Help me upgrade computer for $350 or so..

[Oot]

I'm looking to get a mobo, cpu, and about 256MB ram to upgrade my *rig*

I'm thinking to go athlon XP cuz of its price/performance, and i'm looking for a good place to buy, and any suggestions on mobo's/ram that you guys may have. I'm looking to spend around $350.. I've been thinking of getting an epox 8hka+, any comments? or should i opt for a kt333 board?

Thanks for the help.

 

[xXgambitXx]

that sounds good. i've heard good things about that board but have no personal experience.

i have a Soltek SL-75DRV2 board w/ the KT266A chipset. i like it and don't notice any difference between it and my roommate's kt333 board.

most memory is the same, the 2 most popular brands are Kingston & Crucial, Crucial is supposed to be the best.

i recommend to get your board, memory and drop the rest on the fastest XP & a good HeatSink.

and get it all from Newegg. i've only dealt with them and i've been satisfied so far. If not then dig around at PriceWatch.

 

[Athlon4all]

What's your current case and specs? You may or may not need a new case, and it would help to have specs. I'm thinking along the lines of an XP 1600+, with a Shuttle AK35 GTR Mobo and 256MB of Crucial DDR.

 

[FordLorider]

If I was in your position:

Newegg top of the line 266A refurb board. 60-70 shipped.

XP1800. 120 shipped

With your DDR, you are really going to have to watch the deals. You should be able to get 256M for 70 shipped.

Heatsink, 30-35 shipped.

That leaves you with a bit of extra $$$, you can upgrade any of the above or go for a new $40 + shipping case with 400w ATX.

 

[oldfart]

P4 1.6A retail ~ $133
EPOX 4BDA ~ $100
512 Meg Samsung PC2700 (I like lots of ram) ~ $130

Overclock to 2.2 - 2.4 GHz and be happy! This is over the $350 budget. To keep it within, go down to 256 Meg ram.

How will it run?
Here are some SiSoft benches on mine.

 

[DT4K]

$89 - Epox 8kha+
$110 - Athlon XP 1800+ (OEM)
$28 - Thermalright AX-7 heatsink
$10 - good 80mm heatsink fan
$6 - Arctic Silver 3
$73 - 256MB Crucial PC2100

Total : $316 plus shipping at newegg

What kind of system do you currently have?
What are you going to be doing with this system?
If you are a gamer, think about upgrading your video card.
If you won't be overclocking, you could get the retail XP for a little more and skip the heatsink and fan.