Upgrading to Athlon XP system...need advice

[heat23]

Right now I am running a Celeron 566@700. Ive had it for a while and am getting bored with it. So I am planning on upgrading. I really dont want to spend too much, (under $175 for mobo, cpu, ram). So what I have in mind is:

Abit KG7-RAID - $47 from Compgeeks
Athlon 1600+ - $55 from Newegg (Please suggest a cheap HS/FAN to get (under $10 shipped))
256mb PC2100 DDR - $40 from AT

What do yall think about this setup?
Is that the best mobo in the under $75 price range?
I am not planning on overclocking.
Will I see a significant upgrade in performance from my current setup?
Any comments would be appreciated!

thanks
heat

 

[Insane3D]

Here's suggestion if you could spend a little more than will give you an even nicer boost in performance..

Epox 8K3AE (KT333) - $71

256mb Samsung True PC2700 - $64


These components, coupled with the $55 Newegg 1600+ will bring your total to $190...only $15 more. With these three components you can run the XP @ 166mhz FSB, 1.75ghz (2100+) without changing any voltages and not running anything out of spec.


The extra $15 would be well spent IMO.


🙂


Oh, and yes, either upgrade will be a big improvement. 🙂

 

[heat23]

What kind of HS/FAN will i need?? also how can you be sure it will overclock that high??

 

[Insane3D]

What kind of HS/FAN will i need??

Nothing fancy since you will not be raising any voltages. For a decent, low priced, excellent performing HSF, that is also fairly quiet, I like to use the Taisol CGK760092 Copper Insert for $15.

also how can you be sure it will overclock that high??

I just set up two myself, and they are quite popular around the forums. The yields are so good on the .18um XP's that they are all basically 2100+'s in disguise. The 1600+ is the most desirable since it has a low multiplier, allowing you to crank it to 1666mhz FSB without needing to do any unlocking. On the KT333 board I mentioned, and most other KT333 boards in fact, they have the correct PCI and AGP dividers that kick in @ 166mhz FSB, and bring the PCI and AGP back to 33mhz and 66mhz respectively. This makes for a completely stable o/c.

Check out this thread for more info. Also, just do a search for "AGOIA" or "1600+".

🙂

 

[TechnoKid]

The best price/peformance AMD cooler out right now is the Thermalright AX7. Match it up with just about any 80mm fan selection and you'll have one hell of a cooler.

As for the AXP1600's, these are known to be great overclockers, hitting 2100/2200 spec easily without breaking a sweat. Generally, it has been known that the AROIA Y and AGOIA Y steppings produce the best overclocking results, but as with any overclock, YMMV.

 

[Insane3D]

The best price/peformance AMD cooler out right now is the Thermalright AX7.

Speak for yourself....

🙂

 

[HendrixFan]

The Thermalright AX-7 will NOT fit on the EPOX EP-8K3AE board, but will fit perfectly fine on the 8K3A or 8k5A.

 

[heat23]

Thanks for the info...
what about this deal
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=869485&highlight_key=y&keyword1=fry%27s
is this a better bang for the buck?

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: heat23
Thanks for the info...
what about this deal
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&threadid=869485&highlight_key=y&keyword1=fry%27s
is this a better bang for the buck?

IMO, no it isn't. With that setup you will still only be running a asynchronous FSB/Memory ratio. You will get better performance with the XP1600+ running 2100+ speeds with a synchronous FSB/Memory bus. The $20 or so more is well worth it IMO. 🙂


The thing you need to understand is basically ALL of these 1600+ run 1.75ghz with no extra votage or tweaking...simply set the FSB to 166mhz and that's it. Also, the Epox board supports the thermal diode of the XP's, and to my knowledge, the Soyo's don't...

🙂

 

[heat23]

bump

 

[m1ke101]

Originally posted by: HendrixFan
The Thermalright AX-7 will NOT fit on the EPOX EP-8K3AE board, but will fit perfectly fine on the 8K3A or 8k5A.

woah you scared me for a second, i just bought a 8k3a from newegg and i red that first line, i thought SH1T, but then i finished reading and now i'm good.