i'm currently running this mobo, this cpu, and a gig of ram (ddr2 400 w/ heatspreader, i believe, i'll have the real name in a bit) in my shuttle-case homebuilt desktop that i've got. geoforce 7600gs (256mb ram built in), external 24-bit soundcard, lite-on dvd-rw, rosewill 450-watt power supply, two fans. good temp control - i don't EVER get above 39 degrees celsius for internal temp, 55 degrees celsius gpu...don't know what the cpu temp is. generally runs an internal case temp of around 30, and gpu around 48)
i want my computer to run faster.
here's the catch. i need to know what kind of processor would run faster in my computer than the cpu i've already got. i know that celeron cpus tend to run slower than other processers, but it's a 3.46 ghz processor...so, what would be 'faster'? the mobo will handle up to a quad-core, but i want a processor that's relatively cheap (under 100$ preferably, 150$ max).
i run two internal drives (80, 160) and one external (250), 490 gigs total, with around 90% of that full, spread out over four drives total (160=90+70).
would it be more cost-effective to upgrade ram or cpu? i know the bus on the cpu i've got is really slow, as well, which is probably half the problem, but it has serious problems with higher-end audio and video work - aka muzaking and some nicer games. i'm even having trouble running The Witcher on the absolute lowest video settings a bit.
more ram doesn't cost much, comparatively speaking, but i don't want a bandaid - i want to fix the problem with it being so dang slow.
help?
edit - just to brag, it cost 490$ total to build this computer, INCLUDING shipping for the parts =) the dvd drive, monitor, video card, and speakers (logitech 2.1 system, pretty nice altogether) were gifts, which helped, but still...