If you had to start fresh with an entirely new system....

[DefBringer]

I had my computer stolen, just bought it last year. It was a custom-built Athlon 550 ocd to 700. I sweat blood for that thing!

Anyway, I'll be back in the market for an entirely new system but I'm confused by the large number of BX motherboards still being used. I don't want to buy a new mobo based on the BX because it can't possibly be around that much longer.

Here is my question: am I better off not getting a top-of-the-line system now since nobody seems to know if RDRAM or DDR will win the race yet? I don't want to blow a lot of money on a 820 mobo and RDRAM only to find out DDR is even faster (and cheaper).

What would you guys do in my position? Remember, I don't have ANY components right now. Well, maybe my mousepad. But I'd like to stick with Intel since I wasn't too happy with the AMD chipset on my K7M. I want Intel 833+ speeds with a nice upgrade path. BTW, I'd do the research over the net right now but I'm on extended summer vacation and Internet access is $6 an hour (on 28.8 modem). So if anybody has the time or inclination to help me out here I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[TwoFace]

Depends on how fast you need your new system? Do you have to have it tomorrow or can you wait? If you can wait why don't you wait for DDR and see how it looks when the dust from the worst reviewing settles?

Just my opinion tho'

If you want it now... well I wouldn't buy RDRAM... but hey maybe a 815/E?

 

[RicePudding]

Depends on 2 things... do you want your system right away or do you wanna wait... you can buy a good cbo system now with an i815 board or something similar for a really good price or even a Duron but since youre not interested in that... its up to you but either way stay away from rdram for now cause its too expensive for what you get and there are too many incompatibility and stability issues right now...

 

[Blain]

First, go to a public library for your access. That's what I did for months, researching my components. Take a couple of floppies with you to save reviews and such, if you've got access to a PC at home or a friends house. No need to be connected to read those reviews.
In fact that's where I stumbled across AnandTech
For a base, I'd suggest a VIA 133A board. You get ATA/66, 1/2 AGP and performance on par, or slightly better than the BX (depending on what reviews you read).
In building another system to network with here at home, the VIA 133A is what I went with. My other system does have BX board in it. From the reviews that I've read, I went with the SOYO SY-6VCA. It's a slot 1 board. I went with slot 1 in order to use a sloket to get a little more voltage tweaking. The SOYO boards (133A) that I looked at have only a 10% "bumpage" on the core voltage adjustments.
I too am an "Intel'r". I figure that we live in an Intel world, why fight it.
If you want to get back in the PC game, just buy now. Technology will change fast enough anyway. You can always upgrade later. Don't be worried about being on the bleeding edge, you, me and everyone else won't be there. Because the "edge" never stands still. Just build a nice system that "rocks" with the current applications that you want to run.
Don't worry, be happy!

 

[koeizen]

I think Rambus has too many issues to make it a solid choice. High cost, high latency, extreme heat and high failure per chip probability. Everyone is against the company because of its high licensing fees and tyrant like behavior they actually claimed patents on SDRAM and tried to get the courts to grant them royalties. At least the industry is behind DDR and if PC133-CAS2 has lower latency by a large margin versus RAMBUS I can't wait to see the performacne out of PC266 DDR memory.

 

[Ulysses]

If you are going to get a top of the line system then I think you should wait, since Intel's new generation Willamette is on the horizon and there's talk of DDR systems from AMD by year end too.

You definitely don't want to get a system based on the Intel 820 chipset - there've been just too many problems!
Right now the new Athlon systems with the VIA KT133 chipset have a slight lead in performance over the Intel P3 Coppermines with, say, the new Intel 815E chipset - but the difference isn't that great, unless you're using professioral level engineering/OpenGL apps that are FPU intensive.

If you can wait until X-mas the Intel Willamette (Pentium 4) processors should be out, which should start at 1.4 GHz, will be expensive and require Rambus DRAM, but which will be the first new CPU core architecture from Intel in several years. Just wait for the reviews to be out and then make a choice. Rambus is not bad, it's just expensive over the counter (but not so expensive if you buy a complete system from an OEM).

Talk about systems from AMD and/or VIA by year end involving DDR DRAM, SMP and all the rest, leave we thinking 'don't hold your breathe.' Their track record is just not that good in these respects, and I would expect them to take too long to get this stuff on the market, let alone get it right. But I hope I'm wrong, and I'm glad for the competition.

For example, the Athlon, supposedly a seventh generation chip, performs at best only modestly better than a P3, an aging sixth generation CPU that's at the end of its useful life. And it took Intel only 2-3 months to regain the lead over the original Athlon with their P3 Coppermines, but it took AMD another 9 months to put the L2 cache on-chip (like Coppermine ) and just equal the Coppermine's performance with the new Athlon. The real reason to go with AMD is that its a cheaper route.

Overall, Intel has a much better track record with their chipsets and their microprocessors than VIA or AMD, not withstanding their problems with the 820.