****System Buyer's Guide****NEW UPDATE 12/01

[Enslaughter]

I'll planning to get a 3500+ Winchester (2.2Ghz) and overclock it to about 2.4Ghz/2.5Ghz. Is my S-ATA150 gonna hold it or gonna get unstable?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: Enslaughter
I'll planning to get a 3500+ Winchester (2.2Ghz) and overclock it to about 2.4Ghz/2.5Ghz. Is my S-ATA150 gonna hold it or gonna get unstable?

as always..ymmv but most likely it will do fine

 

[betonz]

is is possible to use a pc266 & a pc333 memory on the same board?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: betonz
is is possible to use a pc266 & a pc333 memory on the same board?

most likely so but the speed will be more than likely 266(possibly 333 if the 266 module is capable of 333 speed) the speed of the lowest rated(detected usually) stick..gl

 

[Eleeon]

Alright, first post My question is...I am building a new Pc and am stuck with a decsion, between to machines. The 6800gt is 400 for agp8x, and is around 500 for Pci-e. I am not paying 500.00 for a video card, so if I got Pci-e I would get a 6600gt. Please help me decide between the two systems, and if I should wait.


Agp8x System
-----------------
Amd 64 3500 (939)
Nforce 3 Mobo
1Gb of ram
52x16 Combo DvD Cd Drive
Evega 6800Gt
Aspire Turbo X Dreamer Case
Aspire 500w Psu


Pci-e System
---------------
Amd 64 3500 (Not sure what pin, probably 939, dont know what they offer yet.)
Nfroce 4 Mobo
1Gb of ram
52x16 Combo Drive
6600gt (Not sure wich maker I would get, probably evega)
Aspire Tubro X Dreamer Case
Aspire 500w Psu




Thanks for your time and your opinion.

 

[meltdown75]

If it was me I would take the 2nd one just based on the newer chipset - nforce4

 

[Omega Ohm]

Originally posted by: Rebel Nugget
Can anyone explain to me the pros and cons of going with a 3500+ .90nm core compared to buying the FX-55 instead (under the assumption that the price is not a factor). I read the two reviews of them and it looks like the 3500 overclocks to well past the speed of FX-55 stock. But then again, the FX-55 could probably overclock well past that as well. So without looking at cost, what are the factors to take into account.

Edit: it's probably worth mentioning that this is concerning gaming as the biggest issue.

Not sure about the FX, but on the 3500+ 90nm, I couldn't even OC to 2.4 reliably without dropping my memory (OZC Plat) to 166.

 

[kojak61]

I just got a Asus A7V880 (KT880) board. So far it runs HL2 great. I was wondering if i upgrade my 2200 to 2500 moblie can I run on a 200mhz bus using my pc2700 ram? If any of you have this board, what are your overclocking results with it?














Athlon 2200XP (13.5 x 135mhz)
Asus A7V880 (KT880)
Mushkin pc2700 (256mb x 2)512mb Dual Channel
ATL 9600 256mb ram

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: kojak61
I just got a Asus A7V880 (KT880) board. So far it runs HL2 great. I was wondering if i upgrade my 2200 to 2500 moblie can I run on a 200mhz bus using my pc2700 ram? If any of you have this board, what are your overclocking results with it?

Athlon 2200XP (13.5 x 135mhz)
Asus A7V880 (KT880)
Mushkin pc2700 (256mb x 2)512mb Dual Channel
ATL 9600 256mb ram

I had the A7V880 once and I had nothing but troubles with it, stability-wise. As far as overclocking goes, it was hopeless. If you notice, they exclude the +12V 4-pin connector that every other KT880 board uses, which doesn't bode well for overclocking. I used an unlocked 2500+ Barton (non-mobile!) to routinely run at 2.2Ghz on an older NF7-S Rev2 I used to have in this PC, but it just magically couldn't do anything in that system. However, I do suspect a problem with their RAM slots, because three different types of memory sticks had issues in them. This includes my current Ballistix RAM, some Corsair Value RAM DDR400. If I kept one stick in there, it ran great...but if I put two in the slots for dual channel OR single channel, it had issues. I suspect it was faulty, but ASUS insisted it was the memory sticks. I was irritated that they ignored the fact that I can use all the other RAM sticks I used to test that board on other PCs and have them run just fine. I wasn't mad though, because the board was like what...$65?

kojak, you might be alright overclocking with it. I would first check the viaarena.com forums to be certain, since I could have just simply had a bad board (but its better to be safe than sorry though). Do you know how far you can push your PC2700 RAM in 1:1? try adjusting to get it to 200FSB, unless that 2200+ can't go up that high (never used it before), unless you know for certain that your Mushkin stick is up to the task. Read anandtech's review of that board as well, because they note with pictures that ASUS deliberately left out some capacitors and other things, but they could go to the max FSB in the BIOS with their test regardless. Good luck!

 

[louiedog]

I'm currently running the following:
Asus A7n8x
athlon xp 2000+
768 pc2100 DDR
ATI AIW 9700

What I use it for:
games - everything that's currently running source engine(vampire, hl2, cs, etc), ut2k4
video encoding
image editing

Would I see a big difference if I got a new mobo and an athlon 64 while keeping the other components the same? I'm thinking about a athlon 64 3000+ or so. I need to keep the total price at or below $300 and would prefer to stay at $250. Or with my other specs do you think I should just upgrade the processor on my current mobo and wait awhile before making the larger investment? I have a pretty crappy case so if I anyone suggests just upgrading the processor and overclocking I would also need to spend money on a new case.

Also, could someone suggest mobo models to look at. I took a look at the roundup that was posted but I wondered if anyone could help me decide based on my needs and other hardware.

Thanks.

edit: i'd like to stick to retail for the warranty and avoid oem, thanks

 

[jpeyton]

You should notice a pretty significant difference with an A64. Everything loads faster, games are no longer CPU limited, etc.

I wouldn't recommend just upgrading the processor this late in the game, unless you get a great deal on a used one. If you do decide to go A64 (or even a newer AthlonXP), you'll need new memory too.

Here's how the prices would break down:

Athlon 64 3000+ Retail $150
Chaintech VNF3-250 $75
Mushkin/Corsair 512MB Value PC3200 $75

But, if you can hold onto your rig until early next year when Socket 939 becomes commonplace with the new NForce 4 boards, then you should be able to upgrade to a Socket 939 system for the same price, or slightly more. Right now, Socket 939 CPUs are just slighty more than their Socket 754 counterparts, but all the good motherboards are $120+.

 

[natedogg44]

Goin to take the dive into the new SLI mobo and 2 GT's in a few months when prices settle down some, has anyone got an idea of the power requiered to run these 2 GPUs, AMD 4000+, 1 Hd and 1 CD rom?

thanks

 

[PaducahPhil]

Nice Post

Thanks

Phil

 

[slash196]

What about keyboards/mice?

 

[Splitfyre]

What would be better for video editing? AMD or Athlon?
What would you recommend for video card and capture cards?

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: Splitfyre
AMD or Athlon?

Lol. AMD makes the Athlon :laugh: !! You mean AMD or Intel.

Well for video editing you would need to do encoding and decoding. The Pentiums are generally better in this category but the Athlon 64's have become VERY competitive. Unless you are doing serious high end video encode decode just get an A64.

For your second question for Video Captrue just a 9600Pro or something with an Addon card. The AIW and Personal Cinema cards are also very nice with the AIW still be a decent amount better.

-Kevin

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: slash196
What about keyboards/mice?

It's really a personal preference. Some people like wired, some want wireless. Some people swear by "natural" tilted keyboards, some prefer standard flat keyboards. Some like MS, some like Logitech, and some don't care. Plus ergonomics varies from person to person.

 

[ciwell]

Question: How come the Crucial Ballistix is never recommended? I have heard it is a great overclocker and a great match for the A64. I know the PDP is less expensive, but not by much. Is there anything that would prevent you from recommending the Ballistix other than price? Thanks!

 

[adurkee]

Nice system guide.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: ciwell
Question: How come the Crucial Ballistix is never recommended? I have heard it is a great overclocker and a great match for the A64. I know the PDP is less expensive, but not by much. Is there anything that would prevent you from recommending the Ballistix other than price? Thanks!

I'm going by the consensus that the current high-end memory on the market uses Samsung TCCD ICs. Ballistix uses fast Micron memory, which is great memory, but not the fastest.

 

[ciwell]

Hmm, ok, fair enough. But are there any shortcomings, other than speed, to the Ballistix?

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: ciwell
Hmm, ok, fair enough. But are there any shortcomings, other than speed, to the Ballistix?

Nope. I have the Ballistix and they're great. If you look around, you'll find that it really is up to preference moreso than the differences. If you go to Anandtech's memory section, you will find comparisons of the 2-2-2 RAM, including Ballistix and PDP, among others. You might notice, as I did, that the differences are negligible, and the Ballistix is actually the fastest among them at certain overclocked speeds. I think the quality of Ballistix is right dead on with the OCZ Platinum Revision 2 RAM that everyone likes.

I went with Crucial because I always had great experience with them and I knew it would be compatible with my system. Just to be safe, you know.

 

[ciwell]

Point taken and that pretty much settles it then.

 

[Poop Shoe]

Hey all,
Great guide first of all. Secondly, I am doing a little upgrading and wanted peoples thoughts. Some items will be bought new in the future, some items I have from my current system, and some my wife so thoughfully picked up for me at CompUSA's black friday sale, so they can be returned if needed.

Case: Antec Sonata $69 form CompUSA

MB: Thnking about MSI "K8N Neo2 Platinum" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL from Newegg (or MWave budled together and tested with a processor) $138
Don't think I will need the PCI/e slot (nForce4) and my budget for video card doesn't really let me get 2 cards so I thought that I would save some money by getting the nForce3 set up and a steal on a AGP video card.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Processor Socket 939 Retail ~$205 (can get it mounted and tested at MWave)

Memory: Want 512MB x 2 need suggestions. Missed out on the Outpost deal with the crucial hyperX??? for $159 They are back ordered until Jan. Was thinking about neweggs Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - OEM for $147 since it has a lifetime warrenty. Other choices include mwave's house brand for ~$135.

Video Card: Picked up a PNY GeForce 6800 a t CompUSA for $200. (thanks wifey) Will try and unlock the 4 pipe lines and maybe boost speed a little with Rivatuner

HD(s): Wife picked me up the new Maxtor 300GB SATA 7200rpm with 16MB cache for $199.
Also have an ATA/100 Maxtor 200GB drive and a WD 80 GB ATA/100 drive. Was going to use the 300GB drive as 1st hard drive with OS on it (Probably win2000) and have the 200GB drive as a second drive to keep music/videos/pictures on. I was going to get an external enclosure and put the 80GB drive into it and use it strickly to back stuff up on. Only on when backing up. So less chance of power spikes, viruses etc.

DVD/CD: Have a lite on 4x DVD RW +/- and a 52x Lite on CD RW +/- I was going to put in till I decided to buy and Dula layer DVD burner.

Floppy: Have one...

Monitor: Have Samsung 955DF 19", looking for a good 19" or 20" thinking about the Dell 2001???

Any thoughts and help would be appreciated.

Ohhh, also, I have Windows 2000 on my current set up and my laptop, but I have a copy of Win XP Pro...should I setup my new system with 2000 again for ease of use, since I am familiar with it, and it works networked to my laptop or should I go with XP Pro???
Thanks

 

[jpeyton]

You got some great deals on Black Friday!

The dual-pack of Corsair Value is a great deal on Newegg; definitely go for that.

Everything else looks perferct. There are some great deals to be had on the Dell 2001FP if you want a 20.1" LCD; they have been selling for around $599 or less using a 25% coupon (check Fatwallet or our own Hot Deals Forum for details).

I haven't used 2000 for a long time, so I can't really comment on that. But I've been using XP SP2 for a while and it works great; give it a try.