Are you happy with your Duron?

[Urinal Mint]

I'm getting ready to do a cheap upgrade to my existing setup (C300A @ 450) because I'd like to be able to play Quake3 and Counterstrike without the game slowing down when I get in a big area with some gunfire.

Right now I'm looking to do a good motherboard (Asus A7V133) and an inexpensive processor for now (until I have a reason to get a 1.33ghz Athlon). So I'm looking at the 800mhz Duron, and I'm wondering if it has enough horsepower for everyone's gaming rigs. I don't need (or want) the fastest gaming rig around, but I definitely want something that won't frustrate me when I'm trying to play.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[Grendel99]

You won't be dissapointed with the Duron And you could probably overclock it rather well too.

 

[sadb0i]

plus have a decent video card...also...dunno wich one you have but if u get te duron...and have a good vid card...woohoo..let the games begin!

 

[Urinal Mint]

I have a TNT2 Ultra now which I plan to keep using for a little while, what with the new Geforce2 MX boards being announced yesterday and the uncertainty of Radeon drivers. The video card is a separate issue... I know my TNT2U is serviceable until either ATI fixes their driver issues in Win2K or until NVidia learns how to make a board with superb 2D graphics at 1600x1200 res.

 

[Dexion]

Supremely happy with the Duron. I purchased a Duron 600 about 3 months ago, it was indeed a gem as it does 1Ghz no problem. The performance for the price of $70(how much I paid for at the time) is amazing.

 

[Urinal Mint]

Those of you who are overclocking those Durons... which method are you using? Do you unlock the L1 bridges, or do you simply increase the FSB & voltage to your liking?

Thanks!

 

[Nitzylpick]

First of all you should know that the video card is going to make a big difference in whether the computer will be able to handle a lot of rendering. The cpu after a certain point don't make much difference.

So the duron should be quite adequate for your needs. That said I have a 700 @ 901 and the price to performance is unbeatable. It is the celeron of the 21st century. Your best bet is to use a combination of FSB and multiplier. I chose to use the pencil trick as it was easy and cheap. If you want to take uncertainty out of the equation use the window defogger repair kit found in automotive stores. Good luck.

 

[Phatty]

As far as the processor goes, it is IMHO, undeniably the best bang for the buck.

 

[Urinal Mint]

Those of you that did use the pencil trick, exactly what kind of pencil did you use? I have some mechanical pencils at home with .5mm lead (I assume to be #2). Do I need to run to an art store and get a certain kind of pencil (specifically, a certain type of lead) or will what I have work well?

Thanks ... the Duron and Asus A7V133 were just ordered and are on their way. Hopefully that PAL6035 heatsink w/ Delta fan will keep it nice and cool inside my SX830!

 

[arod324]

I'm very satisfied with my Duron 600mhz. I have overclocked it to 1050 and it is rock solid, will rn for more than 24 hours without crashing, and probably more, but i restarted it on my own. The performance is AWESOME for the price.

 

[twong82]

duron gives u the most bang for ur buck. Overclocked mine from a 700 to 1Ghz

 

[sadb0i]

hehe happy clockings!

 

[Nitzylpick]

I think a #2 will work...mechanical pencil or otherwise

 

[Miraluka]

Duron 800 gives a good amount of power for gaming without the need for overclocking, but overclocking is FUN! Plus it'll give you a little more power. Look at my siggy for my system stats. Its the perfect CPU for the budget machine too...I bought mine in January for 72.95. I'm sure that AMD's prices will drop further.

 

[osage]

Love it, money well spent. not much money,but well spent. Great performance for what you pay, the OC ability is just a bonus.

 

[kuman]

hi.... just thought i share my opinion on the topic....

hi just bought duron 800mhz.. but hasn't got around to OC'ing it yet... so far.. its the BANG for the buck... (maybe because no OC yet ) The only crash i had last night and maybe due to Win ME bugs.. i'm still in testing mode for Win ME.. so don't criticizes me just yet..

ok my 2 cents

 

[gaidin123]

I have the KT7-RAID with a Duron 600@950 (or 1Ghz if I keep my case off ) with an Alpha 6035 heatsink w/Sunon fan. So far I've loved this machine. Aside from some occasional heat related crashes with the case closed I've had no problems with it at all.

The Durons are an awesome buy even if you don't OC them. OCing them only sweetens the deal!

But like others said, get a decent video card as well. I upgraded from a TNT2 to a GF2MX a couple months ago. Other than the noticeable loss in 2d quality at 1600x1200 my framerates shot way up compared to my old TNT2. I'd couple your cpu upgrade with a video card upgrade if you can as that will maximize your performance in games for now...ie if you just get a CPU upgrade you will max out your TNT2U no problem and if you just get a new video card, a Celeron@450 will not be able to keep up with the newer cards.

Gaidin

 

[gtd2000]

Try the GF MX2 for your next upgrade - it is a very cheap and decent performing card

 

[Urinal Mint]

Yeah, that's the plan... just gonna wait for that GF3 to come out so that the prices drop a little bit more

 

[Yoshi]

Put a Asus A7V and a Duron 800 in my girlfriends machine. It is a great "bang for the buck" CPU. Very powerful for the price.

 

[sapphoo]

I have a duron 700 in combination with a voodoo 3 3000, which should be in the same league (sort of) with your TNT2, and I have no complaints so far. All games so far play smoothly in 1024*768. I sometimes get the urge to upgrade my graphics card, but why should I bother since everything runs smooth???? (although a free Radeon vivo is always welcome)
Haven't seriously thought about OC'ing it either, since it doesn't seem necessary yet. Maybe later.

 

[Neos]

HAPPY, HAPPY, Joy, JOY!



So far ...still playin' with it ...Duron 650@876 (MSI Pro 2). Still need Artic Silver ...and a better way to read temps (thermistor).

Neos

 

[dirkdaring]

So far I love my Duron. It's been a blast playing around with this thing. right now I'm running a 700@850 on a MSI Pro2a with a Chrome Orb. The orb is still decently cool to the touch. Once I get a better heat sink (alpha comin in) I'll try and take it to 1gig. Btw, I first unlocked with the pencil trick but it would not go above 800 no matter what. I then switched to window defogger paint and that works like a charm.

I do everything from games to high end photoshop work on my computer and have zero complaints. Well, except for memory leak errors in Windows!

Dirk

 

[Urinal Mint]

You guys are great... thanks a LOT for all the input!

I think I will stick with my tnt2u for a few weeks and see if the price of the MX boards drops any more. I can't wait to get my grubby hands on this chip!

 

[hoihtah]

just a side note.

i have pII 400mhz, millenium g200 8mb v-card, pc100 128mb. i was getting all frustrated by the slowing down of the game that you're talking about myself... (in cs, at least)
(i know that neither my pII nor my g200 is powerful enough for any serious gamers.)

i've decided to go ahead and order a new system with

duron 700mhz
256mb crucial pc133 cas2 ram
and few other things last week.

while i was waiting for my cpu and mobo to arrive, i tried sticking my new 256mb of ram into my old p2 system... bumping it's ram upto 352mb. and to my surprise.., that got rid of the slow downs.

i never thought that my memory would cause the bottleneck in my old system... but, now my p2 runs fine in counterstrike.

now i'm left with another problem... i need to buy another 256 for my new system. but, i suppose with the prices being so low nowadays,... i can't really complain.