Intel upgrade path, currently have 1.8a @ 2.7 on 845 board

[lookin4dlz]

First of all, I want to stick w/ Intel for its hyperthreading & multi-media capabilities.

With 1066MHz fsb chipsets, chipsets designed for the Prescott, Prescott maturity (probably less heat/better overclocking), PCI express, and DDRII all due out this fall I'd like to wait. However, I'd like a speed increase & really need hyperthreading...

The easiest course of action would be to drop in a new 3.06 chip for $200 or so and wait for this fall before a major system upgrade. I wouldn't have to reinstall any software or reconfigure hardware.

I could get an inexpensive motherboard w/ a 865 chipset and a 2.8 chip for $220, then add another 512MB of ram to go dual channel. I'd probably add a Raptor SATA drive as well since the motherboard would have that capability. For $500 I'd have a system that's probably faster than the first option and would hold me over 3-4 months until prices have fallen after the introduction of all of the new stuff mentioned above.

Or I could just wait...

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[o1die]

I'd go with a new 2.8c at $180, and a refurbished msi pt880 neolsr for $35 at newegg. You might have to order a backplate from msi, or they might send you one for free. Hardocp had good results overclocking prescotts with this board. I'm waiting for socket 939 or 755 before spending any more money. Intel just replaced my old 2.4b under warranty. It's been running 1.5 years, the longest I've ever gone without an upgrade.

 

[Vette73]

^


About to say the same thing.

Get a good, but cheap, PT880 and a 800Mhz FSB P4

 

[lookin4dlz]

Thanks for the input. I haven't heard much about this VIA chipset, the one review of this board was okay and for $35 at Newegg may be a good possibility.

 

[Jeff7181]

Based on everything I've read I'd stay away from Prescotts. Get a northwood that's a known good overclocker... get it to 3.4 or 3.6 Ghz and stick with that until the next Prescott revisions come out and see what they're like. At this point, current prescotts seem to have heat problems... if you have a water cooling setup it's probably nothing to worry about though.