Nforce2 vs ViaKT133

[johndwango]

I know this is a stupid comparison to make. But hear my dilemma :

I own an Athlon XP1700, 768 Megs of 133 SDRAM, Geforce 4 ti200.

As far as building a computer.. here are my options.

1. Buy a VIA KT133a Chipset Mobo for 35-40$.
2. Buy an Nforce2 Chipset w/ 1GB DDR RAM for 220$.


Now the big questions -
How much performance would I be sacrificing by going the cheaper route?
Are there any other options open to me?


Primary Use of the computer is going to be Gaming.

TIA

JD

 

[CraigRT]

You'd be lucky if you can even get the XP1700+ running on a KT133A system, and if you did, it would be slower than the 1700.. not enough to make you go "OH MY GOD THIS SUCKS" but IMO the money spent to get the NForce2 is worth it... mind you, if you already have SDRAM too that's another possible reason to stay with it.... BUT like i said, it may not even work (the XP CPU) in a KT133A board anyways... I'd really go the better route considering your main usage... if this computer was used just for surfing, and on a budget, SDR for sure.... but since you are gaming.. DDR for sure!!! NForce2 kicks ass!!

 

[johndwango]

yeah Im sure I can get it running on a KT133a. The AOpen AK73 Pro supports athlon XP Proc.
I already have 768MB 133Mhz SDRAM.

Decisions... Decisions.

Maybe I should go the cheaper route and buy a new computer when doom3/Halflife2 ships.

Is the performance going to be that dismal?

 

[pillage2001]

You'll still do alright with the kt133A chipset. My second pc is on that chipset with a gf2. I still can still play games at an acceptable rate.

 

[Mavrick007]

Why not go with an ECS K7S5A Pro board based on the Sis chipset?
It takes PC133 as well as DDR ram so when you feel ready to go with DDR you can take the PC133 out and put some DDR in.
Plus, it will work well with present day cpus cause it's a pretty new board.

 

[bjc112]

How about you keep your current setup,

Considering you are going to dish out $220, see if you can swing another 50 and grab another 1700+ and overclock the hell out of it... You could throw your 4200 in there and try and grab something small for your older computer...

You now would also have the option of 2 comps!

 

[johndwango]

Hmm good idea.. I gotta take a look at that..

 

[johndwango]

getting a new setup is not going to be worth it.. cos I will have to invest in new Case and power supply, not to mention new Hard drives.

 

[bjc112]

ouch, i did forget about that...

But if you can save the money up in a decent amount of time it shouldn't be hard... Scour the FS/FT forums.

For that secondary comp you could grab a 20gb hard drive and what not...

 

[randumb]

I would pick up a cheap ECS K7S5A Pro motherboard. Newegg has it for $48.95, but my local Fry's has it even cheaper. It will support your 1700+ and 2 sticks (up to 1GB) of your PC133 SDRAM. If you feel comfortable spending the $220, then I would get the nForce2 + 1GB of DDR.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

If you buy a KT133A, your 1700 and Ti4200 will commit a lover's suicide. They will refuse to let themselves be neutered in such a fashion.

The nForce2 and DDR is money well spent.

- M4H

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Mavrick007
Why not go with an ECS K7S5A Pro board based on the Sis chipset?
It takes PC133 as well as DDR ram so when you feel ready to go with DDR you can take the PC133 out and put some DDR in.
Plus, it will work well with present day cpus cause it's a pretty new board.

Best compromise IMO.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: sandorski

Originally posted by: Mavrick007
Why not go with an ECS K7S5A Pro board based on the Sis chipset?
It takes PC133 as well as DDR ram so when you feel ready to go with DDR you can take the PC133 out and put some DDR in.
Plus, it will work well with present day cpus cause it's a pretty new board.

Best compromise IMO.

I agree as well.

 

[Adul]

I went from a 1500+ on a kt133a to a Nforce 2 MB and there was a noticable increase in performance. My next purchase will be a 2400+ XP.

 

[Mem]

1. Buy a VIA KT133a Chipset Mobo for 35-40$.

I would probably do that,then the cash I save would go towards an Athlon 64 CPU//Board and ram down the road .

Mavrick007 suggestion was also good (ECS K7S5A Pro board ).

 

[DieHardware]

Another budget choice would be the Biostar M7VIW(KT266A chipset).

 

[jm0ris0n]

Right now I am on an Iwill KK266+ (kt133a) and this board will support all palamino AthlonXp's upto 1900+ (no .13micron athlons for some reason) . I currently have a ti4400, xp1700+@1.6ghz, 1GB ram (2*256, 1*512) and 5 pci slots are used. Heck I might even be thinking of upgrading soon...who knows.

A great SDR kt133a board that supports up to a 2600+ non-barton is the MSI K7t 2 turbo . Looks like a great board and is $50 on pricewatch.

 

[Chobits]

Originally posted by: Mem

1. Buy a VIA KT133a Chipset Mobo for 35-40$.

I would probably do that,then the cash I save would go towards an Athlon 64 CPU//Board and ram down the road .

Mavrick007 suggestion was also good (ECS K7S5A Pro board ).

I wouldn't just because new technology is always very expensive and considering this is an entirely new chip I wouldn't be suprised to see bugs/problems since it always happens to both Intel and AMD at the launch of a new product.

Get the Nforce2 and keep that 1700+ (And overclock it if you can) and come this fall/winter just toss in the fastest AthlonXP avalible until Athlon64 has all the tiny kinks worked out and the price falls a little.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Adul
I went from a 1500+ on a kt133a to a Nforce 2 MB and there was a noticable increase in performance. My next purchase will be a 2400+ XP.

The way the Barton 2500+ is overclocking now and the extra cache why take the 2400+

 

[Ketchup]

Originally posted by: johndwango
yeah Im sure I can get it running on a KT133a. The AOpen AK73 Pro supports athlon XP Proc.
I already have 768MB 133Mhz SDRAM.

Decisions... Decisions.

Maybe I should go the cheaper route and buy a new computer when doom3/Halflife2 ships.

Is the performance going to be that dismal?

Is your XP a Palomino or one of the new TBreds? It may not support your chip if it is a TBred. The KT133A is going to be a huge bottlekneck for your video card. Do you use 3DMark 2001? The difference will probably be around 1500 3DMarks.