Trying to find good value on MB/CPU/Memory

[BigYenSpence]

I have about $400 to improve my system. Primarily, I'm looking for a board, cpu and memory to match. I don't upgrade often, so I'd like it to last a little while.

Any suggestions on good value, longevity, and potential for overclocking would be appreciated.

 

[KoolDrew]

What are you using the PC for?

 

[alexXx]

get an a64
1: they are faster than p4s
2: they run just as fast on the cheapest ram out there
3: they are cheap
4: their motherboards are cheap

 

[BigYenSpence]

I will be gaming, but not extensively. I want to play HL-2 on it, but I will spend more time on RTS games than FPS.

 

[stevty2889]

It would really help if we knew what you have in your current system..

 

[BigYenSpence]

I currently have

ATI Radeon 9600
80GB HD (I will probably replace this sometime soon though
Antec 350W PSU

I am looking to replace:
K7S5A board
AMD XP 1800+
Generic 256MB Ram

 

[BigYenSpence]

bump

 

[KoolDrew]

Get

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 754)
Chaintech VNF-250 (754)
Mushkin basic 512mbx2 (1GB total)

I think that comes to around $400 but I am not sure.

 

[SludgeFactory]

yeah I would get 1 GB of DDR value ram and as much AMD CPU/mb as I could afford with the remaining money.

DDR price has been pretty steady all year but seems to have dropped as of late, $135 for that Muskin at newegg right now.

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Get

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 754)
Chaintech VNF3-250 (754)
Mushkin basic 512mbx2 (1GB total)

I think that comes to around $400 but I am not sure.

Added a slight fix to a model name.

That comes to about $360. You can use the difference to upgrade to the DFI NF3 250Gb board (best overclocker) or get an aftermarket heatsink (also for overclocking, though out of the two I'd pick the board, because the stock one can overclock somewhat well).

 

[coejus]

Originally posted by: ts3433

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Get

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 754)
Chaintech VNF3-250 (754)
Mushkin basic 512mbx2 (1GB total)

I think that comes to around $400 but I am not sure.

Added a slight fix to a model name.

That comes to about $360. You can use the difference to upgrade to the DFI NF3 250Gb board (best overclocker) or get an aftermarket heatsink (also for overclocking, though out of the two I'd pick the board, because the stock one can overclock somewhat well).

:thumbsup:

 

[BigYenSpence]

Originally posted by: ts3433

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
Get

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 754)
Chaintech VNF3-250 (754)
Mushkin basic 512mbx2 (1GB total)

I think that comes to around $400 but I am not sure.

Added a slight fix to a model name.

That comes to about $360. You can use the difference to upgrade to the DFI NF3 250Gb board (best overclocker) or get an aftermarket heatsink (also for overclocking, though out of the two I'd pick the board, because the stock one can overclock somewhat well).

Thanks. I went with the Lanparty board, 3000+ and the mushkin memory. Should get it Wed. hopefully.

 

[ts3433]

Glad I could help. When you get the cash, consider buying an aftermarket HSF like a Zalman 7000/7700 series ($30-$40) or Thermalright XP-90/XP-120 with your choice of fan ($30-50 + $??). One of these can also make your system quieter in addition to giving it better cooling capacity.

 

[JBDan]

Epox 939 mobo > amd64 3000+ > mushkin pc3200 1 gig get ya right at 400$$