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Which Is More Futureproof? And RAM Question...

P

Playmaker

Golden Member
Wow I've been posting a lot lately. Friends keep asking me to help them build computers for college (and I don't get paid heh) and want me to post here for advice first. I'm trying to build a rig that will be able to play pretty much all games that come out from now until the end of next summer at least somewhat decently. I know you can never tell what the future might bring in regards to requirements, but your best guess is appreciated. Trying not to spend to much doing it also so I've narrowed it down to a few options, but first a question. He doesn't want to have to upgrade anything between now and then except possibly RAM, so I have a question regarding that. If the board I'm looking at has 4 DDR slots, 2 sets of dual channel, would there be a performance difference between 2x512 and 4x256? I ask because 256 is cheap at Best Buy here and adding 2 more sticks down the road if prices drop would be easy. I DO REALIZE that there is a better chance of OCing higher with 2x512 then 4x256 but the chances are smaller that one of the sticks has bad chips that won't go as high, but I'm asking from a strictly performance standpoint everything else being equal. Short version: Any performance difference between 2x512 and 4x256 on a dual channel DDR board?

On to the options I'm looking at...

1) Abit IS7 / P4 2.4C / 2x512mb DDR / ATI 9600 Pro

2) Abit IS7 / P4 2.4C / 2x256mb DDR / ATI 9700 non-pro

3) cheap nforce2 board / Athlon XP in the $80 range / 2x512mb DDR / ATI 9700 non-pro

In option 3 I would be shooting for an AMD mobo/CPU combo that is $100 cheaper then the IS7/P4 combo to buy the extra RAM. Retail HSF will be used. I'm leaning towards option 2 depending on the answer to my question above. Games played will be primarily new MMORPGs and some new FPS that come out between now and the end of next summer. I threw the AMD option in there as a possibility. Basically what it comes down to is 512mb RAM and 9700 np vs. 1gig RAM and 9600 Pro for new games...
 
> 4 x 256
Read the top article on the front page of Anadtech.com. 4 x 256 is better if they're a matched quad, but if you're buying some now, some later you won't get that.

An XP 2400+ with 266 FSB and 1 GB of PC2100 DDR is a great gaming CPU, even though it's slower than the P4 2.4C (= roughly 2700+). Paired with a 9800 non-pro this will beat the P4 2.4C and a 9700 non-pro since above 2 GHz most 3D games are more video-card limited than CPU-limited.

I personally think it's a waste to buy just a 2.4C unless you're overclocking -- once you've paid for the expensive PC3200 RAM and motherboard you should put in at least a 2.6C. Otherwise you're paying a big premium for just a small jump over the 2400+ / PC2100 combo.

(ed) since AMD doesn't need matched, you could also drop to 768 MB of PC2100 to save even more and help pay for the 9800 non-pro.
 
go with a Soltek Nforce2 with a Barton 2500+, o/c to 3200 Speeds and buy a 9700

thats how I'd go....be faster than a non o/c'd 2.4C combo (or comparable and cheaper)
 
Should have mentioned this in my original post. I would attempt to hit 225FSB with the 5:4 divider to run the P4 at 3.0ghz. I haven't seen a post yet that says they haven't been able to with the retail HSF. If I would OC an AMD system I would have to hassle with finding a good aftermarket HSF correct? The AMD route is tempting because I could go with 768MB of RAM which would suit me fine, but is PC2100 THAT much cheaper then Kingston HyperX 256MB PC3500 for $50 each?

I guess I'm not familiar with matching RAM. If I went with 2x256MB Kingston HyperX PC3500 from Best Buy now and then bought the same RAM down the road if the comp needs upgrading wouldn't that be matched?

I built an nForce2 system for a friend 3-4 months ago and it's plenty fast, but with these new Intel boards out they seem to be the most popular route. Thanks for the suggestions. Anyone else have any other opinions?
 
Just priced the mobo/CPU combos out at Newegg...

Abit IS7-E + P4 2.4C = $270

Epox 8RDA+ + Barton 2500+ + Thermalright SLK-800a + AS3 = $220

Reading thru the reviews on Newegg it seems I'd have no problem hitting 3.0ghz with the P4 2.4C with the retail HSF and the crappy thermal pad it comes with, but it seems like I'd need a new HSF and AS3 to run the Barton 2500+ at 3200+. The bonus with the AMD set up is I could run 3x256MB Kingston HyperX PC3500 correct? Are there any conflicts with Kingston HyperX and nForce boards? And dual channel doesn't do much of anything on the AMD boards so 3 sticks isn't a problem right? The $50 savings on the AMD set up would allow me to run 3x256 for the same price as 2x256 on the Intel set up. I guess that's what it comes down to. Which set up is faster for gaming and ripping mp3s? AMD with 768MB of RAM or the Intel with 512MB of RAM? Consider same video card...
 
Ripping MP3's has mostly nothing to do with CPU speed. REALLY fast CD-ROM's are only capable of extracting audio at 20X... if you're talking about encoding MP3's from uncompressed audio that's already on your hard drive, then the Intel will be faster.
 
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