Upgrade from XP mobile to A64?

[BlueWeasel]

Here's my current system:

Epox 8RDA3I (NF2 Ultra MB)
XP-M 2600+ @ 2.5Ghz (11.5x215)
9800 Pro @ XT speeds
1GB PC3200 (mix of generic PC3200 and Muskin PC2700)

I've been this system for almost 2 years now, so I'm kinda out of the loop with the newer chips and boards. I'm looking to spend $300-$400 dollars, and I was thinking of something like this:

Epox Nforce3/Nforce4 board - $70
A64 3000+ - $140
1.5GB Crucial PC3200 - $110

Would I see a worthwhile difference going from this OC'ed XP @ 2.5Ghz to an A64 3000+ running at stock speeds?

 

[fbrdphreak]

At stock speeds, I don't think so.

OC that 3000+ and yeah.

That and the platform gives you upgradeability.

 

[Avalon]

At stock speeds, I'd venture a guess and say for the most part, that 3000+ will be slightly slower than the 2.5ghz XP-M. Overclocked is another story.

Also, if you already have 1GB of PC3200/PC2700, I'd keep it and use it in the new A64 system.

 

[Mogadon]

In another thread Zebo stated that to find the rough equivalent between and AXP and A64 in terms of MHz, simply multiply the Mhz of the A64 by 1.25 and the answer would give an equivalent speed of an AXP.

For example the equivalent AXP speed of a stock 3000+ is 1800*1.25 = 2250Mhz. So, at stock the 3000+ will not be quicker.

If you overclock it though you can be expected to hit at least 2500MHz which would give an equivalent AXP speed of 3125MHz, which should give you a good performance increase over your current system. If you're in luck and can overclock it to around 2700MHz+ you'll be getting close to an AXP equivalent of 3500MHz which would be awesome for you.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Excellent advice, guys..thanks!

I was planning on giving my brother some of my current PC3200/PC2700 RAM, and upgrading to new Crucial RAM that would likely be able to be overclocked further.

A few more questions...

1) If I did plan on overclocking, which A64 chip is best? I know it's subjective...just trying to get an idea.
2) If the multipliers on the A64 are locked, how's the best way to overclock? I assume get a board with a good set of memory dividers and push the FSB as high as possible while still maintaining RAM stability using the dividers?

 

[RussianSensation]

Are you a gamer? If you are, your best bet is to get 6800GS (when comes on AGP) or $250 x850xt at microcenter.

That 9800pro in AGP form will be a drag. Unless you were planning on getting a whole new system, with new PCIe card, you'll notice almost no performance increase in gaming since your videocard is a major bottleneck.

...Even if you were going to get a new system, you'll drop $700+ to get 30% more performance with A64 3500+, 7800GT over $250 X850xt in your current system. If I was you I'd wait until socket M2, DDR2, Geforce 8; and hopefully in 1 year dual-core will have greater increases in gaming, and lower prices. For now, just upgrade the videocard and you'll notice 2x the performance increase.