[PatJones]

I currently have a 4 year old Gateway with an Intel P4 2.6GH 800MHz FSB HDW. Im thinking of adding another Gb of RAM for a total of 2 GB or buying a new PC with INTEL CORE 2 DUO E6600 2.4GHZ LGA775 1066FSB 4MB L2 PROCESSOR and 2 GB of RAM. How much faster would the new PC be ?Also, If I upgrade, Ill be replacing the C Drive. Is it true that replacement drives come with a utility that lets you transfer the old drive - settings, OS, applications, data, and everything - so you dont have to reload everything ?Thanks;Pat

[mphenterprises]

I will try to answer both of your questions. Your first question was regarding the difference between a P4 with 2 GBs of RAM and a dual core with 2GBs of RAM. You asked how much faster would it be. Well, faster is a relative term. It all depends on the applications you use and the perforance you have now. I have a dual core and I see a tremendous difference from a P4. Games run smoother, Applications load more quickly. If you look at it from just a numbers standpoint, will all things being equal, a dual core system with the same RAM as a P4 system is your better bet.Your second question was in relation to new hard drives. You wanted to know if the replacement drive comes with a utility to transfer the files in the old drive. The answer to that is yes and no. Some do and some don't. I bought a 320GB internal hard drive and it has the utility. I also bought a 160GB external and it came with the utility as well. The best way to found out if the replacement drive has an utility is to just look at the packaging before you buy. It will state exactly what comes with the hard drive. I would say, the majority of drives will come with the utility but always check first.

[reggie64]

Sorry Mr. Jones, but I don't believe you can upgrade to a Core 2 Duo without getting a new motherboard. That motherboard is probably a socket 478, and Core 2 Duo is a 775, so it wouldn't fit. HOWEVER, newegg has the 478 "top of the line" processor, a 3.4 Ghz P4 EE for a mere 190 dollars (A STEAL) finally, 2GB's is fine for now with your computer, but i'm not sure if your motherboard can go higher then that (check the specs of that motherboard on the gateway site, or even go to crucial memory (forgot the website name, but google it) and see what your max RAM can be)As far as hard drives go, I'm not too sure. My old Hard Drive Crashed, and I had to get a replacement one (the first was DOA, the second worked) and it made me call Microsoft a few times to have their stuff activated, and had to reinstall all the drivers. But I think there's a data and transfer wizard in XP. try looking at that first.Hope this helps you out, and have fun with your future upgrade!!!

[mphenterprises]

Morning Reggie. I don't think pat was planning on putting the Core Duo 2 in the existing system. Here is a quote from the original post: "buying a new PC with INTEL CORE 2 DUO E6600 2.4GHZ LGA775 1066FSB 4MB L2 PROCESSOR and 2 GB of RAM."His question asked for a comparison between adding ram to his existing computer or buying a new computer with the new CPU already installed.

[reggie64]

Haha whoops, too early in the morning for me to read:lol::lol:Yep, mph is right, you'll expect a big increase overall in performance w/Core 2 Duo (more in CPU intensive apps than in not so intense CPU apps)Well, I did answer part of the question, by telling where to look for memory concerns:D Sorry about that.

[mphenterprises]

:D No Worries. That's what we are all here for, to help each other. 8)

[PatJones]

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the input. I do a lot of PhotoShop and web design and the current set up loads pretty fast although some larger images do take a bit more time. I have 256mb on the graphics card, so maybe a move to a 512BM might help that.Pat