decisions about xp333

[drogue]

i am planning on building a DDR333 sys sometime soon. the only mobo i am currently considering is the xp333. i have several questions.
1. should i go ahead and snag a GF3/Ti200 or wait for a GF4MX. Will the xp333 allow me to get the most out of a GF4MX (atleast speculatively as they wont be released for 4 more days), or should i just go ahead and push the limit on nice GF3/Ti200 card?
2. should i get the xp333-r even if i'm not going to use the raid function? are xp333 boards sold in the v2.1 config?
3. i plan on using 256mb PC2700 Kingmax mem (single stick) so i can run the board at 166/166 fsb/mem speeds. will i need an ata133 hd to keep up or can i continue using my ata100?
4. are there any other 333mhz boards i should look at?
5. of course I'm putting an XP in (either 1700+ or 1800+), what kind of cooling can/should i use? how will the board layout affect that decision if i can only get a v1.0 xp333 instead of a v2.1 xp333 (assuming such an animal exists). should i consider the xp333-r simply for mroe available cooling options even if i wont use RAID functions?

i think thats all my questions for now.
the system i currently have spec'd out is as follows:
Athlon Xp 1700+ on XP333 (OC'd at 166/166)
IN-WIN S506 case with 350wt PS
(1x) 256mb Kingmax PC2700 mem
ThermalTake A1139 Volcano 6 Cu heatsink and fan
MSI Titanium 8851 GeForce3 Ti 200
30.0G WD 7200RPM ATA100 IDE HD
48X Toshiba CD-ROM
10/4/24 HP CD-RW
Teac 1.44mb floppy
(Use onboard sound from xp333)

y'think that sounds ok for a moderate gaming rig?
thx for opinions and suggestions!

 

[goog]

I'll take a shot at a few of your questions.
1. Not up to date on the vidcards so?
2. You can use the RAID channels as normal IDE so go for it. Maybe by now.
3. ATA 100 is fine.
4. Maybe, but I like this one.
5. As I understand it you need the 2.1v to accomodate the Alpha 8045, Thermaltake listed will fit.

Sounds good.

 

[jsmckenna45431]

After doing a lot of research in the last few weeks I finally decided to got with the Iwill XP33. I ordered it from newegg.com for $109 shipped and it should be here Tuesday. From what I have heard, newegg is now shipping the version 2.1 boards. I would have like to have gotten the RAID version, but newegg doesn't stock it.

Now, to answer your questions:

1. I would go with the GF3 because of the performance to cost ratio. Your eyes can't tell the difference between 120fps and 160fps, anything over 30fps is totally undetectable to the human eye.

2. If you can find and afford one, definitely go with a RAID board.

3. Your ATA 100 HDD will be just fine. There is no difference in performance between the ATA 133 and ATA 100 HDDs to date, it is just unused bandwidth.

4. You should definitely do your own research and make your own decisions on what board you get. Afterall, you are the one who will be stuck with whichever one you choose.

5. Just about any of the standard Socket A coolers will work. I try to avoid any of the monsters that have problems mounting on any board due to capacitor placement.

I think that the system you have spec'd out is more than just a moderate gaming rig. It should be a performance monster!


Jeff

 

[Duvie]

Are you going to be ocing the gf4mx??? Cause the artcle I read though that it should it as worse in some areas and slightly better in other areas...Are they sizeably cheaper???

 

[mrman3k]

Even if you want to get a GF3, wait for the GF4 to come out so the prices will drop. Also get the Swiftech MCX462, at Fry's they are $60 with the 68cfm Delta fan, best performance.

 

[nealh]

Are you going to unlock the chip..you will be hard pressed to find a 1700 that will do 166mhz locked...you could get a MP I hear these are unlocked

I do think the Iwill board is nice with the extra voltage for the cpu...I have a KR7A and wish I could up the cpu voltage a bit...

 

[BlvdKing]

I just ordered the same mobo (IWILL XP333) and RAM (256 MB Kingmax PC2700) from googlegear. The website doesn't state the revision, although I hoping it's 2.1. I will be running a TBird 1200 'B' AXIAR unlocked in it. My plans are to put the multiplier at 6x and crank up the FSB to the highest stable setting. Then I will gradually raise the multiplier to it's highest stable setting. Of course, nothing ever really goes according to plans.

 

[AkumaBao]

Go with the XP333-R. If you're looking at a good Video card, you're probably going to spend some cash on a good Active HS. The XP333 has the problem of not being able to fit larger heatsinks. The XP333-R's socket is rotated 90degrees so that you can put those monsterous HS' on the board without nocking against capacitors. Gotta do the BIOS upgrade soon. Upfully they added the feature to increase DDR bandwidth. Other than that it's a great board, and supports hardware very well! On a benchmark test, the ALI B0 chipset only ran about 2.5FPS less than the KT266A with PC2100!

 

[panhead49]

AkumaBao........what is the rev. # you would want for a xp333 raid board......

 

[BlvdKing]

bump Mine will be here on Wednesday.

 

[GreenWolf]

First, I have the XP333-R with a pair of Maxtor 40GB D-740 ATA 133 HDs and I have the KingMax RAM too. Runs great! Had a XP1700 (locked)and ran it up to 152 FSB (1,672 Mhz) with no problem. Got a XP1600 (locked) on it now and I'll make a run at 166 FSB soon. I'll get around to unlock those CPUs later. Right now I'm just trying to work all the issues with WIN XP, like WIN XP refuses to run my GF3 Ti200 more than a day or two without corrupting the drivers.

I don't know why there are people saying the bigger HSF won't fit. I have put both a SK-6 w/Delta 38 and a Volcano 7 on it with no problem. Also use the Volcano 7 rather than the Volcano 6Cu. They share the same heat sink but the 80 mm fan is alot quieter, just move the thermister to between the HS fins. Mine hit top speed once during burn in but most of the time its slow and quiet. Runs real cool. I actually like it better than the SK-6.

My Gainward GF3 Ti200 runs great in WIN ME but craps out in XP (drivers). I heard MS has just posted new Nvidia GF3 drivers so I'll give it another run. FWIW, I think the best 3 GF3 Ti200 cards are the Inno3D, PNY (same as MSI but black) and the Gainward Golden Sample. Just pick the color you like best.

ATA133 has nothing to do with FSB, your ATA100 will work fine. I got the RAID because I wanted to see for myself how it worked. Its fast like a scuzzy in RAID 0. You can run the additional IDEs without the RAID, just disable RAID at the MB jumper.

Don't know anything about your case but the XP333 is a big MB. Its about one or two inches wider than my SolTek SL75V2. It was a very tight fit in a SkyHawk case so I moved it to a SX-1040.

I put that GF3 Ti200 on the SolTek MB with the XP1700 and it just overwhelmed the 300 watt PS I have in it. The 400 watt Enlight PS hooked up to my XP333-R handles it with no problem (other than the WIN XP driver issue). So power is an issue running both a GF3 and a XP CPU, not to mention if you have a bunch of fans hooked up.

If you are worried about the rev number, order from Advanced Design of Kentucky (www.advanceddesignky.com). They were the only placed that actually opened the box and read the rev number off the MB to me. They also have good service and will chat about problems with different brand motherboards, I like that.

Finally, I have both The SolTek SL75V2 and the IWILL XP333-R so I have been able to compare both the VIA and ALi chipsets. Without any doubt the IWILL XP333-R is the better board. That XP1700 (locked) on the SolTek is stabile at a high of 143 Mhz FSB (145 Mhz measured by WCPUID) without any voltage changes and all other controls on auto. The same CPU, HSF and conditions on the XP333-R went to 152 Mhz FSB. Word to the wise, don't OC the video card until after you OC the CPU.

 

[Bingo13]

panhead49,

You will want the 2.1 revision board for the Raid version and use the 0116 or 0118 bios depending upon your components and overclocking status.