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Recommendations: nForce4 mobo, Athlon 64 proc and 1GB RAM for approx. $300

E

Epsil0n00

Golden Member
Hey guys,

So, my HDD died and it seems like the right time to make a big upgrade since I need to reinstall everything anyhow.

I need some recommendations on a good quality mobo, preferably nForce4, though I don't care about SLI or features specific to overclocking (It can have them... but I probably wont use them). 🙂

I need to purchase a mobo that has the ability to hook up at least one old PATA drive, has PCI-E slot (for the new video card I will be purchasing), and supports a wide range of processor models. Should it be Socket 939?

In terms of CPUs it will be either Athlon64 or Operton, due to price constraints. What's the main difference between the Athlon64s and the Opertons? Edit:I am not interested in OCing at this point.

I also need to get 1 x 1GB module of RAM to go with it... I'll probably add the 2nd 1GB module in a few months for the dual-channel.

What recommendations do you guys have... what are the good mobo/CPU/RAM combos for around $300?

Thanks for your expertise!
Epsil0n
 
Originally posted by: GamerExpress
CPU
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MOBO
Text
RAM
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Total $342

It's worth it though trust me, you could get closer to $300, but it would cost you in quality and performance.
Click to expand...

Swap the CPU for a 3200+ that will actually work in this mobo and you've got a good setup

 
combine tbike's ram and processor with Gamerexpress' motherboard and you got a solid base to build a system. the epox is a excellent overclocking board and stability is pretty decent for a very low price.
 
why is it that two people now have recommended an Opteron proc running at 1GHz FSB paired with the Epox mobo which runs at 800Mhz FSB? Are these two parts really compatible, what about the speed mis-match?

Also, what's the difference between the Opteron and the Athlon 64? Is the difference all about overclocking... cause I don't plan on OCing.

Thanks!
Epsil0n
 
Originally posted by: Epsil0n00
why is it that two people now have recommended an Opteron proc running at 1GHz FSB paired with the Epox mobo which runs at 800Mhz FSB? Are these two parts really compatible, what about the speed mis-match?

Also, what's the difference between the Opteron and the Athlon 64? Is the difference all about overclocking... cause I don't plan on OCing.

Thanks!
Epsil0n
Click to expand...

The opterons are not only very good at overclocking but their temperature stays lower. Also, the got the 1mb L2 cache which is another plus point. They also use lower voltage so their life is longer than the athlon 64 cpus(they are server-side cpus, thus they use lower voltage. I doubt the life matters because you won't be using it for 10-12 years). I spend 450 on a 6800GS/Opteron144/Epox 9npa+ ultra but since your budget is lower, you would have to go with a cheaper mobo such as the Asrock - I heard the Asrock is very stable so I would go with that and Opteron 144. You can get the 71 buck ram someone just posted above - it looks good.
 
The 1000/800FSB doesn't matter. AMD uses HyperTransport not FSB. Hypertransport runs at 200MHz. the 800/1000 is just 4x and 5x multipliers.

The Opteron is socket 939 so it's compatible, it has 1MBL2 cache which is at least +200MHz performance over 512k processors, and in some situations almost as high as +350MHz performance. It runs at 1.36v which is less power output, which is less heat, which is more stable. And it can overclock mor, may not matter to you, but thats still part of its better value. Opteron's retail HSFs are better as well.
 
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