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Need help! building new Athlon XP Comp

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Captsmrtas82

Member
Hey, I'm looking to build a new Athlon XP 1800 or 1900 comp. I'm still undecided on the mobo and video card (preferably best quality for midrange price). Also, how can I crank up the power once I get it? I was wondering if I could get some feedback. Thanks in advance.

Other components:
Athlon XP 1800+ or 1900+
256 DDR PC2100
Maxtor 40GB 7200

 
Um... you're asking three large questions (mobo/video/tweaking) all at once. Plus, they're all covered quite frequently in posts here. Why don't you read a little bit more, then make a more specific post saying what you've found and what you're thinking about? You'll get much more useful advice by doing then, than just by saying "help me." Reading the Tom's Hardware mobo roundup here would be a good place to start on the motherboard question.
 
The sis735 boards are cheap, fast, but some have stability issues. KT266A is probably the best chipset for mobos out right now. I'm sure it still has some conventional problems too though. Check out the motherboards section of the forums
 
Gee... thanks for your opinion.
I'm thinking Epox 8kha+
ATI or GEforce w/ S-Video OUT

Opinions that would actually help would be greatly appreciated
 
Dude, cleverhandle is right. This gets covered all the time. Do a search or research on your own. It's not that hard. We'd be happier to answer more specific questions rather than large vague ones.
Scoob
 


<< I'm still undecided on the mobo and video card (preferably best quality for midrange price). >>

To select a motherboard and video card a few things must be learned about the use of your computer. Do you do anything very disk intensive? Do you play games a lot? Do you plan on overclocking? Do you plan on tweaking? Do you do any kind of video editing? Answer these questions. It will give the forum members here an idea as to what you need.
 
Here You go:

Shuttle AK31A 4DIMM,6PCI- $80 (or you can go with the AK35 GTR, it has ATA133,RAID, and hardware sound for $130)

Cardexpert Geforce 3 TI200 Golden sample- $165 (this thing can be overclocked to TI500 Speeds!)
 
How much more specific? well how about, how much do you want to spend? are you going to overclock? Do you want the fastest beast possible? Do you want the best bang to buck ratio? Are you a hardcore gamer? Do you want onboard lan/sound? the questions are endless... We need at least a little more info to help you out.
Scoob
 
I started writing this when the post count was 4 - I'll just leave it rather than try to revise.

All right, now we're getting somewhere.

Mobo: A lot of people here use the EPOX mobo and like it a lot, a few have reported problems with using an Enermax PSU with it, but it's not clear exactly where those problems are coming from. Might be a good idea to get an Antec or Sparkly PSU just in case. The EPOX has a lot of good options for overclocking, if that's what you're interested in. No onboard stuff, but you probably know that already.

Video: You want S-Video to hook up to an HDTV, I guess? I don't know much on this topic, but ATI is generally recognized as having a good balance between DVD playback and gaming, while GF is more of a pure gaming card. If you need VIVO, there aren't that many cards to choose from. There's a post about the Radeon DDR about a page down - check that out. A lot of depends on how much you play games compared to playing DVD's or video editing, etc. This also has an effect on choosing the other components in your system.

Nobody's trying to be mean here. I'm not even saying that you won't get any specific responses from your post. But if the guy responding is a hardcore gamer and you're more of a DVD guy, his advice isn't going to help you much - and you might not even know it because you didn't discuss what your needs were in the first place.

Don't get snippetty - we're trying to help you.
 


<< read the top and other answers to your questions!! I just want what you think would be the best for mid-price range >>



Their point is that there is no answer to this question. The "Big Computer" corporations want you to believe that there is - that way they can give you fewer options with less support and still get their money. If you want to make the most out of your money, you need to think about your needs and do some legwork.

Edit: typo
 
Motherboard Options:

1. Iwill XP333-R (ALi Magik Rev. C chipset)
2. MSI NForce K7N420 (Nvidia nForce chipset)
3. Tyan Tiger MP (AMD 760MP chipset)
4. ECS K7S5A (SiS 735 chipset)
5. Shuttle AK31A (VIA KT266A chipset)

All these motherboards offer the same performance (within a couple percentage points of each other).

If stability is mission critical for you, I'd get the Tiger MP.

If price is your biggest issue, I'd get the K7S5A.

If you want to overclock, I'd get the XP333-R.

If you want a feature rich and stable board, I'd get the K7N420.

If you want the absolute fastest board with 4 DIMM slots, I'd get the AK31A.

As for a video card with TV-out, I'd get the Gainward GeForce 3 Ti200 (NVIDIA) Power Pack for $169 shipped @ Newegg. This sucker will overclock like a mofo and is a great value card for extreme gaming.

Good luck. 🙂

EDIT: If the link doesn't work, just go here and type in "Ti200" into the search engine, which is located in the upper right hand corner of the web page.
 
Get off your stool and be f**king polite. People try to help you so dont' get all cranky b/c we can't seem to "answer" your question. If you've researched for a month, then give us some suggestions of what you think you want and we'll let you know. The epox is probably a good mobo, known for their 8k7a, and the via chipset is pretty fast. The ECS board is the one I use, fast, simple, cheap, and very stable. The Nforce mobo is an all in one package w/ the sound and video (5.1 surround I believe and gf2mx)
 
I read it all the time. You came around here asking for help, I gave you my advice, and you say it's not good enough for you? DAmn princess you're so hard to please.
 
Listen here, Qaran boy, you need to understand, this is not your gay chatroom!! This area is for people who know what there talking about. Now I would appreciate it if you would use your inside voice.
 
I know exactly what i'm talking about. Qaran Boy? What the hell? Just one question...what exactly was wrong w/ my advice that I gave to you about mobos? Not specific enough? Did you already know that? Just tell me
 
YO CaptainSmartas(appropriate name btw) stop being rude! You come in and ask for help and we are trying you're just not helping us answer your question and in turn irritating us with your stupid comments. Go to amdmb.com and read the forums there and here, learn and buy. Don't ask anymore silly questions.
Scoob
 
Sorry Dooby, I wasn't talking to you, but since you bring it up I don't remember you putting in any input. So why are you acting like an expert?
 
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