Got A New Processor And Mobo, How Much Can I Overclock + Case Question

[BoboBrazil]

I got the $99 combo deal at Fry's which has a 2800+ athlon and a k7vta3 motherboard. It is a Barton core and runs at 333fsb. How much would I be able to overclock this with just the stock cooling? Also, what is the best cheap case/power supply combo I could find at a store like Fry's.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Oh yes, also how do I know if my 2800+ is unlocked?

 

[Cuda1447]

What ghz does that 2800 run at? Also how good is that mobo supposed to be? The reason I ask is Im in the market for a new mobo/cpu combo.

 

[BoboBrazil]

The processor runs at 2088mhz. The motherboard is just a cheap one that they packaged in free with the processor. It retails for 54.99 usually by itself. There is nothing wrong with the motherboard as far as I can tell other than it only has agp 4x instead of 8x.

 

[Cuda1447]

Ahh that won't work. I definetly need to get an 8x AGP to take advantage of my 9800 Pro

 

[BoboBrazil]

So do you think I would be able to overclock this maybe to 3400+ speeds easily? I won't be able to install it until Thursday when I get new ram and a case.

 

[JBT]

Okay first off the k7vta3 is only a KT3 chipset so OCing to 3400+ is NOT likely if at all. The boards suck for OCing as they have no PCI/AGP lock and only have a 1/5 divider at 166fsb... so for the OC it is not looking good. Also likely you chip will have a multi lock. If it doesn't for some odd reason you are in luck and will be able to OC but it is HIGHLY doubtful.

As for Cuda1447 the 4x and 8x AGP spec means little to nothing on how your video card will actually perform. But either way I would reccommend not getting that board. If you need a good board for cheap go with the SHuttle NF2 AN35N they are pretty good and OC well too I think they cost around $60 at Newegg.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Ok thanks, what do you recommend as a good cheap case/power supply combo that I can actually find in a store like Fry's. I want to put it together and have it running on Thursday when I get paid so I need to buy a case in a store like Fry's and not online. Also is a 300 or 350 watt power supply enough?

 

[Cuda1447]

Originally posted by: JBT

As for Cuda1447 the 4x and 8x AGP spec means little to nothing on how your video card will actually perform. But either way I would reccommend not getting that board. If you need a good board for cheap go with the SHuttle NF2 AN35N they are pretty good and OC well too I think they cost around $60 at Newegg.

Thanks, that looks like a solid mobo. As for a CPU to throw on it, Im assuming a barton 2500 is the best bet? Aren't those the best for OC'ing? I probably won't be doing that, atleast at first cause i have no experience with it, but I don't want to rule it out as a possibility.

 

[JBT]

I don't have fry's anywhere in my area (VT) so I don't really now what they have but if you are on the West coast you could actually order something from Newegg and have it for thursday if you order today.

Either way I would probably go for a 350 watt PSU and probably a Antec Trupower, Forton, Thermaltake, or Enlight All of those are good and there are shurely a few others that I am forgetting. Any of those would be good and you should be able to get those fairly cheap esspecially the Forton and Enlight's.

 

[JBT]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Thanks, that looks like a solid mobo. As for a CPU to throw on it, Im assuming a barton 2500 is the best bet? Aren't those the best for OC'ing? I probably won't be doing that, atleast at first cause i have no experience with it, but I don't want to rule it out as a possibility.

The best for OCing would be one of the mobile barton chips 2200, 2400, 2500 and 2600. They cost a little bit more but run cooler, OC highier, and are multi unlocked. If you want to save some cash you can go for a regular 2500 Barton and it should still atleast get to a 3200AXP.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Well I don't have the money to buy the case or memory right now. I have to wait until I get paid Thursday. I would order the stuff online today otherwise.

 

[Harvey]

I'm a big fan of the Fry's specials that include the ECS boards with VIA and nVidia chipsets because most of them are priced so they're giving away the boards at the current price of the chip, alone. It's a great way to set up a competent machine for office apps, but as others have said, they're pretty useless for o/c-ing.

If you want to o/c, the deals, themselves, are still good because you have a decent new board to sell to help pay for the one you need for that. You still have to do your homework about how far you can take a particular model. For good info about what you can do with your CPU, search for 2800 on the CPU/Processors and Overclocking Motherboards forums, here and on ocforums.com.

 

[Macro2]

I didn't think anyone here was old enough to remember Bobo Brazil.

 

[RockGuitarDude]

No you don't, look it up... there's negligable difference between performance with agp 4x and 8x