Noob needing advice

[2Xtreme21]

Alright guys. First off, hello. Now that we got that outta the way, let me start by giving you a little background of my current situation.

I currently have an extremely crappy computer running an extremely good video card (as my friends say "running a corvette with golf cart wheels"). My current specs are:

- 2.0 GHz Celeron
- Soyo P4IS2 Motherboard
- 384 MB PC133 SDRAM
- ATI Radeon 9800 XT

Yes, yes... I know. "Why spend all that money for an XT and leave a crappy computer?" Because I'm a dumbass. With that said, I'm going for an upgrade. Now I'm on a very tight budget and I do not wish to spend over $200 for a mobo / processor / RAM upgrade. Upon doing a lot of research on various sites, I've found this to be the best as it stands:

Soyo KT600 Dragon Plus Socket A Motherboard with Athlon XP 2500+ Processor
Centon 512MB PC3200
Tr2tt (Designed by Thermaltake) Tr2M1 CPU Cooler for Socket A/ 370

Now, I've actually never built an AMD machine. I've "assembled" (read: "bought a barebone machine from Tiger Direct") my current Celeron but never actually built one. I'm planning on using the case I have now with my power supply and stock fan and planning on NOT over-clocking (unless one of you can convince me otherwise).

A few other notes: I have a 120 GB HDD and 2 CD drives, floppy, etc. So basically all I need is just a mobo / proc / ram.

Without jacking up my price too terribly much, tell me if this will suit my needs as a gamer for, at least, a little while. And, perhaps, give the noob a few pointers as to how he would go about building it?

 

[nick1985]

www.newegg.com

ALthough im not a fan of that mobo/chipset, that is a great deal bundled.

Heatsink- I Swear by this HSF. CHEAP AND AWESOME-$8

RAM-Mushkin basic green-Great brand, great price. -$83

 

[2Xtreme21]

What's the benefits of the Mobile as opposed to the 2500+ Barton? Plus I get my mobo / CPU for $99.99 as opposed to $132. I definitely like the HSF, though... thanks for that.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
What's the benefits of the Mobile as opposed to the 2500+ Barton? Plus I get my mobo / CPU for $99.99 as opposed to $132. I definitely like the HSF, though... thanks for that.

sorry i edited my post i didnt see how great of a deal you were getting on that mobo/cpu combo. the mobiles run at a default voltage much lower than the regular athlons which allow for insane overclocks. i got my buddies 2400 mobile to 2.45Ghz. you SHOULD be able to get that 2500 to 3200 speeds on your mobo with PC-3200 RAM, so i dont think you should go for the nforce2/mobile athlon because of the 30+ price differance.

so if you are interested in going for the Nforce2 and the Mobile Barton, lemme know and ill help you pick out those products.

and maybe its just me, but i dont like the looks of that ram you have picked out. i would opt for the mushkin, its very quality stuff. also, you will be waiting until the next ice age for those mail in rebates.

 

[2Xtreme21]

Nick, I appreciate your comments, but I'm just wondering about the RAM. What's the big deal? :\

 

[Zepper]

I would probably choose the Abit KV7, one of the MSI KT600 or Soltek boards over the Soyo. And I tend to stay away from Tiger Direct unless I'm desperate and they are the only ones that have what I need. The KT600 boards I suggested all have the P4 connector to power the CPU which will allow you to run a lower power PSU than what the Soyo will require.
.bh.

 

[Bovinicus]

I think this system should definitely be suitable. However, you will probably be able to upgrade your CPU once more before you fully unleash the potential of that video card.

I would suggest going with the Shuttle AN35N-Ultra motherboard. It is based on the nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset, which has slightly higher performance. As well, the motherboard is a steal at $54.99. The one downside is the lack of SATA and IDE RAID. If you need those functions, then by all means go with the Soyo board. Soyo is an excellent, but underrated, manufacturer. In addition, the difference in performance between the two aformentioned chipsets is marginal.

Don't worry about the Mobile 2500+ unless you decide to overclock. If you do, then definitely go with it. It uses a lower voltage, which means a lot of headroom for overvolting, and the multiplier is always unlocked if I am not mistaken.

I also suggest getting different memory. The Mushkin PC3200 is a great price, and it is better quality than Centon memory. You should only run it at 333MHz for synchronicity, but it is good to have the headroom for future upgrades. As well, PC3200 memory is the same price as PC2700 memory. Also, you should get one 512MB stick so that you can easily add another 512MB stick later if you decide to upgrade.

Good luck. Come back with any questions you need to ask.

 

[Cerb]

Normal 2500+
Decent 512MB. My experiences so far have actually been pretty good with Centon. However, the Mushkin basic green can't be beaten for the price.
Abit NF7 for a mobo, or maybe the Gigabyte GA-7S748-L for a creal cheapie.
Nick's cooler is fine, but if you're not overclocking, so is the retail cooler. Big IF, given how 90+% now get to 2.2GHz .
Also, you'll want to get a decent PSU..
Oh, and buy everything at Newegg. They're awesome.

 

[magomago]

you don't have to buy everything at newegg, shopping around is fine, but make sure to check resellerratings.com

and beware of TD...

 

[2Xtreme21]

Ah crap, thanks Cerb for reminding me. Yeah my PSU is a 300 watt one that came with my Celeron barebone... I wouldn't be able to use that now, would I?

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Ah crap, thanks Cerb for reminding me. Yeah my PSU is a 300 watt one that came with my Celeron barebone... I wouldn't be able to use that now, would I?

Dunno. If you have the brand and model #, post it. Chances are, no, a Fortron FSP or Antec would be far superior to most, but you could have gotten lucky.

Also, I just noticed you had a P4 Celeron and SDR SDRAM. You're doubly crippled.
You will love this new AXP setup .
this is indicative og general responsiveness, and in this article, the Celeron had dual-channel DDR on a 865p board (best-case scenario), so is much better than yours.

Chances are, you'll have to go a little over $200. I get just under $250 w/ a Fortron 300w (FSP), AN35N-Ultra , 2500+ retail (it's only $5 more), and 512MB Mushkin.

To save a few bucks, the Gigabyte mobo is good, but not much difference, there ($2).
The A-DATA RAM is probably fine, too ($4).
I wouldn't recommend less for a PSU. Getting a non-Barton CPU could save a bit, but if you're up for overclocking, the 2500+ bang/buck is unbeatable. Otherwise, a 2000+ is OK. Not great, but OK to save a bit if you're on a really tight budget. I must once again impress, however, that the 2500+ is a better value, even not overclocked.

 

[2Xtreme21]

So by making the RAM change to Mushkin and snagging a Fortron Power Supply and keeping everything else I have above, you're saying it won't be compatible? I'd like to stay with that Tiger Direct deal if at all possible, but if they're not compatible then I'll have no other choice.

 

[Cerb]

Yes. Good TigerDirect deals have soured many a poster on this forum.
If you want a chep mobo, I'd much rather point you to compgeeks. An Iwill for under $40, with the SiS478. It will have the same performance as a NForce2 board with a single stick of RAM. SiS's drivers are rock solid, and compgeeks tends to be a good shop (you just never know what they will have when).

Now, the CC RAM should be OK. I got a Centon 256MB PC2100 stick two years ago, got the rebate back 2 months after. Until I upgraded to PC3200, it ran at 166MHz, 2-2-2-6 for about 18 months (now running in another PC at stock speed).

 

[Bovinicus]

A quality 300W PSU would probably be sufficient for that system, but not a cheapo generic piece of crap. I love my Antec Tru 330. It's quiet and provides for a reliable system. Getting a bigger one wouldn't hurt though, because it can last through a slew of upgrades. Enermax also makes excellent power supplies. There are certainly other capable manufacturers, but I always choose the best when it comes to the PSU.

 

[Cerb]

That Fortron is the best deal. A bigger one wouldn't hurt, but being on a budget, you can't always go for the best. Anything less than that Fortron is a risk, IMO.

 

[Zepper]

With one of the mobos I mentioned earlier you could get away with a 300W PSU if it was at least halfway decent - wouldn't need to be a top brand. And for real bottom dollar there's always the Iwill K7S3-N which also has the P4 connector. $44.00 shipped ground from compgeeks.com ...
.bh.