Need some help with upgrades please!

[Jigglelicious]

Currently, i'm pretty sure i'm going to be getting an AthlonXP Mobile 2400+ /w a Shuttle AN35N-Ultra board. If i can get it to 2.4GHz, i'd be very happy. I have a few questions though:

1.) How good quality RAM do I need to achieve the 200mhz FSB? Will any old PC3200 do? The cheapest RAM I can find outside of the FS/T forum is the Kingston ValueRAM. Will this do? I plan on getting a gig. I really don't want to spend over $150.

2.) On a side note, why is RAM so damned expensive?! Back in 2001 I purchased 512mb of CL2 Crucial for $45. Today that same RAM is over double the price! Its been almost 3 years - I thought tech prices were supposed to go down over time, not up!

3.) My current HS/F is a Thermalright SK-6. It was expensive back in the day, and i'd like to reuse it. Would it still do the job, especially with the overclock? I checked out the newer versions like the SLK-800, and they look exactly the same. I'm considering adding a 80mm to 60mm adapter for quieter operation. Would this be sufficient?

4.) Also, whats a nice quiet 80mm fan to stick on top of the processor? Nothing that will break the bank.

5.) Oh yeah, as I understand it, the Shuttle AN35N can support dual channel RAM. Do I need any special kind of ram for this to work? Will the Kingston value ram work fine? Should I even bother with dual channel? As i understand it, its only like 3% increase in speed, at best.

Oh yeah, don't let my 2 posts fool you. I just changed accounts, but i've been reading/posting on these f orums since 1998

 

[Cerb]

1. Yes. Nicer RAM is good for tight timings, but PC3200 is 200MHz.
2. Because that is the way of the world. I don't know. It's RAM. RAM never has just gone down like the other stuff.
3. It might do the job, I don't know. However, you didn't do a good job looking. the SK-6 and newer Thermalright HSs are different animals. I don't know how well it will do. If you want quiet, though, you're better off ditching the SK-6. If you want to be on the cheap side, somehting like this should do nicely. If you want 2.4GHz, chances are the SK-6 won't cut it, unless you're pretty lucky, and even then, a good cooler would be better. You'd be hard-pressed to not need overvolting to get it as high as 2.4GHz.
4. If you go with a SLK-800A or better, or get a used PAL8045, AX-7, SK-7, etc., a Panaflo L (quiet) or M (kinda sorta quiet).

 

[Jigglelicious]

Is there really that much of a difference between the SK-6 and the newer models? They are both made of copper, and other than the newer ones supporting larger 80mm fans, they seem to have the identical shape and construction.

Also, I'm currently using an Ethermax Whisper 350W power supply. I assume this will supply enough juice for a good OC? I only plan to have 1 HD, 1 optical, and a 9800Pro running along with the AthlonXP.

 

[John P]

If you are not going to use your old system just buy a motherboard that you can set the RAM speed independent of the processor FSB speed and use your old RAM.

Use the money to buy a better video card (wait for the new cards to come out?)or processor/mb combo - will be better bang for the buck for gaming. I don't know much about the Athlon MP you are looking at but if you are going to upgrade you may as well do it right and go with a Athlon 64.

 

[Cerb]

The construction is a bit different, and a few things as important are different.
Look at the dimensions, surface area and mass.
check it

 

[Jigglelicious]

Originally posted by: John P.
If you are not going to use your old system just buy a motherboard that you can set the RAM speed independent of the processor FSB speed and use your old RAM.

Use the money to buy a better video card (wait for the new cards to come out?)or processor/mb combo - will be better bang for the buck for gaming. I don't know much about the Athlon MP you are looking at but if you are going to upgrade you may as well do it right and go with a Athlon 64.

Believe me, i'd love to go with an Athlon 64. But the most I can afford is the 2800+, and as I understand it, an AthlonXP @ 2.4GHz should be just as fast if not faster than the 2800+, not to mention being a ton cheaper. Besides, there is nothing out there to take advantage of the processor, so I might just wait 2 years until things become optimized. I'm trying to go for the best bang for the buck.

Oh yeah, i'll also be getting a Radeon 9800Pro when the prices drop to about $175 or so.

 

[Jigglelicious]

*bump*

Oh yeah, Can the Kingston Value ram support the dual channel mode of the Shuttle AN35N Ultra?

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: Jigglelicious
*bump*

Oh yeah, Can the Kingston Value ram support the dual channel mode of the Shuttle AN35N Ultra?

Yes, should be fine, but don't be suprised if you have to loosen the timings a bit.

 

[Connoisseur]

If you're overclocking to just 200fsb, then you'll have absolutely no problem using just about any old ram chips that are PC3200 rated. As others stated before, the only difference is the timings. In all honesty, I'd be very surprised if you noticed a real difference between CL3 timings and CL2. I'd base the memory choice on who's got a reliable name. In either case, don't buy generic memory. Kingston's ValueRAM series is actually of decent quality and you can't really go wrong with those. If you really want the tighter timings... go with Mushkin Black or OCZ Platinum memory... but they'll def. cost a decent bit more than the Kingston's.

 

[Jigglelicious]

Is dual channel mode something that can be turned on/off in the BIOS, if for some reason I can't get the timings to how I want them? Will slower timings really impact the speed of the computer in a noticeable fashion?
You'll have to excuse me for my ignorance, but the last time I had to do anything with RAM timings, all i remembered was that 3-3-3 was slow, and 2-2-2 was fast

 

[Cerb]

The differences are relatively small. The benefit is alo pretty small. You cannot turn it on or off in the BIOS, it is a physical thing. The slot(s) for the second channel have different traces going to the memory controller.
Yes, 2-2-2-x is fast, 3-3-3-x is slow(er). However, you could also be lucky and get RAM timed slow that can work faster. Just play around a bit.