Upgrade Opinion...

[Funboy]

Hey guys, I'm thinking of upgrading my computer before the end of summer, but I'm not really decided on what to upgrade considering I'm only going to make this a little upgrade.

My system:

P3-450@550
128 pc133 corsair mem
Abit BE-6
Creative TNT2 Ultra
etc...

I'm split on whether to upgrade the video to a Geforce2,etc or the CPU to something more beefy. I'm leaning towards the CPU since the TNT2U already gives nice framerates in my main game Quake III, and also since I'd rather concentrate this upgrade on speeding up my other apps like Photoshop, Dreamweaver. So what CPU would be a nice upgrade for my motherboard??? I'd like to hear some thoughts.

 

[MGMorden]

You can get a slocket, an Intel Celeron 566 chip (get one guaranteed to overclock to 850), and a new heatsink (a golden orb is good). That would take you up to 850mhz for less than $150. The Geforce2 MX cards are just surfacing as well. They're not as good as the GF2 GTS, but for only $115 they're a great deal (and definately faster than a TnT2 U). Depending on your budget you might would swing both of these.

 

[konichiwa]

Hey, that's creepy. I have that EXACT system and I just ordered myself a p3 700E, Asus CUSL2, and a new HD. I'm probably going to get a Radeon or Nv20 when they come out this fall, depending on what real-world benchmarks say.

Or maybe I'll wait until Spring...

 

[Ulysses]

Konichiwa got it right 'cause he did his homework - don't bother with a Celeron (their too slow, even when overclocked to whatever speed). Get a P3 FC-PGA cB0 as fast as you can afford (try for a 700 or 750, which can be overclocked to maybe 933 or better) for a 100 MHz system bus plus an Abit Slotket. You may have to upgrade your board's BIOS too.

See:
http:// [url]http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=196333 [/url]

http:// [url]http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=196333 [/url]

 

[Funboy]

Hey Konichiwa, is that P3-700 the highest chip the Abit BE-6 can support? I went to Abit's site and that looked like the highest P3, but I don't really know why a higher CPU wouldn't work in a sloket? Can anyone help me on this?

 

[Burn]

Just like the above post stated get the fastest P3 FCPGA cBo chip you can afford with a good slocket and you will be all set.

 

[Funboy]

sorry but what is this "cBo" you talked about? And which P3 is the definite winner in the overclocking wars 700, 750, 800, etc?

 

[Burn]

cBo a newer revision of the P3, it overclocks higher. As for the best overclocker right now that depends on the motherboard and system specs. You have a BX board with PC133 ram so you might be able to run at an FSB of 133Mhz. But the video card needs to be capable too, see Anand's article here: http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1270

If your video card can run at an FSB of 133Mhz then I would go for a P3 700, but if it can't or you want to be on the safe side I would go with the P3 750.

 

[jaydee]

You could probobly get $75-90 for your TNT2 Ultra, then you could get a GF2MX for $115. Then still upgrade your mobo.

 

[Funboy]

Anyone got a link on any articles on the overclockin speeds of the 700, 750, etc? And is the Geforce 2MX out yet? I didn't see it anywhere on pricewatch...