Converting an AMD system to Intel

[imported_zenwhen]

Another fine display of rampant AMD fanboyism. I should really stay out of this part of Anandtech. Talking about Intel should be bannable in here to make things easier.

The OP would have been quite happy with what he said he wanted.

 

[walla]

Sorry, I must sound like a newb to all the board vets out there. The only time I keep up with current trends is when I need to build a system. (so every 2-4 years ).

I am thinking maybe go with 1 stick of 512 Crucial DDR400, and then can I mix and match with my current PC2700 (3 slots with this mobo). I'm not sure how memory management would happen among different sizes/speeds...I certainly wouldn't want to cap the memory at the slowest speed. But 1 gig ram is appealing esp. as the size of programs are getting so large...

Thanks for all the constructive feedback. I am anxious to order this all as soon as I'm confident it will all work.

 

[justly]

zenwhen, sorry that you feel that way, but other than some mild enthusiasm for their processor of choice I have not seen any rampant fanboyism in this thread. If you want to see rampant fanboyism I suggest you read the posts from FelixDeKat (fanboys come in both flavors you know).

 

[CaptainWafflos]

Using RAM with different speeds is generally a bad idea. However, if you are able to overclock the RAM to PC3200 speeds, the idea is completely feasible.

The CPU/mobo combo you picked sounds fine. However, if you're looking for longevity, I may recommend a socket 939 CPU/mobo combo. Socket 754 has been discontinued, and currently there are no plans to add more processors. With the new 90nm processors out for socket 939, the option is looking better and better. 90nm processors have increased overclockability and generally run cooler than their 130nm counterparts. This route would be slightly more expensive, however.

How much emphasis are you putting on gaming for this system? This video card you have isn't the greatest for the latest games. It probably won't keep you playing the latest games at acceptable for more than a year, anyway.

 

[walla]

(edit: Wait, you have 2x256? On second thought, sell that and buy 2x512MB or 1x1GB. The latter is better for S754 overclocking, if you ever get into that.)

Ok. Let me re-iterate. Money is an issue. And I don't really wish to O/C

I think I will stick with my 2x256 PC2700 for right now. Maybe I'll see how it O/C. What I don't want to be doing is holding my CPU back and wasting technology that I'm paying for. Sure, maybe it takes a few more seconds to boot up the OS or compile a program with only 512MB - I'm not concerned with that right now. I will probably upgrade the RAM when I am done with the school semester.

And also, how do you suggest selling RAM? E-bay?

 

[CaptainWafflos]

Check out the for sale forums on Anandtech =P

 

[Sonic587]

Originally posted by: walla

(edit: Wait, you have 2x256? On second thought, sell that and buy 2x512MB or 1x1GB. The latter is better for S754 overclocking, if you ever get into that.)

Ok. Let me re-iterate. Money is an issue. And I don't really wish to O/C

I think I will stick with my 2x256 PC2700 for right now. Maybe I'll see how it O/C. What I don't want to be doing is holding my CPU back and wasting technology that I'm paying for. Sure, maybe it takes a few more seconds to boot up the OS or compile a program with only 512MB - I'm not concerned with that right now. I will probably upgrade the RAM when I am done with the school semester.

And also, how do you suggest selling RAM? E-bay?

I'd sell it right here on Anandtech. Take a look at the FS/FT forum.

 

[walla]

The CPU/mobo combo you picked sounds fine. However, if you're looking for longevity, I may recommend a socket 939 CPU/mobo combo. Socket 754 has been discontinued, and currently there are no plans to add more processors. With the new 90nm processors out for socket 939, the option is looking better and better. 90nm processors have increased overclockability and generally run cooler than their 130nm counterparts. This route would be slightly more expensive, however.

I appreciate this advice.

Ideally I want this setup to last me through grad school. So two years or so. At that time, I'll probably build a completely new system, keeping whatever makes sense.

This is to say, I am not planning on upgrading my CPU with this board. I just want a stable system that runs cool and can keep up with today's desktop applications, and can run the occassional 3d game even if its lower detail.

How much emphasis are you putting on gaming for this system? This video card you have isn't the greatest for the latest games. It probably won't keep you playing the latest games at acceptable for more than a year, anyway.

I am happy with the card I have now. It cost an arm and a leg, so I'll get my mileage out of it even if it means low detail for Quake4

 

[DrCool]

Originally posted by: walla

CPU: Athlon 2100XP+
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-7XRXP rev 2.0
RAM: 2x256MB PC2700, 333MHz crucial ddr sdram
CASE: ATX form factor
P/S: 330W Antec True330

Well, the system died after 2 years. After very extensive testing, I believe it is either the CPU or MOBO that is malfunctioning (constant system resets while trying to install OS). So I decided to go with intel, replacing the mobo, CPU, and heatsink and salvaging the rest.

what made you choose such a POS motherboard?

Replace your current board, with something from ASUS, MSI, or ABIT and your problems will probably go away.

I can highly recommend:
Asus A7N8X, ASUS A7V8X, and ASUS A7V333

 

[batmanuel]

As far as comparing an XP to a Athlon 64:

Processors are much more than their clock speed. The new processor numbers allow you and your customers to consider all the processor's features: architecture, cache, clock speed, front side bus.

Anyone care to guess where that quote (slightly paraphrased) came from?

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: walla
Mwave has the deal for a retail a64 3200+ with the chaintech vnf3-250 for about $260 dollars which is lookin good to me right now.

Does anyone else think that the Crucial PC2700 will be good enough to keep up with this setup? I really don't want to be bottlenecking the system with the RAM...but don't want to go overboard either.

If not, I may as well go back to the a64 2800 and save myself the cash.

And the price of the combo at mwave defintely looks better than the newegg alternative.

Hey there was a threat that occured where this was asked. In almost all cases, you only lost about 5-7% preformance by going with pc2700 ram vs pc3200~ it is speculated that the ondie memory controller has a lot to do with this

 

[raildogg]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Get an Athlon 64.

$141

And an nForce 3 motherboard

$74

And some PC3200 RAM

$80

And you're good to go. AMD has better price/performance ratio than intel, and it's equally as stable, that is the only reason I reccomend it to you.

no, the man already knows what hes going to get. he wants Intel. end of debate.

help the man, dont confuse him further

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: raildogg

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
Get an Athlon 64.

$141

And an nForce 3 motherboard

$74

And some PC3200 RAM

$80

And you're good to go. AMD has better price/performance ratio than intel, and it's equally as stable, that is the only reason I reccomend it to you.

no, the man already knows what hes going to get. he wants Intel. end of debate.

help the man, dont confuse him further

i hope that was sarcasm

 

[walla]

Decided to go with Athlon 64 3200+ retail with the Chaintek VNF3-250.

It ends up saving me about 60-70 dollars over the pentium alternative, and I am really not looking for the optimum but the practical. I am just hoping that it keeps cool, quiet, and stable at stock speeds and I will be happy.

I am also going to stay with my slow 512MB PC2700 ram and perhaps upgrade in about a month if everything goes well. I realize that it may throttle the CPU performance by about -5 to 10% without O/C so it will be what, another $100 on top of a $190 processor, to harness that extra performance.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

 

[jimmy43]

Thats a good choice wally. And dont bother with the 939 platform if your gonna upgrade in 2-3years. Youl be able run windows 64 when it comes out in about half a year, and you will be getting immediete benefits in linux as well. These 64's also run alot cooler than their intel counterparts. It's actually quite a margin, somewhere between 10-15 degrees. As for you ram, dont bother with 3200. All the gamers on here naturally want to squeeze every little ounce of power out of their system, and this would be something that really bugs them, but as for real world performance, it makes 2-3% difference, the money is much better invested in a faster cpu, which will show real performace increases. Also, you have quality ram which has good timings, so it would be almost the same performace 2700@CAS2.5 and 3200@CAS3. Having said that, you should really find out if your cpu is still functional so you can sell it with the heatsink and maby get 30-40 bucks for it.. And heres one last suggestions. If your cpu IS dead, it probably still has an AMD warranty on it(if it is retail). Do and RMA with them and you will get yourself a brand new cpu, which you can sell, keep, or give away!!