Upgrade suggestions

[slackerinabox]

Hey,
I have a crash happy amd setup (not blaming the AMD athlon x- maybe it's another component) and would like to upgrade to something 99.9999% stable - any suggestions? I have $200-250 (since I'm a student the less the better) and am not looking for a speed demon but something that has a good upgrade path and is very stable.. I'm currently using DDR-2700 ram and would like to stay with DDR ram.. Thanks for any help!

 

[buckmasterson]

Give us you current system info and maybe we can help.

 

[slackerinabox]

Hey,
I currently have an amd athlon xp 1500+ with an ECS kt333 motherboard and an ATI radeon 7500 video card.. The setup isn't too slow for me it just hasn't proven 100% stable.. Thanks for any advice!

 

[StraightPipe]

what os?

usually a crash is caused by software.

XP is know for being more stable (it's based on NT, which is workstation os)

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Yup, check the OS. In $250, you can probably get a new mobo with a new cpu which could bring the price to a very rough $150 or you could use the current cpu that you have which would save you maybe $70 to $90 depending on what speed you want. You could also put in a Radeon 8500 or a Geforce4 Ti4200.

 

[slackerinabox]

Hey,
I'm using winxp pro.. I'm wondering if the problem is with my mobo, cpu, or the combo.. Is the kt333 an unstable chipset and would switching to an Nforce 2 help or should I just go with an intel combo?

 

[novice]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
Hey,
I'm using winxp pro.. I'm wondering if the problem is with my mobo, cpu, or the combo.. Is the kt333 an unstable chipset and would switching to an Nforce 2 help or should I just go with an intel combo?

Nothing wrong with the KT333 chipset in a quality motherboard. That may preclude your present mainboard. I am running a pair of KT3 Ultra2's from MSI, one with an XP2000 and Win2K, and another with an XP1700 and Win 98 and they are both very stable and reliable with the win2K one having a slight edge due to the OS. I can't speak to the Nforce 2 boards, although they are reputed to be higher performing, I don't think they are any more stable than a good KT333 board. I personally opted for the KT333 instead of a KT400 because I had concerns about the early KT400 boards and wanted a well tested chipset. I was so happy with the first one that I went ahead and picked up a second board and upgraded another one of my systems. Both had been Via 694 chipsets with Celeron 2 CPU's before their AMD "conversion". Both had been rock solid before the upgrade, and both still are. Just faster. A lot faster.
I am sure the current Intel solutions are excellent as well, I just don't think you can match the AMD options in the dollar for dollar area. For your money, you could probably pick up a KT 333 board for around $75 or so, an XP2100 for around $87 from googlegear and then sell your old parts for $60 or so, throw in the $70 to $80 left over from your initial $250 and pick up a geforce 4 Ti4200 and you would be set. At least that is what I did.