Recomendations for MB, processor, memory & video upgrade

[videobruce]

This is not another 'what's the best' thread!

I'm looking to upgrade an existing box by replacing the motherboard, processor, memory & video card.

My needs are;
1. AMD compatible based board,
2. Full size ATX,
3. I don't overclock,
4. Provisions for PATA & SATA sockets as I have two older PATA HDDs' I want to use,
5. This might be used for a HDTV tuner,
6. I run 2k, but might be using XP, but certainly not Vista,
7. I'm more interested in manufacture support and reliabilty than a few extra benchmark points. IOWs', what manufactures to stay away from?
8. Mid priced.

I admit I haven't kept track of all the changes. I have always used AMD since I have no use for any Wintell based product.

Questions;
1. Are the main MB chipsets available for AMD based systems still nVidea & VIA?
2. What types of memory are used here?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Denithor]

All modern systems (AM2 and Socket775) use DDR2 memory these days. Bleeding edge Intel boards are begining to use DDR3 but it's prohibitively expensive.

If you are firm on using an AMD system wait a few weeks (hopefully) for the Phenom launch. These processors should offer significantly better performance than the current X2 generation from AMD.

The only video card I would recommend right now is the nVidia 8800GT. In a couple of weeks (again, hopefully) AMD is supposed to launch the Radeon 3850/3870 series of cards that may provide some competition for the GeForce 8800 series. And nVidia is expected to launch their G92-based 8800GTS in early December.

 

[videobruce]

I should of added, I'm not looking for cutting edge technology. I would rather look at something that has been out for at least 6 months to a year.

Elsewhere, a comment was made regarding a supposed Wintel advantage. What's with the X2 processors? Again, I'm not interested in being the fastest on the block.

 

[Denithor]

It's not a supposed Intel advantage, it's a pretty clear-cut case of performance superiority. Take a look at this article from over 1 year ago comparing the (then) new Core 2 Duo processors to the old Netburst Pentium 4 and AMD X2 processors. There is really no comparison in performance, even the lowest end C2D chips typically destroy the old Intel line and also run all over even the high end X2 processors. AMD has had to drop their prices just to remain competitive from a performance/price position as they are no longer competitive in raw power.

Also remember that the article above is quite old and things have moved along considerably since then. Another great article is the November 2007 Budget Buyer's Guide where they lay out both AMD and Intel low-cost general use and gaming systems. Note that your cost will be lower as you already have hard drive, optical drive, case, etc. You probably will want to upgrade your power supply however if you are moving to a current generation video card as power requirements have gone up significantly in the last year or so.

Basically you need to specify better what you plan to do with this system. General use, gaming, video editing, etc all have somewhat different requirements and can have very different price points.

 

[videobruce]

Sorry that I didn't cover everything.

Current PS is a Seasonic S12 380w,
Box will be used on a HDTV (DLP) so 1:1 pixel mapping is at the top of the list (this isn't a proformance issue at all),
As stated, possible HDTV tuner might be added,
No video editing in the future,
Possible gaming, but not a big priority

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Why buy a car with five speed and use only three? $75 E2160 @ 2.4GHz will dominate many AMD CPUs today. Simply dial-in 267MHz FSB and 1:1 memory divider in BIOS. No need to test for system stability. Team this CPU with the $71 AR Abit IP35-E and you'll have a quiet and powerful rig capable of supporting Peryn quads.

You should also be able to push the chip to +3.0GHz with about 1.40Vcore if you need more speed down the road. No need to update to a larger CPU cooler.

 

[videobruce]

Sorry, you or anyone else will not be able to sell me on a Wintell product, so don't waste your time. It's not about which is faster, but which plays fair and it's surely not Wintell. As I stated, I do not overclock.

 

[SerpentRoyal]

Life is 100% fair? Losers blame others for their problems. Good luck with your rig.

 

[videobruce]

Back on topic, To update my choices from the additional reading I have done;

AM2 socket,
nForce 5xx chipset (but which 500??),
1GB DDR2-800 memory (but, one stick or two 500MB sticks for redundency?),
nVideo video card (with VGA & DVI)

 

[bendixG15]

If you don't want Wintel stuff, what operating system you going to use with the AMD CPU ?

 

[videobruce]

6. I run 2k, but might be using XP, but certainly not Vista,

and please don't even consider telling me who that is from as that's as far as I go from that source.

 

[videobruce]

After spending half the day going to as many of the MB manufactures sites I would consider I have found these choices (all with 2 IDE channels);

Asus M2N-E SLI,
Foxconn N570SM2AA-8EKRS2H,
MSI K9N4 SLI-F,
Epox EP-AF590 SLI2,
Epox EP-AD580XR,
Epox MF570SLI (form factor??),
Abit KN9

Gigabyte, Soyo & Tyan had no AM2 boards with 2 IDE channels.

I know most will probably say the 1st entry would be the one of choice, but what do you guys think of the others? I'm not familar with Foxconn, other than just hearing of the name. I understand they do alot of OEM work.
Epox I'm questioning, because of some bad reports I have heard (other than the cap problems some years ago).
The MSI board didn't have a optical or coaxial audio out which I would perfer. The Abit doesn't either, but has separate outs for all the surround channels.

If anyone knows of any others with 2 IDE channels and either optical and/or coaxial audio outs, please add to the list.

I did find two more Asus boards, but they were over $170 which is out of the question.

The 2nd question I'm undecided about is;
Should I buy a low end processor and wait untill the prices drop on these newer AMD processors, or go with a better X2?