Getting new Athlon XP 2500+ Barton, what memory and heatsink to get?

zzt711

Member
Mar 21, 2003
34
0
0
Hi All,

I'm planning to order (minutes away, drool, my tax return came in!) an Athlon XP 2500+ Barton with an ASUS A7N9X Deluxe motherboard.

My problem is, what memory and heatsink to get. Yeah Iv'e been out of it for a while, studying up on whats good to get now, my current system is a P3 600Mhz (gag!).

I definiteley plan to OC my system, so as for memory should I get PC2700 or PC3200 ram? Does super high speed ram matter? Iv'e read people OC'ing the processor from 1.83Ghz to 2.4Ghz, would PC2100 ram do the job? I don't plan to go that high a speed (well if I could, drool), but the people who have done it lowered thier FSB to 183-189Mhz... So is High speed memory needed? I don't want memory that is on the lower end as to limit my options on what to do with it if I get a better CPU later...

My other question is what type of Heatsink to get, what's recomended to OC and stay on a budget? (I don't want to water cool, and a variable speed fan would be nice, I plan to have a quiet system).

Obi-Wan you my only hope! Thx

-zzt
 

Soulkeeper

Diamond Member
Nov 23, 2001
6,732
155
106
get an slk-800 heatsink with a good 80mm fan (i used a variable speed fan for mine)

as for memory get good memory, like corsair xms or twinmos
unless you see a great deal on something you can't pass up
definately get pc3200 if you plan to overclock or use the memory on future (next month) 400mhz bartons
 

zzt711

Member
Mar 21, 2003
34
0
0
Hey thanks! Been out of it for a while, trying to make odds and ends of what I'm reading in the forums...

 

ChampionAtTufshop

Platinum Member
Nov 15, 2002
2,667
0
0
i secodn that
slk800 with a variable speed fan (thermaltake smartfan2 is aight)

for ram, def dont skimp on it
id get twinmos pc3200 or corsair pc3200
 

Malignant

Junior Member
Mar 15, 2003
18
0
0
Originally posted by: ChampionAtTufshop
i secodn that
slk800 with a variable speed fan (thermaltake smartfan2 is aight)

for ram, def dont skimp on it
id get twinmos pc3200 or corsair pc3200

which is better quality, twinmos or corsair?
 

zzt711

Member
Mar 21, 2003
34
0
0
Originally posted by: zzt711
Hey thanks! Been out of it for a while, trying to make odds and ends of what I'm reading in the forums...

Thanks for the advice guys,

I checked the SVC website and scoped out the slk-800, will pick that up for sure. As for the fan, the Thermaltake II looks really nice with all of it's options. And it looks like a quiet fan when I compared it to the others at the website. Are there other fans anyone would recommend?

My (hopeful) goal is to OC my cpu from 1.83 to around 2.4ghz while being quiet. I don't know if it's possible, and am willing to go for a less aggressive speed for the sake of less noise (my pc is in my room, and I don't want to hear it if I leave it on when sleeping, shit keeps me awake!)

Any recommendations where to buy 3200 memory, or just do pricewatch and check the seller's ratings before buying?

-----

I'm so exicited! I was planning to start ordering online this weekend but decided to check Oakland Computer Show and look at prices. I Ended up buying, and got some really good deals considering the vendors are local (if I have problems later).

(nothing OEM, all boxed, prices totaled)

$313 - Athlon 2500+ barton combo with an ASUS A7N8X Deluxe (cheapest online would have been $305))
$53 - Plextor 48x CDRW (Same guy I bought the cpu from, actually I paid $73, but can use the online rebate for $20, woot!)
$74 - Antec True Power 430 (cheapest online $69)

(what sucks is that I had to drive there and pay for bridge, gas is freaking expensive due to this war, but was heading there to look anyway)

Already picked up a 200gig Maxtor @ Fry's for $196 (8mb cache, have to wait for a frickin $100 rebate though), so whats left if for me is to order the case (Lan Li PC-52 Link $97), memory and heatsink/fan.
 

KillaBong

Senior member
Nov 26, 2002
426
0
0
They did not lower their fsb to 183-189, but they did RAISE it to 183-189. Bartons are 166 without overclocking... so many people forget to multiply by two. Also, Twinmos use the same chips as corsair, but there not backed by the reputation of corsair... choose how you like. I would buy twinmos, because I know either ram will get you easily over 200 fsb.