 felt a crapload faster.

Now before you ask why I'm running this antique, I'll tell you! I'm in the middle of a desktop>laptop transition and this is the only available system I have in my house that is complete. I can spend $20 on a cheap Athlon X2 to get the other spare computer running... hey I think I will!

 

[slyfox2151]

well it does only have 512mb of ram + a fairly slow 80gb HDD. you cant expect it to be too snappy.

bit more ram or a newer HDD should speed things up

 

[CDdude55]

What exactly doesn't feel snappy?, if you're taking about mainly the desktop, then it's probably the HDD that's making it feel so slow. Gaming wise, you shouldn't be suprised, thats a really dated system.

Maybe try and defrag if you haven't in a while, and if you have the cash for an upgrade, then as slyfox said, go for a faster HDD and some more RAM, that should help a bit. But if you're playing some new age games you shuld really consider a overhaul on the whole system.

 

[Kantastic]

I defragged it last night for that very reason. I don't plan on upgrading this system, if I were to dump any money I'd buy a processor for an AM2 computer I have sitting around. The only thing missing is the processor.

This isn't for gaming, like I said I'm just using it to hold me off until I get all my desktop stuff sold and buy a laptop. I just thought I was doing something wrong, but I guess you guys have confirmed it's a hardware issue. If that's the case then there's no point in this thread because I'm not going to upgrade.

Thanks guys!

Oh and as for what feels slow, I can't even play 720P YouTube videos. That's how bad it is.

 

[Delta6326]

sounds like my old laptop had a intel M at 1.6ghz and 512 mb ram with a 60gb hdd and a ati 9700m pro it still runs but its so slow!

 

[newtekie1]

I don't think the FX5200 is up to playing 720p anything...

 

[Thrackan]

I defragged it last night for that very reason. I don't plan on upgrading this system, if I were to dump any money I'd buy a processor for an AM2 computer I have sitting around. The only thing missing is the processor.

This isn't for gaming, like I said I'm just using it to hold me off until I get all my desktop stuff sold and buy a laptop. I just thought I was doing something wrong, but I guess you guys have confirmed it's a hardware issue. If that's the case then there's no point in this thread because I'm not going to upgrade.

Thanks guys!

Oh and as for what feels slow, I can't even play 720P YouTube videos. That's how bad it is.

Find moar ram!

 

[Completely Bonkers]

kantasic, do you realise that a modern Atom 330 on ION, or ION2 is actually faster than your P4 at a FRACTION of the power and noise? That's what I did on all our office (non-gaming, non-crunch) machines: OUT with P4, and IN with Atom 330.

Atom 330 sucks by the way, and I would recommend a low end Core2Duo over an Atom any day. So consider an upgrade... even a CHEAP one, to a low end second hand Core2 off ebay. It will be cheap, it will use less power, and it will whoop your P4.

Seriously, consider a small ITX box with Atom or Core2 as a second/backup machine. You can leave it on as a NAS or other server services. And while you are in your "migration" you will have a decent internet workhorse.

 

[Kantastic]

Now before you ask why I'm running this antique, I'll tell you! I'm in the middle of a desktop>laptop transition and this is the only available system I have in my house that is complete. I can spend $20 on a cheap Athlon X2 to get the other spare computer running... hey I think I will!

I hate to quote myself but... I don't think I'll be doing much upgrading unless it can be done for under $5. It's not worth it, in 2 weeks or so I'll have a brand spankin' new laptop based on either a Core i5 or Core i7 (mobility of course). It's simply not financially wise to buy anything right now.

 

[pantherx12]

Aye its the p4 man its a bunch of shite* by todays standard. One running at 4ghz is still slower then a modern processor running at 1.8

* Doesn't deserve better description

 

[Indra EMC]

For some reason I feel that my system should be a lot snappier than it is right now. I can't tell exactly what the components are but here's a general idea:

2.4GHz P4 w/ HT
512MB DDR 333MHz
GeForce FX 5200
WD 80GB IDE HDD

Windows XP installed with all startups disabled.

The motherboard I can't name for the life of me, it's old purple and feels like it's going to give up on me any moment now. I've used P4's before but never one that's felt this laggy. Is something severely bottlenecking the system or am I just too accustomed to i7's and Phenom II's? Hell even my old Athlon X2 felt a crapload faster.

Now before you ask why I'm running this antique, I'll tell you! I'm in the middle of a desktop>laptop transition and this is the only available system I have in my house that is complete. I can spend $20 on a cheap Athlon X2 to get the other spare computer running... hey I think I will!

of course that's snappy when you try to put VISTA or 7 on it

even XP with many program can make that machine slow like snail

but you can make it faster, just reinstall your XP with Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (yes... SP1, and don't upgrade your XP) it will be lot faster than XP SP3.

don't forget to defrag your HDD.

 

[hat]

It's the hardware. It's simply too old. I would try to sell it for like $50 and use it to buy an AX2 for the backup machine that doesn't suck.

 

[TIGR]

Kantastic, I suspect that's the hard drive bogging you down. I recently helped out a local church with setting up a network on some systems I built them years ago with P4s but with decent SATA drives, and for general office-type stuff as well as e-mail and web browsing, they really don't feel much if any slower than Core i7 or Phenom II X4 systems to me.

 

[KainXS]

its the ram, all i can guess beside saying its outdated

 

[gunsmoke]

i still run a old p4 550 ht 3.4.Gig lga775,
runing xp-pro sp2 good for surfing the net and playing OLD dated games on line,
runing vista on p4s hell that is slow runing windows 7 tho is fast i fink just,

 

[sweeper]

LOL... I was running a P4 (socket 478) system up till just over a month ago as my main system.

 

[pantherx12]

LOL... I was running a P4 (socket 478) system up till just over a month ago as my main system.

Huge upgrade!

Do you feel the difference ?

 

[sweeper]

Huge upgrade!

Do you feel the difference ?

Big difference

 

[gunsmoke]

LOL... I was running a P4 (socket 478) system up till just over a month ago as my main system.

my rig in my bed room is a old socket 478 now thats slow,
just use it for old name32 roms

 

[hat]

Hah, I just got assigned with reformatting a pc with 768mb ddr in single channel and a 2.4ghz 400mhz fsb celeron. It's my aunt's old computer, I finally got the new one off to her today.

 

[sweeper]

If I was good at slapping together a MICRO PC I would update my Moms PC

98' Gateway
400 MHz Celeron
392 Mhz PC66 SDRAM
Onboard 8MB ATI RAGE
Onboard generic sound
80GB IDE HDD (I updated awhile back. Only had a 6GB)
Little tiny PSU , 1 80MM exhaust fan

 

[AsRock]

Maybe making a new account and see how it runs under that, Some times it works. Other wise like already said more ram.

 

[Frick]

Hah, I just got assigned with reformatting a pc with 768mb ddr in single channel and a 2.4ghz 400mhz fsb celeron. It's my aunt's old computer, I finally got the new one off to her today.

Those systems are fine if the only thing you do is check your mail and watch DVD's. I'm giving those away at a regular basis. P

 

[entropy13]

I must have been quite lucky then with my previous P4, since it was LGA775, was rated @3.2GHz, and had DDR2 memory. I got a GeForce 6600 too (not the GT though).

 

[qubit]

That FX5200 will make anything feel sluggish - it's twice as bad when running Aero too. I know, I've got one; it's a pathetic card.

I've got an SFF P4 system of similar spec and with a GeForce 6200 in it, will run XP snappily and even makes a decent job of 7 with Aero on.