Another P4 Help Me Choose Thread w/Poll

[goog]

All prices Canadian, and yes price kinda matters.

canadacomputers.com
Option 1:
Antec SX635 $142
P4 1.6A $254
MSI 845 Ultra $186
512MB PC2100 $244
= $826

Option 2:
Antec SX635
P4 1.6A
Abit TH7ll $244
512MB PC800 $272
= $912

ncix.com
Option 3:
Lian-Li PC60U + Enermax 350W PS $275.06
P4 1.6A $257.60
MSI 845 Ultra $179.32
512MB PC2100 Micron $248.60
= $960.58

a-power.com
Option 4:
Lian-Li PC60U + Enermax 350W PS $278
P4 1.6A $245
ASUS P4B266-C $199
512MB PC2700 $ 298
= $1020

Option 5:
Lian-Li PC60U + Enermax 350W PS $278
P4 1.6A $245
Abit TH7ll $245
512MB PC800 $258
= $1026

Differences are due mainly to store offerings. Totals are before tax (7% in all cases) and shipping. I'm torn between the RDRAM and DDR.
I've searched, but still can't decide. I need to buy both the DDR and Rambus so makes little difference. My next system will likely be a "Hammer", current rig being upgraded is a Tbird 900.
So help a guy out, would ya?

Edit: Yes, I'll be overclocking. Thanks for the reminder Duvie. Also in case anybody is wondering the 635 comes with an Antec 350W PS. Have yet to find out what brand of memory it is (except where indicated). I know about Samsung RDRAM

 

[Duvie]

I voted no 2....make sure you get good ram...samsung!!! no generic


Are you planning to oc???

If so stay away form msi board unless you want to do wire trick...stability over 122 is not easily had...reboot issues...memory will lock to a 1:1 ratio after 122 so unless you get over 133 you will be running less the pc2100 specs and really choking the p4...

If you want to save a bit more but get a lot in terms of stability and potential memory bandwidth....

Get an

Asus p4s333 sis645 chip
2 sticks of pc2700 (kingmax)


I also would recommend only one i845d mobo and that is the asus p4b266, but even then memory score will not be as high as you could get on p4s333 board....

 

[Daovonnaex]

I voted number two, it has the right stuff. The ABIT TH7II is an outstanding overclocker, and supports RDRAM, which all Pentium 4 systems should use, period. Furthermore, it has an Antec PSU, and Antec arguably manufactures the best power supplies in the industry.

 

[Amused]

I voted 2 as well.

 

[Wolfsraider]

i voted option 2 also rambus antec th7II and 1.6 = all the right options lol IMHO


hope this helps

 

[goog]

Thanks for the replies people.

MSI options 3 votes.
Abit options 8 votes.
ASUS option 10 votes.

Based on the poll I'm narrowing it down to a couple options.
More opinions wanted.

So Asus P4B266-C or Abit TH7ll and what about the RAID version for an extra $30? RAID and overclocking?
Looks like Antec SX635 $142+ what about the size of this case 17.25" high? Or for about $208 I could get the 20.6" high 840 with 400 watt PS.
Anyone think the Lian-Li is worth the extra cash?
Is it worth getting PC2700 for the I845-D Asus mobo for overclocking?

Of the 3 stores listed only a-power.com has PC2700, and the Asus P4B266-C, but no Antec cases, argh.

 

[MadRat]

For better results why not:

A. Northwood 1.8a @533fsb with PC1066 RDRAM on 850 chipset (1:1 mem/fsb)
B. Northwood 1.8a @529fsb with DDR400 on SiS645 chipset (4:3 mem/fsb)

Either of these options will get you that 2.4GHz area with better bandwidth than running a Northwood 1.6a at 160MHz/DDR320.

 

[Duvie]

I love how all the ppl who voted for asus option 4 couldn't leave a reply to tell you why....LOL


If you want to really run that pc2700ddr to potential you need a sis chipset....After 133fsb I think you are relegated to a 1:1 multiplier for memory...meaning if you get it up over 133mhz to lets say 145 your memory can only run at 290mhz which is a 43mhz underclock...sounds smart??? You could drop it back to 132 and get a 3:4 mulitplier and run memory at 352mhz...so cpu power or memory??? How about both???

maybe asus will offer future support with more memory ratios...they have already added to the sis chipset so it makes me think if they could they would have...

 

[goog]

As far as the 1.8A it's an extra $95 or so, is it worth it? I was thinking no.
Any of you Asus I845-D folks care to say why it's the better option versus the TH7ll w/Rambus.

And a couple of things I've discovered since my original post:
ncix.com has PC2700 Corsair 1 stick 512MB, but for about $351; Antec SX635 for about $151, and SX840 about $207; and the P4 1.6A is on for $240.
Any other opinions on the benefit of PC2700 on the I845-D overclocked?

 

[MadRat]

See NFS4's thread on SiS645-DX which is the new one that supports DDR333 and DDR400 above 533fsb.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

<< See NFS4's thread on SiS645-DX which is the new one that supports DDR333 and DDR400 above 533fsb. >>

I agree, that board looks sweet and if they keep the pricepoint similar to the SiS645 boards that are currently available it should be a great price/performance chipset as well.

 

[Mavrick007]

I agree as well, the new specs of the sis645dx chipset looks very nice. Especially the memory bandwidth beating the crap out of RDram as it goes to DDR400.

 

[Athlon4all]

I said 2 as well. Get Samsung RDRAM and oc that 1.6A to 533fsb+PC1066. That will beat any 845-D 533fsb combo,

I am going to comment don't be fooled with 645DX. First off, offically this chipset doesn't support DDr400. Second, it's highly unlikely that DDR400 will ever hit the retail market, and if it ever does in DDR form, it will be even more expensive than PC1066 RDRAM because the yields are so low. Go RDRAM. It when running at PC1066+533fsb, DDR can't touch it.

 

[JackBurton]

<< I love how all the ppl who voted for asus option 4 couldn't leave a reply to tell you why....LOL >>


See if this is funny...

Here is my reasoning for going with the Asus P4B266. P4T-E is a pain in the ass to do a good overclock (dip switches + wire trick to up the voltage). The TH7II is a great board but now you better hope you get some good RDRAM that can do PC1066 speeds. And the PC800 RDRAM that overclocks the best are 128MB sticks. No thanks, I want 256MB minimum. As for the other baords, I'm sure they are fine but I'll stick with an Intel chipset when going Intel. just a little rule I have.