• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

To Upgrade Now or Not to Upgrade now..

Judgement

Judgement

Diamond Member
I could use some more input on these matters, I've done lots of research on my own but there is only so much you can find without asking people who have gone through or made these same decisions..

Basically, I'm going to be building my own computer for the first time. I've stripped a cd-r drive, a monitor and speakers and all that good stuff from other pc's I have from (Dell and HP), to keep my first experience with this more simple. So I'm pretty much just going to be buying a new motherboard, processor, possibly memory and maybe a hard drive.

After the reading on the net I've done, I'm pretty stuck on which direction to go. Do I want to go with a Abit KT7A and a 1ghz 200mhz FSB T-bird and just stick with the 128mb of 100mhz ram I have now, or upgrade to 133.I've also considered waiting for the 266mhz FSB T-birds to become more available. If I decide to wait for a the newer 266mhz FSB Thunderbirds, should I also get a DDR compatible motherboard and DDR Ram? This would surely up the price greatly, and I haven't been able to conclude for myself from what I've read if the money is worth the extra power.

I'm also looking up overclocking these things, since I have no real previous experience with these things as I'm relatively young compared to all you computer experts out there. How much I could get for my money through overclocking it past the speed I paid for also influences my decision, but yet as I said before I've not been able to really decide if I should wait and pay more for DDR/266mhz, or wait and pay for just the FSB and use SDRAM. Or of course I could just upgrade now and get a 200mhz FSB Thunderbird. Wow this post has become longer then I expected, but away there is my basic problem.

When and how to upgrade?

Any input would be much appreciated, I know most of this is just pure opinion by the person but your opinion is appreciated.

Also, the case I would be using is only 200W, is this a problem? A friend of mine said he believes so but wasn't advanced enough in these matters to guarantee it would be.

Thanks again
 
Definately get a new power supply. As far as the rest of it goes..... My theory is this, the technology will always be getting better, and if you continue to wait, there will always be something better to wait for. You really have to just pick your spot and dive in. Purchase the best parts you can at that moment. However, if you are in no real hurry at this point there ARE some nice things on the horizon which should all be READILY available within the coming weeks/month. Integrated ATA-100, USB 2.0 and 266MHz FSB w/DDR.
 
uhmm, ATA100 is already present on many new motherboards..there is a new via southbridge chip that has it - i know it ends with a B. Anyway most new motherboards (KT133A) have it. I haven't read any other claims that USB 2.0 will be out by the end of the month. And it will definitely be a while before we can get peripharals out and for them to come down in price that need it. The 266 FSB Athlon's aren't any better than a 200 MHz one. Just buy a KT133A motherboard (Abit KT7A and MSI K7T Turbo seem to be very popular around here), unlock your CPU by "connecting" the L1 bridges on the CPU with a mechanical pencil, pretty easy to do - lower the multiplier in BIOS and up the FSB to 133 (266 DDR) in BIOS and/or via dipswitch on the motherboard. Your PC100 memory may not be able to run at that speed, in which case some new RAM will be in order. Or of course you can run the 200 MHz chip with the memory and FSB set to 100 MHz. As far as I know you cannot set the FSB to 133 and run the memory at 100. Only the other way around.
 
I think the next big wait is for PCI 66, So you are going to have the same problem as soon as you jump on the DDR boards. This gets goofy because you won't know if component manufacturers are going to jump on PCI 66 real quick. Of course you will want to use PCI 66 but MB's are just starting to put one on. The point is there is always going to be something coming down the pipe. If you go with current configs you are at least confident that you are getting something at a good price. I like to stay just behind the curve and save a little money. The next greatest thing can be way overpriced for what you get but you also get more fun and bragging. What about getting a stellar monitor for now.
 
Will the increased availability of DDR motherboards and 266mhz FSB processors have a great enough effect on the prices of the 200mhz FSB Thunderbirds and the KT133A motherboards to justify waiting to purchase these things?

A new power supply requires getting a new case pretty much does it not?

And lastly, how does a 133mhz FSB compare to a 266mhz bus for DDR as mentioned by Erub?

Thanks again for the info, its greatly appreciated.
 
You shouldn't have any problem putting a new power supply in your case. They're usually only held in by 4 screws on the back of the case and are basically the same dimensions (unless you're thinking of something like redundant power for a server or something out of the ordinary).

As for the 133 FSB vs. 266 DDR question, it's the same thing for the T-Bird. It's technically a 133 FSB, but with DDR (double data rate) it's effectively 266 Mhz.

As far as prices trends go, I really wish I knew....
 
About how much speed could I get out of an overclocked 1ghz Thunderbird with PC133 ram if I chose to upgrade the ram also? Would I get up to 1.2ghz or is that expecting too much to get out of it?

Also, could someone explain to me exactly what ATA100 does? I'm pretty sure it has to do with the hard drive..or am I completely off?

As before, Thanks for the info

Judge
 
Hey Judge,

I was in the same boat as you about 6 weeks ago. Just built my first system. It's a beaut, IMHO. Waaaaay better than my old Dell, which is stil running dandy, BTW.

I learned a whole bunch from the great folks on this forum; they rock. I will now try to "keep the faith" and do for you what they did for me.

So far, you've been given excellent advice.

1. Dont' wait any longer, there will always be something better being announced "coming soon" Remember computers have "built in obsolescence" (sp?) My supafly 1GHz TBird will be considered a jalopy in three years. Do I care? No.

2. Get a new case and power supply. You've obviously chosen the AMD route. Good choice. I'm using AMD for the first time and can honestly say that, yes, they are different and you will have to get used to some new terminology and having to load extra drivers, but you know what? I like my TBird a lot better than my PIII. (My opinion, no flames, please) You have an old Dell, it's probably a baby-ATB case like mine. POS! Get at least a new mid-tower with a 300 WATT AMD APPROVED POWER SUPPLY NOTHING ELSE. Go to AMD SITE and look at the Athlon tech docs pages. They give a whole list of approved power supplies. I use an Antech KS282 case with an Antech PS303X. Got both for $65. The ps is AMD approved and the thing runs so cool and quiet you wonder if it's on. There are many other great cases to choose from. Just get a good one. It'll make your installation less painful (literally) and last you a long time. Make sure your case has at least two fans, one in front sucking in air and one in back blowing out air. Airflow is vital to the performance of your system as well as the life of the components.

3. Get a KT133A motherboard. They have the 133MHZ FSB. More options for you in the future. The regular KT133 is great. I have one. Wish the 133A was out when I bought my 133. 😛 More options down the road for you.

4. Forget PC100 RAM. Yes it's great and works very well. But why get a top of the line motherboard and slow it down w/PC100 RAM? PC133 is 33% faster and only a few dollars more. 256mb is a "perfect" amount to start with. 128 is great too, if $$$ is an issue. Make sure you get CAS2 RAM. A little more, but worth every penny. CAS 2 is more stable under siege than CAS3. Your Dell has CAS3. So does my Dell. However we did not do things with our Dells that we'll be doing with our new monsters! 😉

5. Get a good video card. I would imagine you're a gamer, like most of us. Supafly system + el cheapo deluxe video card = pissed off and dissappointed owner. A good 32mb DDR vidcard can be had for about $225. You gets whut ya pays fer. Won't make any recommendations (cough, cough --- GeForce2GTS--cough) because I'll get flamed from all sides.

6. 7,200 RPM hard drive. Yes, 5,200 works just fine. Again, 33% performance increase for a few dollars more. Hey they made a movie with that title....

7. Get a good HSF right off the bat. I only got a "mediocre" one because I didn't know what I was doing, to be honest. TBirds run very hot. This is normal. I'm still not totally used to it, but getting there.

8. Soundcard...your Dell probably has a PCI soundcard that you can swipe. Save you some money. You can take the soundcard out of the Dell and it'll still be functional JIC the new system hits a snag. (Like Hell, you say!! New system cost $$$$$$$, better run great all the time!) Ah, you never know.

I think that's everything. I also used my old (actually great speaks) speakers, key board, mouse, monitor, microphone from the old system. Works great, thank you.

Good luck, keep asking questions, TAKE YOUR TIME! You'll do fine. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the info Michael, truely helpfull to get insight from someone who has already done these things. I'll be sure to get a new power supply 🙂

I'm still curious as to overclocking the thunderbird. Have you, or anyone else who reads this overclocked an AMD Thunderbird 1ghz processor with much success? What speed could you get out of it?

Thanks\

Judge
 
Try taking a look at the Overclocking forum. They're should also be tons on articles on the Anandtech main page. Also, take a look at motherboard reviews. Some motherboards make the process a lot easier.

Overclocking is basically a matter of fiddling with the FSB, clock multiplier and voltage settings until you get the maximum number of stable Mhz. So a stable motherboard (check the reviews again) is also very important. And overclocked T-birds run very hot, so invest in a quality heatsink/fan. Some of the best coolers are also very loud, so you might find yourself having to strike a balance between performance and noise.

As far as how far you can overclock the chip, it really depends on the individual chip. Some are just more overclockable than others. You might even consider buying the chip from a vendor that has tested and guaranteed the overclockability of a chip.

Wish I could comment more on the best overclocking hardware for a T-bird, but I'm still doing the research myself for my next rig. The last thing I overclocked was my AMD K62 300 to 450 Mhz.... and that seems like ages ago. Can you tell it's time for a new rig? It's definitely a blast, but overclocking takes quite a bit of patience and is not for the faint at heart.

Oh, and props again to Michael for the great advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top