Need recomendation: AMD 64 MB / CPU combo

PCG

Junior Member
Aug 25, 2004
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Years ago, I had a very bad experience with an Am486 100 (that tells you how long I have been working with computers!). Since then I have pretty much stuck to Intel gear.

Anyway, it is time for me to build a new computer. In recent years I have stuck with Intel gear just because I knew that for the most part I could count on it being stable. A friend of mine has been an AMD guy for years and I think he has just about sold me on giving AMD another chance.

As such, I am looking for opinions on motherboard / CPU combos. In a nutshell, the computer will be a heavily used home computer used for extensive digital photo editing, light video editing, and a decent bit of gaming. Stability is very important to me - I have been working on computers for years and just don't have the patience to deal with bad hardware anymore. However, I also like POWER! I only build a new computer every year and a half so a computer that will be adequate throughout that duration is important as well. I don't expect to overclock or even have a desire to try.

Now, having said that, I am looking at going with an AMD 64 CPU and accompanying motherboard with a budget of less than $500.00 combined for those two components. Right now I am thinking the Athlon 64 3400+ for the CPU.

For the motherboard, I am open but from what I read, for stability, the nVidia chipsets are the way to go. I am intrigued by the EPoX EP-8KDA3+ with the nForce3 250Gb Chipset but would certainly consider any.

Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome!

Tony
 

o1die

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
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You want stability, start with a decent power supply. Don't go by the wattage ratings. I use a sparkle 300w with 12cm side fan ($28 at newegg). It's heavy (with good components) and helps cool the cpu with the side fan. It's virtually silent. I also recommend the 3200 over the 3400. With the money you save, you can use it towards more memory or a better video setup. The 3200 should overclock at least 10% to match the 3400 speed. Other good ps are made by antec, enermax, coolmax, fortron, seasonic, and pc power and cooling.