Best 'Interim' P4

[senior guy]

I've got an Epox 4PEA+ on backorder and I'd like to know which P4 is the best choice to tide me over, like for maybe 6 months, until the 3.06 (with HT) becomes affordable.

I would sure appreciate your opinion along with your reasoning.

 

[THUGSROOK]

a 1.6A or 1.8A would be a nice cheap chip for you to get your feet wet with.
youre already planning on upgrading it so there is no point in spending a lot of $

 

[IntelConvert]

Given that you are going to get an EP-4PEA+ (good choice BTW) and that you ultimately want a Hyperthreading P4 whenever they become affordable, I would get a 1.8A now - currently about $140 (vs $153 for a 1.6A, if you can find one!)... You shouldn't have a problem getting the 1.8A to reach 2.7GHz (18 CPU multiplier x 150MHz FSB).

In about 6 months (your estimated time-frame for buying a 3.06 at a good price), I would guess that you might be able to recover 50% of your interim P4 cost.