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I need upgrading advice please.

D

Darkhawk28

Diamond Member
Hey guys,

Right now, I'm running on the following.....

AMD Thunderbird 1.4Ghz
Abit KT7A Rev 1.2 :frown: Grr...
384MB Crucial PC133
Gainward Geforce 3


To upgrade, I know I'm gonna need to replace the mb, cpu and RAM. I have about $400-$500 to spend and need to replace those three items plus get a new case (acrylic window) with at least a 400-watt power supply.

Note: I have 2 kids that are light sleepers in a small apartment. I need a system that will run cool, stable and most importantly, quiet.

I know that my video card is getting antiquated by today's standards and if by some miracle, there's some room for one, that'd be great, but it's not a high priority.

I've been looking at some nforce2 motherboards and I'm intrigued, so if anyone can inform on how good they truly are, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate it greatly. 🙂

Edit: Please note, that I'm not against going with an Intel platform at all if the price warrants it. 😀
 
Well, the nforce2 chipset appears to be the discerning choice these days. If you've haven't gathered already, i'd recommend newegg as the one of the best online stores.

Case:

ANTEC Performance PLUSVIEW Model PLUSVIEW1000AMG- with Side Window Snap-On Fan Clips Retail ***No Power Supply***
Specifications:
Color: Antec Metallic Gray AMG color
Material:Steel
Form Factor:Fits standard ATX / Xeon (PIII Core) / Pentium 4
Bays:External 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5" Internal 4 x 3.5"
Expansion Slots: 7 Slots
Fans: 2 Rear Standard
Power Supply:***NO POWER SUPPLY***
Large Side Window w/ 80mm Air Vent (fits 80mm case fan)
$73

I'd recommend replacing the case fans with these:
Panasonic Panaflo Axial Fan 80x80x25.5mm, Ball Bearing, DC 12V, 2.08W, 2950 RPM, 39.6 CFM, 32.0 dB-A Model: FBA08A12H - OEMBearing Type: Hydro Wave. Connector Type: Plug-In. Aerodynamic blade and venturi design. Locked rotor protection and auto-star funciton. Lower circuit noise by new IC. Easy value-add access to lead wire via plug-in connector on housing.
$8 each - much quieter

Power supply:

Antec SL400 @ $60 should do the job (I own that model).

Motherboard:

MSI Motherboard for AMD Athlon/AthlonXP/Duron processors (@ 100/133/166 FSB), Model# K7N2-L (MS-6570-010)
Specifications:
CPU Supported: AMD Athlon/AthlonXP/Duron processors (@ 100/133/166 FSB)
Chipset: nForce2 SPP, MCP2
FSB: 100/133/166(200/266/333)MHz
RAM: 3x 184-pin DDR DIMMs (PC3200/2700/2100/1600 DDR SDRAMs), supports both 64-bit and 128-bit DDR SDRAM
IDE: 2x channels, support Bus Master and Ultra DMA133/100/66 operating modes
Slots: 1x AGP (4X/8X), 5x 32-bit, 1x ACR
Port: 1x Serial, 1x Parallel, 1x RJ-45, 4x USB (rear)
Onboard LAN: Chipset integrated 10/100 Base-T Ethernet/Fast Ethernet
ATX Form Factor (S-Bracket Not included)
5 stars out of 51 reviews - $87

CPU:

AMD ATHLON XP 2500 "Barton" 333 FSB PROCESSOR CPU- OEM
Specifications:
CPU: 1.83 GHz
Type: XP 2500 Barton Core
Cache: 512K L2, 128K L1, Total 640KB
BUS: 333MHz
Socket A
OEM (Processor Only)
$123

Ram:

CORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series CMX256A-2700C2 C2 256MB PC2700 DDR RAM Single-size FASTER 333MHz - OEM
CMX256A-2700C2. DDR, PC2700 32x64, Non-ECC, 184-Pin, CAS2 -Unbuffered Requires DDR supported Motherboard - Lifetime Warranty.
2 of those for $100

Total for all that including 3 of the panaflo fans: $467 + 20 or so shipping

Very nice 🙂

Oh, and your gf3 is a good card man. I'd keep it for a while. That system allows for plenty of upgrading in the future 😀

You could also replace that $60 SL400 with this for an extra $23:
Antec 430W Power Supply TRUE430 ATX Form Factor, ATX12V compliant for Pentium 4 (backward compatible with previous Pentium versions) and AMD systems
+5V Stand-By & Logic On/Off Antec Low Noise Technology Maximum Power 430W Weight 5 lbs. Dimensions - L5.9" x W5.5" x H3.4" UL, CSA, TUV, CB, CE, NEMKO Approved

Should be somewhat quieter.
 
Thank you for replying. I appreciate it.

I looked at that case and I must say, I do like it very much. Very elegant looking.

I do have a couple of questions though. What made you choose a MSI board over let's say, an Asus or Epox?

Also, why get 2x256MB RAM instead of 1x512MB? Is there something new with RAM technology?

I also noticed that an AMD T-bred 2200+ is $76. Is there much speed difference between the Barton 2500+ and the T-bred 2200+?

Also, need advice on a good HSF or will the retail HSF do just fine?

Thanks again.
 
Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Thank you for replying. I appreciate it.

I looked at that case and I must say, I do like it very much. Very elegant looking.

I do have a couple of questions though. What made you choose a MSI board over let's say, an Asus or Epox?
Click to expand...
$87

Also, why get 2x256MB RAM instead of 1x512MB? Is there something new with RAM technology?
Click to expand...
dual channel...but I'd go 1x512 later when fundage allows(or now if fundage allows 😉) grab same matching 512MB ..
I also noticed that an AMD T-bred 2200+ is $76. Is there much speed difference between the Barton 2500+ and the T-bred 2200+?
Click to expand...
Barton has 512 on the L2 rather than 256 ..its up to you..if grabbing the Barton newegg selling it but for $2.50 more I'd grab the retail pkg unit rather than the OEM chip...
Also, need advice on a good HSF or will the retail HSF do just fine?
Click to expand...
retail is fine but slk800/900 or ax-7 would be better..keeping the original retail hsf for warranty purposes
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Malladine's suggestions are good ones...I have not seen the need yet for (applications besides CAD and that ilk) much over 1.5ghz(unlike the need for more ram ..currently running 1gig of ddr333) ..a retail xp1800+(most likely a 'B' T'Bred) is around $60ish ..I have seen XP2200+ with it at stock 1.6v ..I think I should acquire an nforce2 mobo..
rolleye.gif
..as my current chip did post at xp2400+ @ 1.825v..

 
What made you choose a MSI board over let's say, an Asus or Epox?
Click to expand...
Heh, i'm sick of hearing about Asus and Epox, so decided to check on another brand. As I mentioned, that MSI board received 5/5 stars out fo 51 reviews. Easily as good as the other two. There are plenty of good manufacturers and I thought it fair to mention one 🙂
Plus the $87 price tag is sweet.

Also, why get 2x256MB RAM instead of 1x512MB? Is there something new with RAM technology?
Click to expand...
Yes, dual channel. Nforce2 boards have a technology incorporated called dual channel, which enables them to make better use of two smaller ram chips as opposed to one large. I'm sure there are others here who can explain better if you should so wish 😉

I also noticed that an AMD T-bred 2200+ is $76. Is there much speed difference between the Barton 2500+ and the T-bred 2200+?
Click to expand...
I think you're right to doubt this. I take back my recommendation for the Barton 2500+. I've read that it can overclock well, however $125 is steep. You can buy a t-bred b 1700+ and clock it up to 166fsb, giving you a 2ghz processor for $50 🙂

So, that's saved $70. $35 of which i'd recommend you spend on this HSF:
VANTEC AeroFlow VA4-C7040. For AMD socket A 462 and Intel 370/FC-PGA/FC-PGA2. Retail. Vantec Vertical Aluminum Fins with Copper Core Heat sink + T.M.D. fan, and triple clip for secure instalation.
Specifications:
Supported Socket type: Socket A/462 and Socket 370
Material: Aluminum with copper
Fan Speed: 5600 RPM
Air Flow: 35.5 CFM
Bearing type: T.M.D.
Dimensions 74.5x74.5x60 (mm)
Life Cycle: 80,000 Hrs. (Comes with thermal Compound)

Own one of those myself w/ a 1700+. Excellent.
 
Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
Hey guys,

Right now, I'm running on the following.....

AMD Thunderbird 1.4Ghz
Abit KT7A Rev 1.2 :frown: Grr...
384MB Crucial PC133
Gainward Geforce 3
Click to expand...

What you're running on isn't bad. I'd say use it till you can save up 800 or so and then take the whole machine and give it to someone as a handmedown.

In a few months the Athlon64 desktop chips will be out with nForce64 and you'll be salivating again.
 
Originally posted by: Darkhawk28
I mean what can I do, inexpensively, to make my system workable until the athlon64's and such are out.
Click to expand...

I think you have a fairly decent system. In fact its probably better than the primary machines for like a third of AT folks. The difference between a 1.4 and a 3GHZ CPU won't be as noticeable as say a 200 to a 400mhz CPU when doing most things.

Whats slowing you down / what do you do the most? If its gaming, just get a Radeon 95/6/7/800 /PRO and save your old parts. If you're running huge servers, databases or work with huge Photoshop images, do the upgrade now. Because you will want more ram and getting more PC133 now will not be wise.

Barton/nForce2 is a great deal right now and DDR is getting cheap as well, but you would have to get the three things together at the same time, and I honestly don't know if you may be dissapointed if you expected a huge performance increase.

However, if you do upgrade and chose this route, you may get a huge increase in speed. But much of that may come from the mere fact that you will then have an unfragmented hd and a fresh OS not bogged down by installed crap over the years.
 
Just get what everyone has gotten:


Epox 8RDA+/Abit NF7-S
XP1700/XP2100 Tbred B
SLK800 w/YS tech TMD fan or TT SmartfanII
Corsiar XMS 3200/Hyper-x pc3000/3200
 
Just get what everyone has gotten:


Epox 8RDA+/Abit NF7-S
XP1700/XP2100 Tbred B
SLK800 w/YS tech TMD fan or TT SmartfanII
Corsiar XMS 3200/Hyper-x pc3000/3200
 
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