Can someone help me choose a mobo/cpu? :)

[Comp625]

Hey all,

I'm planning on buying a CPU/Mobo soon. I haven't been caught up with the latest technological advancements so I don't know what to buy. Here's what I'm looking for:

I'm definitely going with an AMD T-Bird (don't know what speeds yet because price may be an issue -- may be going to a local hardware store today and check up on prices)
I have 512mb PC133 SDram so I'd like to buy a mobo that supports both the SDRam and another type of RAM (DDRram is it?)
Hopefully I will try and keep prices below $350.

Just for reference, I recently posted a thread about which type of Athlon is which.
Link to the Thread

 

[Athlon4all]

First of all a couple things:

1. Are you just gonna throw the new CPU/RAM/Mobo into your current case? If so, make sure your case is an ATX 300W. If not then add $50-100 for a new case
2. DDR is the new type of RAM and my question is, do you just have 2 sticks of 256MB of PC133? The reason this matters is because there is one mobo that has 2 DDR slots and 2 SDR slots.

Ok now to my thoughts. DDR increases performance significantley in current generation DDR chipsets (by 20% especially in games), and I guess, starting with SDR is ok, but it limits your mobo options to one (ECS K7S5A, the one mentioned above) and I would really just sell your PC133 and get DDR. K7S5A, well, it is a sticky subject. Some people love it, think it's great, but others have had nothing but trouble, so I guess I would for a newbie like yourself, have to hesitate to recommend it. Other people will say that VIA KT266A boards is no better than K7S5A. I have not had any of the issues people have had on my VIA based system (not KT266A, older), so I guess it's up to you if u on which to go for. I personally think that you have a better chance of having a trouble free upgrade by going a Asus A7V266-E, or EPoX 8KHA+ or MSI K7T266 Pro2 than a K7S5A. There is one other option, and that is called nForce.

nForce is a radic new chipset, it features the best integrated Video and Sound ever. It features a GeForce2 MX based video card, and sound that rivals SB Audigy. I have heard that people have not had a ton of issues with the first nForce board (MSI K7N420 Pro), with the biggest issue being getting the Sound to work with 4.1 and 5.1 speakers, but nothing like you'll hear about people using VIA KT266A and K7S5A. nForce could be a very attractive option if u don't have a good video card right now because, at $160-170, K7N420 Pro basically gives you decent Video and Sound for not much more than a Asus A7V266-E. I have not used nForce personally, but I think that it has a lot of potential and it might be perfect for you because you've probably got an older system, and K7N420 Pro would be a better overall upgrade. So, I would really consider nForce if you have the cash. It sounds great, and the issues with the Sound will improve with new drivers.

So, assuming I'm correct in assuming that you're using an old computer right now (pre-K6-2) I would highly recommend K7N420 Pro. So, here's what I would get:

MSI K7N420 Pro motherboard $170 (is heading down)
Athlon-C 1.0GHz $75
Dunno about what CPU Cooler to go for, an Athlon 1.0 doesn't need a Thermalright SK6, so Id look at some cooler comparisions and make a decision. Probably could get a good enough one for $15-25
2 sticks of 128MB of Crucial PC2100 DDR (nForce needs 2 sticks of DDR for maximum video card performance) for $40 if you can hang in there, and wait for prices to come back down again. Right now, it'd be $80.
An Antec, Enermax, or Enlight 350W ATX Case, anywhere from $50-100
Total:$400

Ok, so I went a bit over budget. The biggest suggestion I would make (I need more info about your current system though) is maybe go down to a Duron 800 ($30+$10 for a Volcano2 Heatsink/Fan). That would save u about $50 or so to keep in budget. So, if u have any more q's plz ask.

 

[pcclub2000]

AMD Athon 1.4Ghz or Athlon XP 1600+ with Elitegroup ECS K7S5A mobo (support both rams) and Volcano 7 temperature sensor Cooler.

That will be less than $220.

 

[Comp625]

After doing some computer shopping...here's what I found out.

They have a MSI K7T266 Pro2-RU (dunno what the RU stands for) for $129. The motherboard unit does not support SDRam so I have to shell out money for DDRRam. A 256mb stick of DDRram PC2100 is $65. I take it the RAM is no name because it sounds really really cheap. The CPU I'm planning to buy is an AMD Athlon XP 1600+ (I don't know the exact clock speed...sounds like a 1.3ghz?). The CPU is $159 in a retail box, they don't have an OEM though they do have an Athlon T-Bird 1.4Ghz (not an XP) for $149.

Motherboard Spec Sheet

Oh by the way...before tax, the price comes to around $350. If only parents weren't so self conscious about internet hackers stealing CC numbers...I'd save so much money.

 

[uhohibrokeit]

the XP 1600+ is 1.4GHz

i run one in my main machine and its excellent, though i run it on a Shuttle AK31 ... which is the best Socket A motherboard ive used to date... and only $80 at newegg.com

and if your worried about people stealing your credit card numbers.... the only person you have to worry about is the company your giving it to... and at Newegg.com you can select a check so they wont keep the number on file, which means no hacker will be able to hack it off neweggs servers.... and if they think they are going to intercept the credit card number in transmition to a security protected site using 128-bit encryption... well good luck... 128-bit could take years for the thief to decrypt (am i spelling that right?)

 

[Comp625]

Tell my mom that She's really really against technology and doesn't really know much about it. She makes wierd assumptions that makes people laugh and she likes to nag alot. :disgust:

Anyways, thanks for the info on Newegg.

So...how does my future mobo/cpu/ram setup look?

I heard that WinXP has problems with the VIA KT266A chipset? Is that true? That's been a hot topic of debate lately. I've seen 3 or 4 threads regarding the issue in the past 2 days.

 

[Comp625]

Hehe thanks for your recommendations Athlon4All. Actually I do not have a pre-k6-2 system.

Here are my current specs.

Mid-Tower ATX Case with 300W PS Unit
ASUS A7V
AMD Thunderbird 850mhz (not overclocked)
512mb PC133 SDRam (2 sticks both from Siemens)
Creative Labs GeForce2 GTS 32mb AGP
Creative Labs SBLive Value (such an old card that eats CPU cycles for dinner)
Western Digital 40gb 7200rpm ATA100
Memorex 48x CD-Rom Drive (fookin loud!)
Creative Labs 8x4x32 CD-RW
Windows 98SE (I have a copy of XP Pro...just waiting on CPU/Mobo/RAM so I can do a fresh install)

 

[Athlon4all]

Ok, well since u allready have a decent vid card, I'd say that if u want the extras of K7T266 Pro2-RU (RU adds RAID, and some other goodies) then go ahead. Theres nothing wrong with K7T266 Pro2-RU but I just feel that if u want all the goddies, go get a Soyo K7V Dragon+ and if u don't want the goodies, go get a EPoX 8KHA+ or Shuttle AK31A. In other words, the K7T266 Pro2-RU has nbice features, but for a little more you can get more goodies in Dragon+, or Abit KR7A-RAID, and if u don't need all the goodies, then 8KHA+ and AK31A are cheaper and just as solid. About nVidia and VIA on Win XP, well these issues haven't been limited to just VIA boards, but SiS, even Intel and others. So, you're not gonna avoid it. I'd look around the forums and websties to get some ideas how to combat it just in case

 

[Comp625]

This might sound stupid but what's RAID? I know it involves hard drives...hehe

When you refer to "goodies" found in the Soyo Dragon and Abit boards...what do you mean by it? Extra features? I dunno...

Also, my local hardware only has the MSI and the ASUS boards. That's it...and I sorta want my mobos soon

 

[CompKing]

 

[Athlon4all]

First of all, RAID stands for Redundant Array of inexpensive Drives. There are 3 main modes of RAID. RAID 0 is striping. Basically, it splits the work of reading from or writing to a drive between 2 drives. RAID 1 is Mirroring, Mirroring. It just makes a copy of each write to a 2nd disk, and if one of the drives fail, the 2nd one automatically takes over. RAID 0+1 basically Stripes 2 drives, but then mirrors them both so it requires 4 drives. Anyway, Dragon+ has On-board NIC, RAID, Compact Flash Reader, loads of Ocing options and I beliueve onboard 5.1 channel sound. A7V266-E has RAID, C-Media 5.1 sound, and is one of the best performing KT266A boards out there. K7T266 Pro2-RU has RAID, and on-board NEC USB 2.0. That about sums it up so you make the pick. Truthfully, since you've got decent sound allready (SB Live!) I would tend to say go for the K7T266 Pro2-RU because of USb 2.0 just for the future. So thats my take. Any questions feel free to ask.

 

[Comp625]

I take it I won't need RAID since RAID sounds like something servers (especially webservers) would use. My comp is just mainly for gaming and home productivity.

The Dragon+ board sounds nice but I already have a NIC (Linksys LNE100TX). What exactly is USB 2.0? I remember reading about it not too long ago. Are there any products that use the new 2.0?

Also, my ASUS A7V that I bought last Christmas, came with a USB Add-on card. The Add-On Card includes 3 extra USB ports. However, I was never able to get the card running (I forgot where the add-on card plugged into...I dont think it was a PCI slot). I remember plugging it to a smaller slot (maybe it was the AMR Rising Slot or whatever). But whatever I did, Windows was never able to detect it. Anyways...think I could use the Add-On Card with the MSI KT266A board?

I have 3 USB devices (HP Deskjet 932C, Gravis Gamepad Pro and Visioneer 4400USB scanner). I don't think 2 USB ports will cut it unless I shell out $30 to buy a USB hub. That's why I sorta wanna use the Add-on card hehe

 

[Athlon4all]

Yes, don't bother with RAID. If u want faster HD performance, go SCSI. What is USB 2.0? It significantley increases the bandwidth of the USB bus to around 400-500MB/ps, similar to Firewire levels. The best part is that it is backwords compatibile (ie you can use a USB 1.0 device in a 2.0 port). Are there devices? I dunno, probably the first ones are hitting, it's a sticky situation because some manufactures are backing Firewire the others USB 2.0 and really, the mobo makers have been left holding the die, the products are there to include it on their boards, they just need to put out an effort into it.

About the Add-on cards, here's the way it works, there are these cards that mount on the back of the case (next to the PCI slot's) and they connect not to a CNR or PCI slot, but to this little connector that is unique to each connector, you should be able to find out in the A7V manual where to plug it in. I'd say that it sounds like u could benefit from the Add-on Cards of K7T266 Pro2-RU. The reason I say go it is because:

1. Since u have a NIC, unless u plan on using the CF Reader, forget Dragon+
2. You want to go for A7V266-E or K7T266 Pro2-RU
3. Since u have decent sound card, and A7V266-E doesn't have USB 2.0

So, that's my suggestion.