Im in abit of a Predicament....

[F1]

hmmm what to do.... Ive got to build 2 machines. A gaming machine for myself which i would like to try and OC. Im a little more flexible in the amount of time i can wait for this one.. someone hold me back 🙂. The 2nd one is for my brother\parents. They would like this one within the next couple weeks perferably. OC'ing really isnt on there list but games are.

I guess ive got to decide which way to go then finalize on models. Im gunna go Intel for the CPU and likely an Abit mobo unless otherwize convinced.

A month ago i would have been convinced with going for :
P4 2.4B with an i845 mobo (most likely Abit BH7).

But now ive fortunately or maybe unfortunately got more decisions to make 🙂. Instead of the above, Should i go for:
P4 2.4B with Counterwood or P4B with Springdale,
OR wait for
P4 2.4C with Counterwood or P4B with Springdale

Any recommendations. Im looking for performance for my dollar for my new gaming machine keeping in mind the idea of OC'ing is alluring.
While the 2nd machine i'll be getting for my brother\parents needs to be purchased sooner rather than later with no OC interest. They can be totally different machine configs.

 

[smahoney]

I would say go with the BH-7 based for brother\parents - inexpensive and stable - performance is close to the Canterwood boards - see any of the 875P revies on the site and you can see how close the BH-7 is to the 875P.

Since you can wait - I would look at just how much you can spend on your CPU. The 800MHz chips seem to be going as high as 3.6 for OC' fairly easily but that means a change in the memory rates.

 

[Megatomic]

What kind of money are you talking? For the computer that needs to be set up in the next few weeks I'd go with an excellent i845PE board like the Abit IT7 Max2 ver. 2 and a P4-2.53B and 512MB of PC2700 (any will do on that motherboard since overclocking is not a concern). Couple that with Radeon 9500 Pro or better and you will have a smoking gaming computer with no overclocking required.

For your rig I'd hold out a bit longer and hook up with the Abit IC7-G or Epox 4PCA3+. Both of those boards should be excellent overclockers. I say wait a bit for one though as the i875 motherboards are rolling out with minor glitches that are being corrected ASAP by the manufacturers. Couple a P4-2.4C and a Radeon 9700 Pro (or even a 9800 Pro if you can afford one) and you will have the hottest gaming/overclocking rig in town. 🙂

Of course I could make some AMD suggestions as well but you seem interested in Intel only so that's the best I can do.

 

[F1]

Guess im looking to pick up the major parts of a my new system for under $600 US. The Abit IC7 is looking ok at the moment. I now see theres a abit IS7, is that the springdale version? Have you heard anything about this board as it is cheaper than the IC7?

On a completely difference point. Can anyone tell me whats the difference in DDR400 PC3200 if it has XMS or CL2 verses not having either? Because there seems to be quite a difference in price within the same brand if is has XMS or CL2.

thanks