Help with a s754 mobo decision

[imported_Deez]

I am switching over to a Qpack micro atx case for convienence and I have to change my mobo. I am currently running a p4 2.8 and I was noticing that the athlon 64 3000+ are priced pretty low, the same price I could sell my p4 for. So I am thinking of switching over. I am just getting confused on which 754 mobo would be best for me.
Here are my needs:
micro-atx
agp
descent overclock (apg lock)
around $60

I have read up on all the chipsets and I thought I wanted a nforce-250 but I can't seem to find one in micro-atx they are all 6100 which have pci-e. The via would work but it seems I need the pro to get the agp lock and I cant seem to find one that fits my requirements.

I could really use someone to steer me in the right direction. Thanks

 

[o1die]

I'd go for a newegg refurb and spend a little more on the cpu. The 3400 is cheap and you won't need to overclock it. I tried overclocking with my 939 cpu, and even at 2500, I couldn't tell the difference in most applications. It's strictly for higher benchmarks.

 

[pkrush]

There aren't any 754 micro ATX boards with AGP that are decent for overclocking. I'd buy the Biostar Tforce 6100, even though it doesn't have AGP. The Geforce 6100 onboard is decent though, so you should be okay using the onboard video until you can get some more money for a new graphics card. Also, you probably want a new power supply, the stock Aspire PSU in the QPack is probably not going to last very long.

 

[Zap]

I second the Tforce6100. Read my review. 😉 The onboard video wouldn't be too far off for performance compared to your 9600XT - well, you may have to turn a few things down, but then you can sell your video card and put that money towards a better card. There are SO many nice PCI-E cards on the market now and you'd be able to use any of them with the new board. BTW, when purchasing a socket 754 CPU, if wanting to spend a few bucks more get a Venice core A64. If wanting to save a few bucks, get a Palermo Sempron with E3 or E6 core.

If you were looking into the A64 you may want to consider spending a few more dollars for a socket 939 setup. The socket 939 version of the Tforce board costs the same as the socket 754 version and you can get an Opteron 144 for around $135 shipped. Couple the faster CPU with dual channel RAM and the onboard video will be that much closer to your 9600XT in performance. Otherwise if you want to save money, get the Sempron. The socket 754 A64 is a difficult decision because it's bordering on socket 939 prices.