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[BigJonsson]

Currently have....
P3 833
128 Megs of RAM
GF4 TI 4200

Want to upgrade to...
P4 3.0 Ghz
512 or 1 Gig of ram
And I want to get USB 2.0
And I have to get a new mobo

Sound good?

 

[BigJonsson]

Say something

 

[Azwethinkweiz]

something

 

[BigJonsson]

Diggityh

 

[DarthWoo]

Sounds fun. I'd do the same if only I had the money I assume that either you've already got a nice case to put all the upgraded stuff into, or that you're building a new one from scratch and cannibalizing whatever usable parts you can from the old one?

 

[BigJonsson]

Well

I'd give my current mobo, CPU and Ram to my dad to use for his computer

And I may get a new case, I dunno

 

[Slo]

First off, I'd think about an Athlon64 over a P4. Second, USB 2.0 is pretty much standard these days, you'll have a hard time finding a motherboard without it.

What are you planning to use this for? What kind of Power Supply do you have? How much do you want to spend?

 

[Slo]

Beware, you'll almost definetly need a better powersupply to run this with a good videocard.

Corsair Value Select Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM
Item# 	N82E16820145480

	
$161.00
			
	
ABIT "AV8" K8T800 Pro Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 939 CPU -RETAIL
Item# 	N82E16813127181
	
$111.00

	
AMD Athlon 64 3500+, Socket 939, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - OEM
Item# 	N82E16819103460
	
$288.00
			
  	Extended Warranty Coverage
  	Extended Warranty: 	$0.00
	Product total:  	$560.00
  	Shipping & Handling:  	$ 0.00
  	[b]Total (Before tax):  	$ 560.00[/b]

 

[BigJonsson]

I see

 

[teh_pwn]

An AMD computer just isn't fast enough for the money on 32-bit platforms.

You either have to buy S754 which lacks the speed of what I'm about to suggest, or throw cash at a S939 and what I'm about to suggest matches a FX-53 at stock.


P4 3.0 C or a 2.8 C:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-156&depa=1

1 GB OCZ PC4200 RAM (can run at 2.8V, this is important for the mobo):
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-956&depa=1

Abit IC7 Max II Advance (overclocks like hell, and stable)
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-152&depa=1

Overclock using this guide to about 3.4-3.6 GHz (gradually increase it, and try to avoid increasing your core voltage as this can damage your processor):

http://www.pcholic.net/overclocking.htm

You'd need to double check things at abit-usa.com's forums and the RAM manufacturer to see if it's fully compatible with the board.

You can go with cheaper RAM, but I'm just showing you something similar to what I have. I have OCz PC4000 Gold with an Abit IC7 Max3, and a P4 3.0 C at 3.5 GHz.

 

[Slo]

Err.....whose complaining about price now? That configuration is actually more and you have to overclock it to get comparable performance. Sure you got better ram, but if you want to game with this machine you should go A64. Bottom line. Unless you're trying to get 10k+ 3Dmark05 scores, I'd recommend against overclocking. It's just ghetto, and it shortens the life of your hardware, and judging by your current specs I doubt you plan on upgrading again very soon.

OCZ Performance Series Dual Channel Kit 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-4200- Retail
Item# 	N82E16820146956
	
$252.00

	
ABIT "IC7-G MAXII ADVANCE" i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL
Item# 	N82E16813127152

	
$127.00

	
Intel Pentium 4/ 3.0C GHz 800MHz FSB, 512KB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading Technology - Retail
Item# 	N82E16819116156

$199.00
			
  	Extended Warranty Coverage
  	Extended Warranty: 	$0.00
	Product total:  	$578.00
  	Shipping & Handling:  	$ 0.00
  	[b]Total (Before tax):  	$ 578.00[/b]

 

[teh_pwn]

First, you can get a 2.8C or lower and still OC 3.6 GHz. Actually that's perferable because it will increase memory bandwidth.

Second, you don't have to buy that RAM. You can buy cheaper, just make sure it can run at 2.8 Volts or lower.

I've compared my hardware on benchmarks and it compares the the LGA Prescotts at 3.8-4.0 GHz, well beyond the 3.4 EE, and it beats the S939 FX-53 with the exception of memory bandwidth, where it is barely ahead. It's well ahead of a 3500+.

 

[Slo]

Well fine. I guess it comes down to whether he wants to overclock or not. Or if he's capable of it.

 

[BigJonsson]

Nah, I'd be going Intel all the way

 

[teh_pwn]

"Well fine. I guess it comes down to whether he wants to overclock or not. Or if he's capable of it."

True. If he doesn't want to OC and he wants it for games, then I agree with your solution.

But it is so easy to OC the IC7 boards. There's really nothing ghetto about it. Intel's Northwood processors can go way above their spec before you need to increase core voltage, which I haven't done and don't plan to. That's what will really shorten lifespan.

 

[Slo]

Ok, I won't try to sway you then. Can I just ask why? Brand recognition?

 

[BigJonsson]

Cause I buy my computer stuff from my uncle at cost and I'm pretty sure all he sells is Intel

 

[BigGreenMat]

All lower end chips overclock well. Now that AMD is on the smaller processes a 3500+ will overclock quite well. If you can you should get a higher rated processor at the beginning.