cheap upgrade

[0JK0]

I wanna upgrde my rig for less then 250 $. I have A7N8X-Deluxe rev. 1.03( I flashed 1007 BIOS, but it probably won't be able to hit 200 FSB )with Athlon Xp-2400 on it and 2x 256 Mb of pc 2100 Samsung Ram.

What processor would be a good upgrade without changing my mobo?
I though about Xp 2500, Xp-M 2500 and Xp-M 2600...but don't know which would be the best choice?

What ram should i buy for it and what cooling so i don't go beyond my budget?

Thx a lot....for help!!

 

[Ronnie]

Go with the 2500m, get some pc3200 with good timings and a SLK-947U for cooling.

 

[magratton]

Yeah, PCB 2.0 of that same board can hit 200 FSB. However, you can get up there with the multiplier instead. As for the processor, I would recommend the 2600, but depending on budget the 2400 and 2500 are still good choices. I am putting together some systems using the Speeze Falconrock heatsink/cooler. Some folks are using them around here to cool mobiles. I will also be soon Ram... hmmm. I will leave that one for others. With the 2600 at $100, the cooler at ~$10, that still leaves some room for some decent ram.

 

[myocardia]

If you're looking to overclock, either the XP-M 2500: link or XP-M 2600: link would be a major performance increase over a non-overclocked XP2400. This Buffalo Tech. ram is very good, for what it costs: link and if you're looking for a maximum overclock, this Thermaltake Volcano 12 is nearly as good as the Thermalright's, but doesn't cost as much: link. If you aren't going to be trying for more than about 2.3ghz or so, this Speeze FalconRock will do the job, and save you quite a bit of money: link. Don't forget that there's a good chance if you are going to be overclocking much higher than 2.2ghz, you're going to need a bigger, more powerful power supply. This Antec SL450 is probably the best for the money right now: link, though you might be able to get by with a cheaper one, I just wouldn't recommend it. Good luck.

 

[0JK0]

Or maybe should I stay with what i have for longer and just OC my current CPU- Athlon XP 2400+?
How much can i overclock it if I had a SLK-927U (on my mobo ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe rev. 1.03 (BIOS flashed to 1007 version)). What is the maximum the Thoroughbred can be OC'ed??

I also have a Q about the ram; which is better GeiL Ultra Series (this) or OCZ Enhanced Latency Series (
this)

 

[myocardia]

If your XP2400 is unlocked, you can overclock it quite a bit. I just swapped out an XP2400 that I had running at 10.5x212.5 a week or so ago, for my mobile Barton, and I couldn't be happier. The extra L2 cache makes a difference in how fast your system "feels", when opening a program/file, and the extra 300mhz is making quite a difference in the things I do with my processor. But whether it's worth upgrading is up to you, though you'll have to buy yourself some PC3200 ram either way.

 

[uo7]

Originally posted by: myocardia
Thermaltake Volcano 12 is nearly as good as the Thermalright's, but doesn't cost as much.

I am very impressed with thermaltakes extreme 12.