Best Socket 754 Motherboard under $80

[ccmg]

Hi all,

I'm building a system with the following specs and I was wondering which S754 motherboard under $80 I should get.


S754 Athlon 64 3000 Newcastle
512mb Kingston DDR 400
ATI Radeon 9600XT
80gb Seagate PATA HD
Antec SLK1650B Case

 

[John]

IMHO you should forget 754 and go 939. The 939 cpu is generally a little cheaper and the board allows you to run FX & X2, Dual Channel, etc.

MSI Neo2-F http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130514
3000+ Venice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537

 

[Vee]

Originally posted by: John
IMHO you should forget 754 and go 939. The 939 cpu is generally a little cheaper and the board allows you to run FX & X2, Dual Channel, etc.

MSI Neo2-F http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130514
3000+ Venice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537

I know you mean well, but:

The OP has picked components for a nice little budget machine. Why would he be interested in running FX or X2? ...Before X2 is a budget solution that anyway doesn't come on s939 anymore?
What if he doesn't intend to overclock?
What if he never intends to replace the CPU in this AGP R9600, DDR, PATA etc machine?
Which seems sensible strategy, since any such CPU upgrade will only represent a moderate performance increase at a considerable cost. (What his system will primarily need in terms of upgrade is better graphics and 1GB ram. 1GB could also be a problematic upgrade on s939, since he would have to start with two 250MB sticks.) If he intends to accept the additional cost of yet another processor in this system, why not just buy a faster from the start?

The s754 3000+ is a 2GHz CPU. A 2GHz s939 (3200+) costs at least $190. So s939 cpus are not cheaper. They are more expensive. If you're on a low budget and don't intend to try dramatic OC, s754 is a good deal. You have to pay more to get the same performance on s939. s939 MBs are also more expensive. Ultimately, you can reach higher performance on s939 thanks to the higher bandwidth, but that's another scenario.

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Vee
I know you mean well, but:

The OP has picked components for a nice little budget machine. Why would he be interested in running FX or X2? ...Before X2 is a budget solution that anyway doesn't come on s939 anymore?

Does upgrading down the road ring a bell? Why save a couple of bucks when you can do it right the first time.

What if he doesn't intend to overclock?

That doesn't have anything to do with 754/939 or the current discussion. If he does, great, if not that's his perogative.

What if he never intends to replace the CPU in this AGP R9600, DDR, PATA etc machine?

What if he does?

Which seems sensible strategy, since any such CPU upgrade will only represent a moderate performance increase at a considerable cost. (What his system will primarily need in terms of upgrade is better graphics and 1GB ram. 1GB could also be a problematic upgrade on s939, since he would have to start with two 250MB sticks.)

No he doesn't. Single modules work fine. With a Venice core 4 modules also work fine @ 200MHz 2T.

If he intends to accept the additional cost of yet another processor in this system, why not just buy a faster from the start?

He's probably on a budget in case you couldn't tell from the thread title.

The s754 3000+ is a 2GHz CPU. A 2GHz s939 (3200+) costs at least $190. So s939 cpus are not cheaper. They are more expensive.

I was comparing a 3000+ Venice to a 3000+ Newcastle. Venice offers .09u, SSE3, and lower core voltage.

If you're on a low budget and don't intend to try dramatic OC, s754 is a good deal. You have to pay more to get the same performance on s939. s939 MBs are also more expensive. Ultimately, you can reach higher performance on s939 thanks to the higher bandwidth, but that's another scenario.

He asked for a mobo under $80 and I was able to provide him with one. I also wanted to make him aware of the benefits of socket 939 since it does appear that he's an enthusiasist.

Here's a nice nF3 250GB s754 mainboard under $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123219