Best Price/performance point for non-64 AMD's?

[LucJoe]

Looking to replace a fried cpu with a new motherboard/cpu. I'm thinking about a nforce2 400 motherboard with some Athlon XP, but I can't decide which, there are just so many different things that didn't exist last time i built something. So the options I see are:

1) Athlon XP (speed?)

2) Sempron

3) Athlon Mobile?

I would like to get the motherboard and processor for under $200

 

[jd103]

Check out the Hot Deals forum. There is one where Outpost.com has a 2500+ Sempron boxed and MB combo for $69.99.

 

[LucJoe]

Originally posted by: jd103
Check out the Hot Deals forum. There is one where Outpost.com has a 2500+ Sempron boxed and MB combo for $69.99.

I noticed that, but I've heard some bad things about the Sempron and the MB seemed like a piece of junk. With AMD there always seemed to be a price/performance sweet spot, anything cheaper and it's outdated, anything more expensive and it's wasteful. It seems like the sweetspot has been split between XP's and 64's now, but the 69.99 deal seems like a waste of money.

Any other opinions? I heard the mobile athlons can overclock like crazy for a decent price. Is this true?

 

[ponyo]

If you intend to overclock, I would get Sempron 3100+ and Chaintech VNF3-250 Nforce3 motherboard. You should be able to get it for under $200 for the combo.

Second choice would be mobile XP 2600+ and Nforce2 motherboard like Abit NF7-S. That should also run you under $200 for the combo.

I would go for the Sempron 3100+ and Chaintech board combo as it'll be faster and more responsive with the onboard memory controller.

 

[imported_michaelpatrick33]

Originally posted by: Naustica
If you intend to overclock, I would get Sempron 3100+ and Chaintech VNF3-250 Nforce3 motherboard. You should be able to get it for under $200 for the combo.

Second choice would be mobile XP 2600+ and Nforce2 motherboard like Abit NF7-S. That should also run you under $200 for the combo.

I would go for the Sempron 3100+ and Chaintech board combo as it'll be faster and more responsive with the onboard memory controller.

Sempron 3100+ is definitely the way to go with the 754 chipset you get the on-die memor controller and future upgradeability up to a full 3700 AMD64 when it becomes the value processor next year

 

[LucJoe]

Getting a 64 2800 is only ~$10 more than the Sempron 3100, would this be the better choice?

Also i noticed on newegg that the barton 2800 is slightly more expensive than the 64 2800, that's odd.

 

[LucJoe]

Here's what I'm looking at right now:

Chaintech NF3-250 motherboard - $74.00

with:

1. Sempron 3100 - $124

2. Athlon 64 2800 - $141

3. Athlon 64 3000 - $163

4. Athlon 64 3200 - $204



The difference between 1. and 2. seems minimal, but they both run at 1.8 ghz, will I notice any performance difference if i go with the 64? Also, are the jumps in performance between the different 64's big enough to justify the price jumps?

(All prices are from newegg retail processors)

 

[XBoxLPU]

Sempron 3100+ Performance

It performs just the same and sometimes better then the A64 2800

Go for the 3100

 

[dmw16]

Yes, get the Sempron 3100+. Also, it was $108 OEM from NewEgg last night when I was poking around their site. I would get OEM and a better aftermarket heatsink. Something like a Zalman 7000 CuAl.