need some advice with the new athlon 64 line

[kcbass]

My old athlon xp system is starting to die, cna I need some advice witht he new 64 bit line. For example, which 64 is it best to go with? the standard 64's, the FX's, or the FX 939's? What's the difference other than the L2 cache? I'm concerned with this because it determines which motherboard categories I would look in. With the athlon xp's, you just had to match FSB's, but now there's a lot more to worry about. I'm looking for a well rounded mobo at a fair price since i don't have too much to pump into a system right now, and I'm tired of waiting around for PCI express to catch on, so i'm just looking for the regular 1xagp, 5 or 6x pci slots... I would estimate that with the cpu, mobo, memory (hopefully 1 gig), and heatsink I'm looking for 500 or less. I know that limits me as far as which class of CPU, but if there's a signifigant difference in the 64 and the 64 fx or fx 939, i could probably scrape up the cash for it.

Any advice would be appreciated. 

 

[SrGuapo]

Do you plan on upgading your PC for the next few years, or is it going to be a one tine build and you will replace it? If you plan on upgrading, you probably want to get either a 3000+ or a 3200+ winchester. They are socket 939, support dual channel memory, and are great Ocers.

If you aren't planning on upgrading the CPU anytime soon, just go with socket 754 (2800+, 3000+, or 3200+). They are a bit cheaper than the 939 and are also pretty good OCers. Thye don't support dual channel memory, but this isn't that big a deal.

The FX processors are definately the cream of the crop, but they are pretty expensive ($900). If you had an endless suppply of money (or a good grant/work budget), they are a good choice.

 

[kcbass]

My computers are constantly being upgraded, so I probably will be going with the 939's after reading a few things about them. What is the difference between the 939's and the 90nm 939's? I can't find anything about this except on pricewatch, and they don't explain it.

Also, any advice on a rock-solid stable mobo for the 939 64 would be appreciated. The boards I buy somehow always end up being quirky even though I buy from trusted manufacturers (gigabyte, asus, msi, etc). Right now I'm pretty desperate and just want a computer that won'd restart without permission. 

 

[kcbass]

bump

 

[Tyrant222]

90nm is the fab process of the new winchesters. they work on the 939 socket.

you will find no other board that matches the popularity of the MSI K8N Neo2 platinum for sockey 939.

the new epox board I hear is good as well.

Also, you cant go wrong with a 3000+, 3200+, or 3500+, heck cant go wrong with any a64!

 

[kcbass]

and those all run on 400nhz memory, correct? or does the memory speed depend on the board?

 

[kcbass]

bump

 

[imported_NoGodForMe]

A chart like this puts everything into perspective.

http://www.c627627.com/AMD/Athlon64/

MSI Neo Platinum2 is a popular board right now. I have the Asus A8V Deluxe and there's also the Abit AV8. MB will go for about $139. 1 gig of ram will go for about $250 for the good stuff. That leaves you $100 for the chip, you need more. Set $700 as your goal, then you can buy a good chip.

 

[kcbass]

Awesome. Thanks for that link. I can do 512 ram if i have to, but i think a gig would be optimal.

 

[kcbass]

so if all the athlon 64's run 400mhz memory, what's all the high end memory that pricewatch sells for?

 

[SrGuapo]

Just buy the value RAM. A pair of 512 sticks will run you around $140. The expensive memory is good if you need a 1:1 ratio on a big overclock, but for everyone elkse, the value stuff works fine. You can run it with a divider and there won't be any huge performance drop.

Also, the higher rated RAM (PC4400 etc.) is just PC3200 that is rated to be able to run at higher speeds. Normal PC3200 should be fine for you, unless you have a wad of money burning a hole in your pocket.

 

[kcbass]

What type of heatsink would you recommend for a 3500? 

 

[Zap Brannigan]

A good place for heatsinks/fans

 

[kcbass]

also, between these 4 boards, which would be best:

abit av8

MSI k8n neo 2 platinum

asus 8av deluxe

epox ep-9nda3+

They all have pretty nice features, but some of them seem to have too many....I mean, how long will it be before you can actually use the full capability of dual gigabit lan? 

 

[kcbass]

would you recommend the zalman quiet cooler (Cu), or the thermaltake heatpipe line? 

 

[SrGuapo]

Originally posted by: kcbass
also, between these 4 boards, which would be best:

abit av8

MSI k8n neo 2 platinum

asus 8av deluxe

epox ep-9nda3+

They all have pretty nice features, but some of them seem to have too many....I mean, how long will it be before you can actually use the full capability of dual gigabit lan?

What are you going to be doing? Do you plan on overclocking? how much? Do you need firewire?

 

[kcbass]

no overclocking, i have firewire on my sound and vid cards already, so that's not a major concern (expecially since i don't own a firewire device). I do plan to use SATA more and more. I only have one drive right now, but as I replace my old hdd's with larger capacities, i'm going to move to all SATA. 

 

[kcbass]

bump 

 

[mi1stormilst]

When you say your XP system is dying...are you having problems with it? What kind of stuff do you do with your computer? I have been thinking about upgrading too but there are a couple of problems:

1.) No SLI option for ATI yet
2.) 939 MOBOS with SLI just came out recently...I would let them mature
3.) Prices are still to high considering the performance benefits (IMHO)

I have a XP 2500 Mobile running at 2400MHZ with a GB of RAM...I am very happy. HL2 plays great, editing video is fine, I just dont see the big hurry.

However if I had to do something soon for the next 3-6 months I would go with this set up:


-ASUS A8V Deluxe $138.00 or the SOLTEK SL-K8TPro-939 $116.00 or the ABIT AV8 $111.00 in that order
-AMD Athlon 64 3500+ $271.00 Comes with retail HSF

TOTAL $409.00

You already have some decent memory PC2700 (run it ASYNC till you got more $$$), AGP video card and PSU your good to go. You may want to spend a little less on the CPU and get yourself a better video card if you GAME? I would not spend less then $150.00 on some decent RAM (GB)

 

[kcbass]

that sounds about right....concerning my xp system, see my other posts. I beleive it's the vid card that causing my problems, but in my experience gigabyte boards have a limited life, and it may be the part that's going bad. I'm gonna rma the vid card, but i don't have a replacement in the meantime and if that doesn't work, then i'm gonna upgrade. Personally, I don't see the need at all for SLI, so i'm not concerned about it. I do a lot of video stuff, and some gaming, but not much. I want to build a system that can constantly be upgraded with as few major changes as possible, which is why a want a mobo that will keep me content for a long time. I was probably just gonna buy an OEM cpu (athlon 64 3500 for 251 plus whatever it costs for 3 year warranty at pricewatch), but if the retail's a better deal, then i might go that direction. As soon as they release it, i'm goin after the AIW x800 xt, and i'm probably looking at one of the ultra 500 watt power supplies with the cable management eventually also. But for right now, desperately short on money, and i just want my computer to work.