Getting a new Rig, Which CPU and Mobo?

[NokiaDude]

I'm planning to build a new rig. I'm going to buy everything directly from newegg.com. But I'm stuck between two CPU's and two Mobo's. I want to get either the Abit At7-Max2 or the Asus A7N8X Deluxe. Which one witll offer me more feautures and power? And the two CPU's I'm having a hard time picking are the AMD XP 1700+ and 2100+, which one would be the better buy? Please leave your opinion here.

Prices from newegg.com ;
Abit At7-Max2 : $165
Asus A7N8X Deluxe: $125
AMD XP 1700+: $50
AMD XP 2100+: $85

 

[boyRacer]

A7N8X and 2100+... but people have been getting crazy overclocks with the 1700+

 

[DannyBoy]

Have two friends running their 1700's at 2400 speeds stable with no voltage changes.

1 friend is only being held back by his memory! And the other im not sure

 

[cnicol]

I just got a Abit NF7 ver. 2.0 and a 1700+ from gameVE.com

I only have a crappy HS but I was able to get 2.0 Ghz and 200 FSB right out of the box. I am very happy with this board, no problems at all, even with the bios.
For right now this is more then enough speed for me...but If I got a great fan/HS like the SLK-800 (or 900) I am sure I could push this even further.

 

[AnAndAustin]

Yeah it seems these modern XP1700+ J__B TbredB o/c as well as ALL the CPUs above them but of course you do need a little more luck the lower default speed the CPU has. I have my XP1700+ running at 333FSB and XP2600+ speed with default 1.5v and although it's running cool I am limited by my mobo NB (took off the fan LOL), my PC2700 RAM (no biggie) and my CM quiet HSF (rated to XP2600+). With 1.7v MANY people have these XP1700+ J__B's up to XP2800+ speed or higher using std air cooling. It seems silly to buy anything else really, if your VERY unlucky you should at least attain XP2400+ speeds (2.0ghz) BUT with 333F-400FSB and you can always sell the CPU on for what you paid for it anyway!

For the mobo I'd suggest the A7N8X Deluxe as it is incredibly sweet and not limiting in any way, EVERYBODY seem VERYhappy with these mobos and you can hardly ever say that. IMHO there's no way anyhting else is worth paying extra for. If you wanted to you could save a bit by getting KT400 or SiS746FX which are actually VERY close to nForce2 perf and may come in a LOT cheaper. If you have the cash I'd suggest you get A7N8X Deluxe though and couple it with either an XP1700+ or XP2100+ as both are great buys, so long as they're TbredB of course!