System Upgrade Suggestions

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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I am looking to do a system upgrade and I am not sure what my best bang for my buck is. I do like a quiet system, so I am willing to spend a bit on noise reduction. I will most likely install Linux with the 2.6 kernel (which should take advantage of the Athlon 64).

My current system is:
Antec Sonata (with TruePower 380Watt ATX12V power supply, standard Antec 120mm fan, and Enermax Adjustable 120mm fan)
Epox 8K7A MB
AMD 1700+ CPU
Mushkin 1x256MB DDR PC 2100 and 1x512MB DDR PC2100 (Blue Line)
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (cooled with a Zalman 80C-HP [with no fan])
IBM 100GB HD (not sure of the model)
Pioneer 106S DVD Rom
generic brand CD Burner

My initial research made me think that I could just replace my MB, CPU (and cpu heatsink), and RAM:
Chaintech VNF3-250 nForce3 250 - $92
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 1MB - $270
Crucial 2x512MB DDR PC3200 CL=3 ECC - $250 + shipping
Thermalright SP-97 - $62.00

For ~$675, that seems like a great upgrade. If anyone sees any better options that will give me a faster/quieter/more reliable/cheaper system, I would really appriciate it.

Thanks.
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
17,484
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Yes, drop it to a 3000+, the performance difference is extremely small, and even a 5% overclock would make up the difference (that counts for nothing if you also plan on OCing that 3200+, of course).
Also, I hope those RAM prices are in canadian...otherwise that's too much for CL3 PC3200. Corsair Vlue is $89 shipped for 512MB (CL 2.5), and Crucial CL3 is $94, Geil CL 2.5 $96. Worst case that's $60 less for the same RAM.

Also remember to get a Panaflo M or L for that SP-97 :).
Or you could get a Zalman and save a bundle, unless you're the type to have super loud fans. Zalman and Coolermaster are the A64 kings at the moment with half-way decent noise levels (and you'd be hard-[ressed to fin the Coolermaster Hyper6...still seems to only be in reviewers' hands).
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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As to Cerb's suggestions, here is my new list:
Chaintech VNF3-250 nForce3 250 - $92
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512KB - $211
Crucial 184 Pin 2x512MB DDR400 PC-3200 8T non-ECC unbuffered CL=3 - $190
Thermalright SP-97 - $62.00
Panaflo 92mm Medium Output w/RPM - $10 + shipping

This brings my total to ~$565

I did notice on Crucial's site, that there are two types of 512MB PC3200 RAM that are compatable with the Chaintech VNF3-250. I assume I should go for the PC3200. Any suggestions as to which one is 'better' and if it's worth the higher costs?
Crucial 512MB DDR PC3200 CL=3 ECC - $125
Crucial 512MB DDR PC3200 CL=3 Non-parity - $105 (this is the same as the RAM listed above)

As far as RAM goes, it seems to me that Mushkin, Corsair, and Crucial are generally rated about the same. Anyone have any recomendations as to specific brands and/or styles?

Thanks Again.
 

lithium726

Senior member
May 11, 2004
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ECC is error checking ram, and you generally dont need it, its more expensive... go for the non-ECC, and generally, just look for the cheapest with the tighest timings amongst crucial, corsair, mushkin, and possibly kingston... my sticks have never steared me wrong
 

Runner20

Senior member
May 31, 2004
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I would go for the Via chipset, as it offers better performance. The 2 best Athlon 64 mobo's out are the Asus with Via chipset and MSI Neo also with via. Get whichever has the lower price.
 

Algere

Platinum Member
Feb 29, 2004
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VIA's and nVidia's solution for the A64 are pretty even when it comes to performance due to the on-die memory controller unlike the AXP line.

I'd stay with the nForce 3 250/Gb chipset over VIA's offer simply due to the amount of features(native Gb LAN *Gb only*, Hardware Firewall, PCI/AGP Lock, etc.) it has.

As far as I've heard the only thing VIA's latest offering(K8T800 Pro) has over the nForce3 250/Gb is a faster HyperTransport bus/link which doesn't help much since current CPU's can't take advantage of it and @ present time VIA's PCI/AGP lock implementation isn't fully supported on all MB's based on it's latest.
 

Algere

Platinum Member
Feb 29, 2004
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Originally posted by: w0lf42
As far as RAM goes, it seems to me that Mushkin, Corsair, and Crucial are generally rated about the same. Anyone have any recomendations as to specific brands and/or styles?

Thanks Again.

Mushkin @ NewEgg for $87.
 

ath50

Member
May 2, 2004
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I'd stay with the nForce 3 250/Gb chipset over VIA's offer simply due to the amount of features(native Gb LAN *Gb only*, Hardware Firewall, PCI/AGP Lock, etc.) it has.

Its true both chipsets are pretty even when it comes to performance, just comes down to features. Anand has an article here. Keep in mind that the VNF-250 uses the plain nForce3-250 and not the 250gb, so it does not have Gigabit ethernet and on-chip firewall. That said if those features do not matter to you, the Chaintech board is a really great value, has pretty much the same performance of the more expensive boards, just lacking those features. (And its one of the better overclockers of the set)
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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Thanks for everyones' input. This makes me feel much more confident about my purchases.
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
139
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As I mentioned before, I am looking to put a Thermalright SP-97 heatsink on this motherboard (Chaintech VNF3-250) which a Socket 754.

After looking on Thermalright's site, I didn't seem them list the Socket 754 as being compatable.

Would someone be able to clear this up so I can order a good cooler?

Thanks Again
 

Cerb

Elite Member
Aug 26, 2000
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Yeah, looks likethe SLK-948U does. Their last four coolers or so basically look and perform alike, so it's easy to get mixed up.
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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According to Thermalriight's site, the SLK-948U (the heatsink which Cerb suggested) is compatable with Chaintech's ZNF3-150 ZENITH, but it doesn't list the VNF3-250 (the board I'm looking to order).

If I am correct, the ZNF3-150 ZENITH is a Socket754, so I assume that this IS THE Thermalright heatsink I'm after.

I just really want to make sure I'm ordering the correct stuff. Does this look correct?

Thanks Once Again.
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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Well... my stuff arrived and I'm really excited to test it out. I'm attending a LAN Party for the weekend, I'll post my scores from 3D Mark later.

Thanks Again for the advice.
 

w0lf42

Member
Jul 24, 2000
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I meant to post these scores a while ago, but I encountered some system issues. My system appears to be rock stable now.

3DMarks with old system:
3DMark2001 SE: 10431
3DMark03: 4898
Antec Sonata (with TruePower 380Watt ATX12V power supply, standard Antec 120mm fan, and Enermax Adjustable 120mm fan)
Epox 8K7A MB
AMD 1700+ CPU
Mushkin 1x256MB DDR PC 2100 and 1x512MB DDR PC2100 (Blue Line)
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (cooled with a Zalman 80C-HP [with no fan])
IBM 100GB HD (not sure of the model)
Pioneer 106S DVD Rom
generic brand CD Burner

3DMarks with new system:
3DMark2001 SE: 18988
3DMark03: 5909
Antec Sonata (with TruePower 380Watt ATX12V power supply, standard Antec 120mm fan, and Enermax Adjustable 120mm fan)
Chaintech VNF3-250 nForce3 250
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ 512KB w/ Thermalright SP-97 heatsink and 92mm Panaflow
Crucial 184 Pin 2x512MB DDR400 PC-3200
ATI RADEON 9800 PRO (cooled with a Zalman 80C-HP [with no fan])
IBM 100GB HD (not sure of the model)
Pioneer 106S DVD Rom
generic brand CD Burner