Need advice on selection of MB and Cpu

[jyates]

Hi all,

I've been asked to build up a couple of systems for a friend who runs
office type applications and some internet browsing and I want
to pick out a motherboard that will allow some cpu upgrade room in the future.

I've not kept up with the newest and greatest lately and am wondering
what will fill the bill.

I'm thinking something in the 3ghz to 3.2ghz range and I really do like the
stock all in one (onboard video,audio,lan) type boards that Intel makes. I am
guessing that socket 478 is a thing of the past and am wondering what is
becoming the standard for the Pentium 4 now a days.

We really don't want to go SATA so IDE is the hard drive interface we will be using.

Could someone give a guy that's out of touch with the newer technology some advice?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Could someone give a guy that's out of touch with the newer technology some advice?

Sure.

I don't want to start a flame war, but I think it's best for your friend to go Athlon64 as opposed to Pentium 4. Why?
-Cheaper
-Cooler - The latest P4's run quite a bit hot. With Athlon64's you won't have an overheating problem that many P4 owners (including myself) have.
-Cost Effective - Much bigger bang for the buck. Also, Athlon64s consume less power so your energy bill will be much more friendly.
#In addition, P4's require DDR2 memory as opposed to DDR (many of the boards require this), and DDR2 (which is not that much faster than DDR) is more expensive


That said, it seems as though your friend isn't a gamer, correct? (He's seeking an integrated card solution), and he probably won't be doing much overclocking (I'm just assuming this). If you give us more info, perhaps we can help you a bit more.

If your friend is a non gamer, does not want to overclock, and does mainly office type applications:
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130485
MSI RS480M2-IL - A mature platform from ATI that comes with integrated graphics.
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103537
Athlon64 3000+ Venice Core - Amazingly fast CPU that'll suit your friend's needs.

 

[jyates]

Thanks for the info.....I'll take a look at your suggested items.

Jim

 

[RobbyG]

You should check out AT's latest article on entry level systems here for some good advice and information.

 

[SilverTrine]

If you want expandability the only board that really offers it right now is AMD's socket 939 boards.
Socket 939 will be used by AMD for years while current Intel boards wont support their dual core chips that will be the focus of their product line soon.
Really the best fit for you right now is an ATi socket 939 board with onboard video/sound/lan. Not a great overclocker by any means, but a good basic 939 board at a good price.