help with new PC decision...

[KBTibbs]

Well, it's the same old story...stable, unstable, then dead. Today my motherboard hit the last stop and now I'm looking replace. It's an old KT7A-raid, so I can't easily reuse the 1ghz Athlon C, or the pc-133 RAM.

It's time for a major upgrade.

I hate to admit it, but it's been quite a while since I've been able to say I was up to date on the available chipsets, the processors (speeds, code names, etc.), or even current memory speeds. I like to do research before I buy, but looking arround, I'm finding it a bit dificult to sift through the information on all the options out there.

So I am coming to you, basically, what I am hoping for is a list of a few chipsets for both AMD and Intel (although I am more of an AMD person, I would switch if the numbers -- both speed and price -- say I should) that I should look into. You can even suggest a specific mobo/memory speed/proc speed if you like.

Now, as you can immagine, my PC just died so I am in need of this replacement pretty soon. This means I can't wait 6 months for a new chipset to come to market. Also, I am not made of money, so lets not go for dream systems here ok?

Thanks!

KBTibbs

edit: I didn't tell you what I use this pc for...heh. I'm in college and I like to play with cool computer stuff. So I need the typical homework stuff, but I also like to render animations and play games too. I am also a bit of an overclocker, not much but I toy arround. Something a little friendly there would be nice

 

[tiblot]

Hey,

The answer kinda depends on what you want to do with the new PC. Do you need a powerful computer for games/multimedia? Or do you just need it for daily use?

If you just need it for regular use, then I'd go with something cheap, save money and spend it elsewhere

Just my opinion.

 

[someone16]

How much is your budget? If you don't need to game then you should just get a K7SOM+. Duron 1500+ with integrated everything for like 65 bucks. ^^

 

[KBTibbs]

wow..two posts before I get done with the edit to add what I use the pc for I'd like to stay away from duron and celeron, I've always found them a bit lacking in the power dept...but then again...it's probably just all in my head. Also, I don't much care for integration (sound, vid, what have you -- except for the integrated NIC...that might be nice), I allready have what I want for those and would just have to bypass it anyway.

 

[tiblot]

Sweet. So it sounds like you want something thats powerful but not top of the line, right? That way you dont need to spend alot of $$?

 

[Markfw]

Check my sig. Motherboard/cpu/HSF/memory for less than $500. A cheaper motherboard and you could be at $450. It will do anything you want, and be upgradeable (for a while)

 

[blodhi74]

I was in UR shoes a couple of months ago and went with Barton 2500+, 512 PC2700 ram , nForce 2 board , 40GB 7200 HD and 9700 pro for under $500 and am very happy with the set up

 

[KBTibbs]

You people are great, I'm looking into your suggestions. I see the nforce2 chipset and VIA K8T800 (Asus K8V) have been mentioned. What about the via KT600, is it worth looking into? after a minute of poking I notice this may be a different socket than the ones above?

So this leads me to ask about processors... Which processor fits into what socket, and whats the (very basic) difference between the AMD processors..I mean I don't know what the difference between the morgan core, the athlon 64 and 64 FX blah blah blah..can someone take a moment and clear this up?

Thanks for all your help for a guy who took too much time on his school work to keep up with the fun stuff

 

[Markfw]

OK, there are a lot of chipsets, but first you need to set a budget, and what you want in that. The K8V supports the Athlon64 series, which is "socket 754" and one of the new kids on the block. The nforce2,KT400,KT600 etcc. are all for Athlon XP (mainstream AMD, starting to slide into the Duron sector compared to the Athlon64)> Either are pretty good right now, but it all depends on what you want to spend, and what you want out of it. The Athlon64 will cost you a little over $125 more then the XP setups. The memory and motherboards are close to the same, but the cheapest CPU is $211, and on the XP side you can get the XP2500 Barton for $85 (no HSF).

I would go the Athlon64 if you have the money, but again, WE NEED TO HAVE A BUDGET AND EXPECTATIONS BEFORE MAKING A SUGGESTION !!!!!

 

[tiblot]

You should go XPC

Check out www.shuttle.com. They run about $250 but thats a full integrated deal. (excluding the new Athlon 64 ones of course) All you need to get is the cpu, ram, hdd. Besides, XPC's rock

 

[mechBgon]

I'm going to also throw in a couple of things to think about:

1) Motherboards come with onboard audio now, whether you want it or not You can disable it in the BIOS if you feel like using something else.

2) Your venerable old Radeon may not be safe to use in today's motherboards (it may be a 3.3V card and not fit, or fit but then fry the mobo). Budget for a new video card, even if you have to stop near the $70-$100 area.

Now let's hear how much money you want to spend, and we can get crackin' on parts lists My guess is it'll boil down to Athlon64 3000+ for the deluxe setup, or else a 2500+ --> 3200+ budget-overclocker setup.

 

[KBTibbs]

I'm thinking $300 to $600 would be a good price range (ideally 300-450).

The question I want to know is how fast XP will be killed by Athlon 64. If it won't last, then I better get 64, if XP will hold out a couple more speed bumps, then it is certainly a good candidate in my mind. What do I gain from the 64 except 64 bit support (which most software can't take advantage of just yet-- am I right on this?).

mechBgon--I'm ok with integrated sound...it has improved over the years and I guess it's time old prejudices were removed... also my vid card is an agp 8x gForce 4 TI 4200, I should hope it will work with the newer mobos...

Thinking on it, an extra $125 for the 64 processor is looking kind of steap. I would still like to research the option, but I'm starting to wonder if the benefits will stand up against the price jump...

 

[tiblot]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't get an Athlon 64 system right now, unless you absolutely need top of the line.

Integrated sound is fine, thats what I'd go with, in fact some boards even have 6 ch sound.

You are right about most software not supporting 64, but the 64 bit of XP is out so you could install that.

Hope that helps.

 

[mechBgon]

What do I gain from the 64 except 64 bit support (which most software can't take advantage of just yet-- am I right on this?).

I suggest reading some Athlon 64 reviews, because A64 is much more than just a 64-bit-capable AthlonXP. Even in a straight 32-bit situation, it clearly outperforms AthlonXP. That's not to discourage you from getting an AthlonXP if it fits your budget better, but just be aware that the A64 is a new architecture.

What brand/model of power supply do you have now? You might need a new one if it's as old as the rest of your old rig.

 

[KBTibbs]

It's a sparkle brand 350 watt psu...rock solid dispite being involved in a small case fire a couple of years ago... It's fine, and powers all the stuff I need... good for now, but will replace as soon as I eat this upgrade cost...

 

[mechBgon]

Sparkle Power units are good... does it have the four-pin secondary ATX12V plug on its harness? Otherwise, if you pick a board that needs one, you can get an adapter to tide you over.

 

[KBTibbs]

the sparkle does not have one of those extra ATX12V plugs...I'd be ok with an adapter, if I wasn't allready using all the molex plugs as it is... I guess I'll be looking into a new psu a little sooner

 

[Echo3]

Well I was going to give the P4 2.4 ghz (533/800) a plug here.... ASUS or ABit make a great mobo... ALso depends on whether you want to o/c or not... but you seem to have alot of AMD people here and AMD is rocking the house as of late...

One thing I will say is that integrated periphals on a mobo for most things is the way to go... just my 2cents... Ethernet, sound, USB2.0 and firewire are becoming standard... works for me...

moo

 

[Ant001]

This is what I would get:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail $236
Asus K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU, Model "K8V Deluxe" -RETAIL $137
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM $107
Antec 380W Power Supply, Model "TRUE380" $65

Without the PSU it comes out under $500. With, it comes to about $550 at Newegg.

That setup is basically top of the line, and should be upgradeable for a while.

 

[KBTibbs]

so basically I'm hearing a lot about the K8T800...Looking at that I see that in most reviews, the boards are very much neck and neck in almost all regards. This is going to be an interesting decision.