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What CPU to Buy Now??

M

methodman7

Junior Member
What CPU should I buy now? My current motherboard has gone bad so instead of replacing the motherboard (For a PIII 600) I was thinking of upgrading or getting a new system. What is the best CPU to get right now? Should I get a cheaper one now because of AMD's coming Opteron processors? I am open to both Intel and AMD processors. Also what motherboard would you choose for the CPU that you prefer on getting now?

Thanks! 🙂
 
This is a question best answered by browsing through this forum.. Its been asked a lot, so you will find quite a few threads to help you decide.

Originally posted by: methodman7
What CPU should I buy now? My current motherboard has gone bad so instead of replacing the motherboard (For a PIII 600) I was thinking of upgrading or getting a new system. What is the best CPU to get right now? Should I get a cheaper one now because of AMD's coming Opteron processors? I am open to both Intel and AMD processors. Also what motherboard would you choose for the CPU that you prefer on getting now?

Thanks! 🙂
Click to expand...

 
Here's a combo that would be hard to beat: XP1600+ CPU / NewEgg @ $57, ABIT KR7A-133 (or with RAID) or KXR7-333 either is under $90 new. Feelin' lucky ? The referbished rack is full of returned boards that people bought and sent back, a lot of the time when they found themselves in over their heads, perfectly correct board,
may be a BIOS flash down to the CPU. Either of the mentioned boards are under $60 from NewEgg. These boards are loaded with adjustable parameters so you can
easily punch your system. Thats $150 new, or under $120 'ferbed. Work the BIOS & you'll suprise yourselves. 2 sticks of256MB - PC2700 (Samsung?,Crucial?) and don't go under 300W p/s and you're off.

Mr. Spock, can you help me overclock this Commodore 64?
 
I agree with the old school treker fan, only plan on buying a new PSU unless you have at least a quality 300w already that provides 200w 3.3&5v combined so you know it's not holding you back and stick with KT333 chipsets like the KXR7-333 or 8K5A2 because odds are that you can drop that 1600+ from Newegg which will most likely be AGOIA (I just ordered a 2nd 1 so I'll be able to confirm the stepping on wednesday 🙂 ) in the board, set the FSB to 166mhz and start enjoying your new XP2100+ (333FSB so it's even better 😉 ) system for very cheap.
 
I forgot to say welcome to the forums 🙂 I also wanted to say the first system suggested by Kirk is a great all around setup and price/performance winner but if you are looking for a high end setup here is 1 that isn't nearly as budget concious in case you have good funding for this upgrade 😉 P4 2.26ghz (wait 2 weeks to buy as Intel will be dropping prices substantially and it should be around 200$ U.S.) Asus P4B533 Antec 430w true power Corsair XMS3200 C2 That setup will probably overclock to at least 2.6ghz no sweat and probably considerably higherLastly, unless you have at least a 8500 or G3 vid card I would suggets you look in to upgrading that as well 😉 IHTH and let us know what you buy!
 
It depends what you want..... If you want speed, Over Clocking abilities, if your $ is limited.....

Speed: P4 2.4a/ 2.26a with a Asus P4b-vm533
OC Abilities: P4 1.6a with a Epox 4g4a+
$: AMD XP 1600+ with a Soyo Kt33 dragon lite

Hope that helps 😉
 
I would go for the P4 just for the peace and quiet. My rig doesn't even have a case fan. Running an asus p4s533 in jumper mode with 1.8a at 2.4 and 4:5 setting for 166 fsb ddram. This board has a "smart fan" feature in the hardware monitor that reduces cpu fan speeds when they're not needed. Runs my stock Intel heatsink fan at 1500 rpm much of the time. Got this refurbished board at newegg for $66 with nothing but bare board. Wait until aug 28th for the Intel price drops, and reviews of the sis 648 boards.
 
Yo, Dapunisher - thanks for the concurrence, and reinforcing parts quality. Dosn't look like too many others have caught on to what the XP1600's will do yet ! Well - thats more CPU's for us & more money spent by them. I'm considering building an open - caseless breadboard lab computer with all the stuff that accumulates as "extras" most likely my XP1600+ on an ABIT so I can watch the parts melt when the photon torpedos hit.
 
Awesome thanks alot for the replies and the welcome DAPUNISHER! 🙂

So do you guys suggest I get a new motherboard for my PIII 600 system or to upgrade now to a P4 or AMD?? Or should I upgrade once the new AMD processors come out (Opteron)?? 🙂

methodman
 
The ultimate choice is going to be what you feel confortable with and what you can afford. What resources from your P-III can be re-cycled into an upgrade, and how aggresive do you want to get with this upgrade. If you are coming over to the AMD side of the Force, you will be suprised where the XP1600+ with the right mobo and good quality DDR RAM can take you. A tweakable board ( I like ABIT's KR7-133R, my current board ) but you need TRUE OEM Memory - thats either Crucial or Samsung, and NOT some other makers PCB mounted with Micron or Samsung, they don't sell their premium chips to their compeditors - would you? Power suppy, again nothing under 300W, and if you can afford it a little over 400W is better. What do you plan to do with this upgrade configuration? gaming? some Vid's work better than others, no games - don't need as much punch! Get's to be a little bit like feeding a growing monster, the more you want to feed it the more you want to feed it. A Black Hole in Cyberspace that has a Tractor Beam on your wallet. List your parts, and figure out how to slay this dragon.
We come in PEACE ! Set phasers to KILL !
 
First of all, 'welcome' . . . also feel free to use the "search" function for further research.

The guys are right . . . you need to specify your 1) budget and 2) your "needs" (gaming). Also, do you plan to keep everything in your current system except your CPU and MB? Are you an O/C'er? (Your PIII 600E - if it's an "E" will likely hit 800Mhz).

If you go the Intel Tualatin Celeron route (SOYO TISU MB for $50 shipped), you can still use your current Power Suppy, SDRAM and current CPU. Later you can get a Tually 1.0Ghz-1.3Ghz CPU for cheap ($50-$80) which will give you a nice O/C (1.0 to 1.33Ghz or 1.2 to 1.5+Ghz).

EDIT: I'd say this is the cheapest SIGNIFICANT upgrade which can be done in 2 steps ($50 MB + $50-60 CPU) with no other hardware required.
 
personally i would get an athlonXP (what ever speed your bugdet likes 🙂 ) but as was said above the 1600+ is a great one for overclocking

for a motherboard i would get the epox 8k5a2
 
thats more CPU's for us
Click to expand...
Damn straight! 😀
I'm considering building an open - caseless breadboard lab computer with all the stuff that accumulates as "extras" most likely my XP1600+ on an ABIT so I can watch the parts melt when the photon torpedos hit.
Click to expand...
Pics 😛 methodman7 if your budget is tight and you don't need a lot of extra performance over what you have now then apoppin's advice is excellent. If you are able, willing, and have the cash though the 1600+ setup for modest budget and 1 of the P4 setups suggested for a healthy budget are win/win options.
 
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