Upgrading Issues

[Arithorn]

Hi all, my first post is also my first cry for help:
I'm upgrading my self-built pentium III 450 system (2 years old), and I'd like to go the AMD route
first of all:
1. Do most components work with AMD (Will I get compatibility problems with my Toshiba DVD or Mitsumi CRDW?)

2. Should I get RDRAM? Is it worth it?

3. If I'm getting a 1.33ghz Thunderbird, what's the best motherboard? I've only used ABIT so far, and am completely lost here

4. More than 256mb of ram?

5. Geforce2 Pro, and if so, 32 or 64mb?

Thanks a lot all!

 

[shathal]

1. Do most components work with AMD (Will I get compatibility problems with my Toshiba DVD or Mitsumi CRDW?)

2. Should I get RDRAM? Is it worth it?

3. If I'm getting a 1.33ghz Thunderbird, what's the best motherboard? I've only used ABIT so far, and am completely lost here

4. More than 256mb of ram?

5. Geforce2 Pro, and if so, 32 or 64mb?

The answer is "depends on what you want to do"

1.: Yes, most/all of these should work - if you'll have issues it'll be with the motherboard, not the AMD CPU.

2.: There's no AMD motherboard that I'm aware of that takes RDRAM (would be surprised as well). RDRAM is not worth it with Athlon and P3 - only the P4 can actually USE that much memory bandwidth. So - "No P4 - forget about RDRAM" is the basic gist.

3.: AMD-based mobo's I'm not the best one to talk to - but I am sure you'll find enough other threads in the area. Search for "Best motherboard for AMD" or something like that. You should find quite a few threads.

4.: 256 MB of RAM is usuall enough - again - it depends what you want to do. Most serious users should have 256 MB. However, 512 MB is mostly wasted on Win98 / ME - only really useful if you are using Windows 2000 and the apps to go with that much memory. No point in spending additional money just so you can say "Oh I've got 512 MB - most of which never gets used really..."

5.: Your decision again - do you want more 3D-performance or not? What do you want - how much can you afford.

I hope this helps you somewhat .

 

[Arithorn]

Thanks Shathal

My mistake with the RDRAM, just realized I was talking nonsense. I build websites a lot in my spare time, and so I need to be able to run Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop, and of course Winamp at the same time with no slowdown. Of course I also game a lot, especially Tribes 2, and love nice looking graphics...
So, what I think I should do is get an
AMD TBird 1.33Ghz
256 megs of 133 Ram
a new motherboard
and a new Geforce2 card, either 32 or 64mb

Right?
I currently have 128megs of p100 ram, should I move that over and can I? And what's the best type of ram for an AMD proccessor?
Oh, one more thing - do I need a 300watt case, or will my 250 do (I have a cd-burner and two harddrives, as well as a DVD drive)

Thanks again!

 

[shathal]

Would always go 300W over 250. Athlon's are quite hungry for power & also (more importantly) you won't need to worry over power-issues when adding another HDD or so.

I'd go with a GF2 Ultra (the 64MB flavour) or GF3 over the GF2 GTS (32MB flavour), as the 2 better cards have BUMP-mapping & various other neat stuff - in essence "better". It depends if you can afford it, obviously.

AMD-boards (as I said) I am not the best chap to talk to - but I am certain you'll find someone .

You might want to consider going DDR - it's not noticably different to SDRAM in terms of pricing, but can give yout 5-10% (tops - if you're lucky) benefit in performance in some things.

Hope this helps you somewhat .

 

[huanaku]

If you want a stable board, get an Epox. I've built a couple systems, and was surprised at how well the boards have held up. I have an Asus board, which I wouldn't trade for anything, but Epox is generally cheaper. Get DDR-RAM.

 

[NelsonMuntz]

Okay, as far as video card, if cost is not an issue than get a GeForce 3. If cost is an issue, get a GeForce 2 Pro or GeForce 2 GTS (can be 32 Mb or 64 Mb). RDRAM is for P4 and is a waste of money for anything else. Compatibility shouldn't be an issue for CD/DVD devices. I second the notion that the Epox EP-8K7A is a great board at a great price. It requires DDR-RAM, but the cost is the same as for PC-133 and it's all cheap, so you might as well get 512 Mb.

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

Just a quick question... I am planning on doing near the same upgrade, and I was planning on buying the MSI GF2 Pro 64. Is that a good card in the GF2 Pro realm?

 

[Arithorn]

Thanks all for the feedback
One more question: I'm nabbing a 10 or 20 gig hard drive as well... your opinion on the best to get? And do RPMs really matter?

 

[ProviaFan]

One more question: I'm nabbing a 10 or 20 gig hard drive as well... your opinion on the best to get? And do RPMs really matter?

I got a Western Digital 20 GB hard disk not long ago; it's a 7,200 RPM drive ATA/100. It certainly is amazing how much faster the system logs in with that drive as opposed to my older 5,400 RPM one (ATA/66, IIRC).

 

[bozo1]

<< One more question: I'm nabbing a 10 or 20 gig hard drive as well >>



Best deal I've seen in a while (yes, I know it's being discussed on the Hot Deals forum) is on a WD 30GB, ATA100, 7200RPM retail drive - $79 at bestbuy with free shipping or you can check to see if a local store has it in stock and pick it up. I had just ordered a 20GB drive from Mwave this morning for $88 then had to cancel when I saw this deal. Picked up 4 of them at lunch!

 

[Arithorn]

Sweet! Thanks for the tip - I ordered one immediately.

Ok, so now this is what I'm about to go and order:

Epox EP-8K7A motherboard
1.33ghz Athlong 266fsb
256megs of DDR ram
WD 30gig 7200rpm A100

Thanks all! Anything I'm forgetting? Oh, can anyone recommend a good case with a 300watt power supply?

 

[Midnight Rambler]

My favorite budget case is the InWin S500 mid tower. Superb and heavy duty construction, quick mount drive rails, side panels come off easily, etc. $50. Only caveat is that it comes standard with only a 250W. But you can find them outfitted with 300Ws instead. No other case in this price range ($40-50) comes close in comparison. In fact, it's a better case than many costing much more. The YY (Yeong Yang) 5402 or 5403 is nice as well, for an inexpensive case. Has room for (2) 120mm's fans !!!

 

[wfbberzerker]

for case i recommend the enlight 7237
it has 300w, 4 5.25&quot; bays, and is a good case overall
(and if you order from newegg.com you get $5 off with purchase of athlon - eh, $5, but its better than nothing off)