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NForce2 worth it?

M

Matt2

Diamond Member
Is it worth it to pick up an NForce2 board and upgrade my P3 system to an Athlon platform to take with me to college?

I was thinking of an NForce2 board with an XP 2000+ or so with 512mb PC3200 RAM.

Should I go aheead and get a setup like that or should I wait for NForce3 or go for an entirely different setup?
 
At the moment, the NF2 is the best performing AMD platform.

You can't really go wrong with a nf2 board, and an XP 1700/2100+ based on the Thoroughbred B core, as they overclock REALLY well, and be cheap to boot. Get a couple of sticks of PC3200 256MB (or a pair of 512MBs! 😉) and you'll be laughing!!

Of course, this is saying you're buying now. If not, then come back and ask when you are buying, and we can tell you the best platform!


Confused
 
The nForce3(?)/Athlon64 platform will not be nearly as affordable as an nForce2/AXP Tbred or Barton platform for a long time. The timeline AMD showed at the Tech Tour 2003 show put the Athlon64 in the affordable (mid)range sometime in the middle of next year. So if you are on any kind of budget and need a system for school this year you really needn't look further than nForce2/AXP.
 
Epox8RDA+ nforce 2, board put on a good AMD Athlon 1700+ T-bred rev b, and you'll be able to oc it above 2.2GHz! Cheap power 🙂
 
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or sh0ould I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or should I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get a Tbred B core - they're supposed to be the best OC'ing Athlon XP's out right now.
 
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or should I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get a Tbred B core - they're supposed to be the best OC'ing Athlon XP's out right now.
Click to expand...

I know, I am at newegg right now and they dont sell T-Bred rev b CPUs until 2100+ 🙁

I really like newegg, I hope I dont have to go somewhere else
 
I just got an A7N8X Deluxe Rev.2 with a 2500+ Barton and 2 256mb
TwinX 3200 memory sticks and I'm loving it. The 9600 Pro is nice too.
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or should I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get a Tbred B core - they're supposed to be the best OC'ing Athlon XP's out right now.
Click to expand...

I know, I am at newegg right now and they dont sell T-Bred rev b CPUs until 2100+ 🙁

I really like newegg, I hope I dont have to go somewhere else
Click to expand...

look for 1700+, they will prolly OC better than the 2100+ anyway
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
Originally posted by: Jeff7
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or should I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

Make sure you get a Tbred B core - they're supposed to be the best OC'ing Athlon XP's out right now.
Click to expand...

I know, I am at newegg right now and they dont sell T-Bred rev b CPUs until 2100+ 🙁

I really like newegg, I hope I dont have to go somewhere else
Click to expand...


You might also want to consider a 2500+ barton since they oc pretty well and they are pretty cheap <100$.
 
Alright, lets narrow this down a little.

So how do the XP 2100+ T-bred rev b CPUs overclock cause that is what I am leaning towards right now, only because I KNOW I can get one from Newegg.

Best video card?

I was looking at the 9500 Pro, but it is still expensive. I can get a Sapphire OEM version of the 9500 Pro for $139, so whats the real difference between retail and Sapphire? Crippled cores? reduced clock speeds?

What about the GeForce FX 5600 256mb? I can get one of these for $168 or the 128mb version for $150. I know the history of this card, but it's comparable to the 9600 Pro in speed and is cheaper.
 
Sapphire is a good ATi card manufacturer. I think Dells use them as well, and they just plain work. An OEM is a product without retail packaging to save some $. They may cut out unneeded stuff and give you just the card, a driver cd, and maybe a s-vid cable or something.
 
Originally posted by: Ionizer86
Sapphire is a good ATi card manufacturer. I think Dells use them as well, and they just plain work. An OEM is a product without retail packaging to save some $. They may cut out unneeded stuff and give you just the card, a driver cd, and maybe a s-vid cable or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah I got that part, but I seem to remember back when the first Radeon OEM cards had crippled clock speeds i.e. Radeon LE. Iw as just wondering if the same goes for todays OEM Radeon cards.

 
I would go with 5600 for school...it will both keep your room warm in winter and keep you from distracting noise outside your room
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
Originally posted by: Ionizer86
Sapphire is a good ATi card manufacturer. I think Dells use them as well, and they just plain work. An OEM is a product without retail packaging to save some $. They may cut out unneeded stuff and give you just the card, a driver cd, and maybe a s-vid cable or something.
Click to expand...

Yeah I got that part, but I seem to remember back when the first Radeon OEM cards had crippled clock speeds i.e. Radeon LE. Iw as just wondering if the same goes for todays OEM Radeon cards.
Click to expand...

Slight objection to Sapphire myself, a friend brouht a Sapphire 9700 non-pro to see the fan unit drop dead days afterwards :S
 
If you can afford it, get Abit IS7 ($99) with Intel P4 2.6C OEM ($215), heck of an overclock combo! (3.3ghz average overclock😀!)
 
I don't see how the 1700+ ocs better than a 2100+. When yo uorder a 1700+ it isn't guranteed you will be getting the best Oc'er out there. With a 2100+ you are guranteed 2.1Ghz alteast.... My 1700+ won't push 1750 Mhz (Then again i got lucky and hit a TbredA)

I would go with the 2500+ Barton. since i don't think newegg carries anything earlier than week 0314 anymore should should hit around 2.1-2.3 ghz depending how lucky you are...and you get the extra cache 🙂
 
I don't see how the 1700+ ocs better than a 2100+. When yo uorder a 1700+ it isn't guranteed you will be getting the best Oc'er out there. With a 2100+ you are guranteed 2.1Ghz alteast....
Click to expand...

When you buy a 2100+, you are guaranteed nothing except 1.73GHz. OCing is about good hardware and lots of luck (IMO). So one 1700+ might OC better than a lot of 2100+ CPUs. Of course, it may not. You are never guaranteed anything other than stock speeds, and to say otherwise may lead people to great disappointment. I, personally, don't OC. I don't want to have to work for my stability, and I need stability over speed. I buy a CPU when I need it (just recently bought a 2800+ Barton. It's plenty fast without OC). But, anyhow... People have had a lot of luck with certain steppings of both 1700+ and 2100+ CPUs. I think you won't go wrong with a 2100+. Just my .02.

Oh yeah, and go nForce2. It's great! 😉

\Dan
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or sh0ould I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

crucial i heard isnt the best for overclockin, i got XMS and it works great, hyperx should give u a similar experience though.
 
Originally posted by: wetcat007
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or sh0ould I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

crucial i heard isnt the best for overclockin, i got XMS and it works great, hyperx should give u a similar experience though.
Click to expand...

But if it's PC3200 is it not guaranteed to run at DDR400 ???
 
Originally posted by: Matt2
Originally posted by: wetcat007
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or sh0ould I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

crucial i heard isnt the best for overclockin, i got XMS and it works great, hyperx should give u a similar experience though.
Click to expand...

But if it's PC3200 is it not guaranteed to run at DDR400 ???
Click to expand...

Well, yeah with a chip that's built to run at that, but having faster memory timings will help your overclock.
 
Originally posted by: magomago
I don't see how the 1700+ ocs better than a 2100+. When yo uorder a 1700+ it isn't guranteed you will be getting the best Oc'er out there. With a 2100+ you are guranteed 2.1Ghz alteast.... My 1700+ won't push 1750 Mhz (Then again i got lucky and hit a TbredA)

I would go with the 2500+ Barton. since i don't think newegg carries anything earlier than week 0314 anymore should should hit around 2.1-2.3 ghz depending how lucky you are...and you get the extra cache 🙂
Click to expand...

Tbred A was a horrible overclocker, B is the good version, because it's used on the 2700/2800 chips 🙂
 
Originally posted by: wetcat007
Originally posted by: Matt2
Originally posted by: wetcat007
Originally posted by: Matt2
alright, I think I am gonna do it.

What's the best bang for the buck Athlon XP right now, 2100+? I want a good overclock out of it. Best cooling solution? What about quality RAM? Is there a big difference between Corsair XMS and HyperX or sh0ould I just get a couple sticks of PC3200 from someone like Crucial?
Click to expand...

crucial i heard isnt the best for overclockin, i got XMS and it works great, hyperx should give u a similar experience though.
Click to expand...

But if it's PC3200 is it not guaranteed to run at DDR400 ???
Click to expand...

Well, yeah with a chip that's built to run at that, but having faster memory timings will help your overclock.
Click to expand...



Actually there was a really good write up testing memory timings.


The results...

Memory timings, for the most part, don't mean jack.

I'd search for the article, but I'm way too tired. Hit that search button up there and see if you can find it, it was a really good read.
 
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