Advice: AMD or Intel... the eternal dilemma

[Resh]

Hi everyone,

I'm trapped, stuck, totally stumped. Do I replace my KR7A-133/Palomino 1700+ with a P4 2.6C or a Barton 2800+?! Argh.

On the Intel side, I want to ensure Prescott compatibility so my options are:
- ABit IC7 Max3 - I've seen confirmations that my Zalman CNSP-7000A will fit, it has everything I could ever need on-board (except video) and has enough connections for drives that it will someday make a great server board
- Abit AI7 - Not sure if my Zalman will fit and from reviews at Hard[OCP], doesn't seem able to o/c like the IC7
- Asus P4C800-E Deluxe - In the same league as the IC7 Max3 and my Zalman reportedly fits
- Asus P4P800 and its Deluxe variant - seems to present some lay-out challenges and I don't know if my Zalman will fit

Ideally, I'd like a board that can accomodate a number of hard-drives since all of my systems eventually do a stint in a file server. So while I wouldn't likely use the the RAID system for RAID, I'd like to have it as long as it can serve as a regular hard-disk controller.

On-board LAN would be great, but I'm not convinced that the Intel CSA GigaBit is worthwhile. However, by the time this board becomes a file server, I might have Gigabit at home and having it would be nice.

Mated to a retail 2.6C P4 and 512MB OCZ CAS2 PC4000 (for some overclocking room), the Intel set-ups would cost:

ABit IC7 Max3 - $883.63 CDN after taxes
Abit AI7 - $765.18
Asus P4C800-E Deluxe - $880.08
Asus P4P800 - $749.79
Asus P4P800 Deluxe - $785.32

On the other hand, an A7N8X Deluxe, Barton 2800+, and similar memory would run $725 and with Corsair TwinX 3200 CAS2, it could be as low as $625.60.

This would all be mated to a 9700 Pro and would have to last at least 18 months. Which do I go for????

Stumped,

N

 

[Markfw]

Or gpo with an Athlon64 3000 for about the same as the 2.8c, and get way better performance.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Or gpo with an Athlon64 3000 for about the same as the 2.8c, and get way better performance.

and spend far more on a mobo and reg ecc memory...

 

[Resh]

Mark,

Good suggestion, but the threat of memory glitches from not using ECC, which is technically possible with the Athlon64 non-FX, does loom on my mind.

Costing that option would be just over $1200 so I think it's out.

Any other opinions to help me decide?

Thanks!

N

 

[dnuggett]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Or gpo with an Athlon64 3000 for about the same as the 2.8c, and get way better performance.

and spend far more on a mobo and reg ecc memory...

Thought I heard the 3000+ doesn't need ECC.

 

[Mike99Pgh]

Why get a 2800+? A 2500+ only costs around $90US retail and will run at 3200+ levels simply by uping the FSB to 200. Get an Abit NF7-S for around $100US and you're set.

 

[Markfw]

Originally posted by: Acanthus

Originally posted by: Markfw900
Or gpo with an Athlon64 3000 for about the same as the 2.8c, and get way better performance.

and spend far more on a mobo and reg ecc memory...

You can get a motherboard for $97 to $137 (the ASUS K8V, the best IMO at this time). And the memory is the same as anything else. PC3200 or better. Research before you talk, that way you don't embarass yourself.

 

[Resh]

Mark,

I agree with your comments on the value of research, but the local retailer with the most Athlon64 experience mentioned that things can be a little hit and miss with non-reg memory.

More importantly, local pricing puts the 64-bit stuff out of reach (nearly $600 CDN for a 3200+).

Wish I could, but...

N

 

[Markfw]

OK, I was suggesting the 3000+ at $219 (last I looked) at newegg, and memory is the same as NFS4 (ace reporter here) PC3500 cost $118 for 512 meg. Motherboard is $137 for the best. for for $505 (including shipping and quiet HSF from SVC) I will have, and you could have a system that kills P4 3.2 in games, and is decent and competitive in encoding.

 

[JustAnAverageGuy]

Mark, I think he's using canadian money 😉 .

It's bound to be slightly more expensive there, both because of currency conversion, and shipping.

As for your retailer Resh, the regular A64 doesn't need registered, ECC, buffered or anything else.

I would agree that the A64 3000+ is a great deal. Just buy a brand name of memory and stay away from the cheap stuff like the plague, and your "retailer" won't be so right 🙂

 

[Resh]

Unfortunately, no one up here seems able to get a 3000+ and importing it by mail is really a pain in the ass. I'll hold off on the 64-bit world for now.

I've decided on the P4P800.

Thanks everyone for your input and believe me when I say that the next one will be an A64.

N

 

[Resh]

Doh! Got the P4P800 and it won't boot. Powers up, but no post, no beeps, no nothing. Tried with nothing, but mem (OCZ PC4200 EL dual channel) and same result. Any ideas?

 

[Ionizer86]

Hmm, I'd say try again with a CPU in it 🙂

 

[justly]

Well if you got this from the same "local retailer with the most Athlon64 experience" that "mentioned that things can be a little hit and miss with non-reg memory." then I would take it back and find a new shop to buy from 😉

All joking aside I really don't have much experiance with the P4 platform, but double check all your connections, make sure cards are fully seated and maybe relax memory timings for a start.

A new thread might be in order, that way people will know you need tech support and not platform advice.

if nothing else this will provide a bump so that others might see it, good luck.

edit: Ionizer86 has a great idea, do put the CPU in 😉

 

[Resh]

LOL! Yeah, I had the CPU in it. Geez. 🙂

No, it was a different retailer and the issue remains unresolved. I'll move to another thread, but I have to get into the BIOS so relaxing timings, etc isn't an option.

As for seating cards, I purposefully left them, and all drives disconnected. 🙁

Thanks all!

N