Tough CPU/Motherboard Decision

[Ajaykay]

Been working on putting together a new rig since September, accumulating the components. Here's what I have:

Antec 1080AMG case w/430 watt PSU
2 modules of Corsair 512k XMS3200 C2 (1024 total)
2 WD 80gig S.E. HD's
40x Lite On CDRW
Geforce TI4600

The final decision is a tough one. What CPU/Mobo combo?

Been using AMD for a couple years now and I'm up to a XP1600 running on that infamous ECS K7S5A.... and I should say that it's served me well.

But then I was tempted by Intel with the new 845PE chipset and a lot of great overclocking testimonials. And I was ready to click the mouse button on an order for the ASUS P4PE and a 2.53 P4.

Then Nvidia came along with this new Nforce chipset and the dual DDR and the promise of some more speed so I put the Asus A7N8X DLX NVIDIA nFORCE2 and a XP 2600+ in the shopping cart but I'm still not able to pull the trigger.

Was hoping that Anandtech had their big Nforce shootout ready this week because there's a big computer show in my neck of the woods this weekend (NJ) and I planned to make the purchase at the show. But alas, the review will not make it in time for me and the cash that is burning a hole in my wallet.

So, if you've stayed with me this far....what do you think? Give me a good combo to pick up tomorrow!

Primary use for my box includes Photo/Video editing, gaming and DTP.

Thanks for any and all suggestions. I'll be sure to place the blame/credit on whoever's idea I follow.

 

[mechBgon]

I think Evan's nF2 shootout is going up next week. He got an additional board or two to include in it. By the way, you can put a 2600+ in your K7S5A as long as it's a 266MHz-bus version, with a recent BIOS. For me, one attraction of nF2 would be high-quality onboard sound with low CPU utilization. I'd also expect it to support all future SocketA CPUs through the end of 2003 (400MHz bus) and I've read reviews where it runs DDR400 with all memory slots filled and actually goes faster with three DIMMs, unlike nForce 415/420.

Intel's CPUs still seem to have a lot more headroom for overclocking, so if that's your game, you'd probably rather go with the i845PE (or Granite Bay) route.