Intel translator please

[Acts837]

Been out of the Intel game for awhile. Playing with the AMD stuff. Decided to...don't laugh...buy a 1.7GHz Celery for a budget (and I mean budget) system. Newegg has a refurbished ECS P4VXASD2+ for $25 but I have been leaning towards an Asus board. Question is what are the differences between all the chipsets?

P4S533-MX SiS651 $70.99

P4XP-X Intel 82845 $69.99

P4S533-X SiS645DX $66.99

P4BGL-MX Intel 845GL $64.99

 

[mechBgon]

First of all, note that i845GL has no AGP port on the motherboard, so make sure you're happy with having just the onboard video forever. Regular i845 doesn't support PC2700/DDR333 memory. I believe the key differences between the two SiS chipsets is an improved (heh) 3D engine and Hyperthreading support in the 651.

An Asus A7N266-VM with an OEM AthlonXP 1700+ would set you back just over $110 shipped, assuming you have a suitable SocketA heatsink lying around. It would offer better performance and features than any of the solutions you proposed. In CPU-intensive stuff, obviously the AthlonXP has a significant edge. In a gaming situation, the combination of the better CPU and the better onboard video will mop the floor with a Celeron on any of the Intel-compatible onboard video solutions.

The A7N266-VM also comes with superb onboard audio including two types of S/PDIF-outs for Dolby 5.1 AC-3-encoded digtal output, onboard NIC, an AGP slot and a three-year warranty. They're highly reliable, and I would know since I have 24 at work and two at home. As with any modern system, it would be smart to get reasonably good RAM and power supply (I use Crucial and Antec).

To put it into perspective, I can play UT2003 Demo at 800 x 600 on an AthlonXP 1600+/A7N266-VM system using the onboard video. If you're just going to type in Word and browse the Internet, then any of your proposed boards should handle it.

 

[Acts837]

Thanks mech. My alternative solution is the Asus/1700 combo you mentioned. My main rig is an Epox 8RDA+ with a 1700+. One of my "sandboxes" a CUSL2-C gave up the ghost a few days ago so I need a replacement toy and socket 370 boards are almost extinct. The 815 chipset on the CUSL2-C was great because I could load Solaris, various Linux distros, and any M$ OS without worrying about 4-in-1 drivers, AGP drivers, and such. I may end up getting another nForce setup (read A7N266-VM) but past experience has shown that Intel chipsets give me greater flexibility. Ive been burnt by Via and SiS before.