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Will this be a good PC (and some questions!)

X

x3ro

Senior member
Hey guys,

I've been out of the computer loop for QUITE awhile now..I got lost behind..LOL

Anyways, I'm looking to build a new PC for myself.......I've decided to go with the AMD Athlon XP processors.....Good price/performance ratio from what i've found.....Where I'm getting stuck is the mother boards.......Which damn motherboard should I use? The only two I can be sure that would probably be good are the Abit KX7333 and the Asus A7v333.....Am I right about these? Which would be better to go with? Which would be more stable and have the most features/bang for the buck? I want a rock solid system for gaming, photoshop'ing, and of course internet 😉 I want at least a 1.5ghz chip.....Which one should I go with? I'd rather not overclock, as I dont want to delve that deep into computers again.....I also want at least 512mb ram......Which ram to get? DDR? What speed? 2100/2700/???? What kinda video card should I go with? Oh yea, what about sound cards? haven't read much about them lately.......I'll be running Win XP Pro.....Or should I run Win2k? Help out an aged n00bie here 🙂

Luke
 
I would go with the AthlonXP 2400 or 2700 and a Nforce2 setup. I would also get a Radeon 9700. I think that might be alittle over a thousand once you add all the other components but I defiantely would buy anything else since they provide exceptional price/performance ratio.
 
Guys we're looking at stuff available now....I'm just looking for recommendations on these parts....Opinions on what's out there and stuff...I wont use any intergrated stuff, and the nForce would be unnecessary...I'm gonna try and buy used if i can.....But right now im just looking for opinions on the different parts available!
 
Guys we're looking at stuff available now....
Click to expand...

Agreed...what the hell is majewski thinking....maybe he thought you were going to paper launch the specs of your pc!!!😉 joking aside, but that was stupid...


I like the 1900-2000+ range if you are not much into the ocing...1600+ xp is hard to pass up if you feel confident on the ocing route....Ofcourse this is budget route and since you said you may buy new this is more realistic then recommending a 2400+ xp which you may as of today be able to buy...

I run ecs mobos and have built them and I would say look around for a sound kt333 mobo....take advantage of thermal protection, usb 2.0, more advanced memory controllers, etc....
 
Originally posted by: Duvie
Guys we're looking at stuff available now....
Click to expand...

Agreed...what the hell is majewski thinking....maybe he thought you were going to paper launch the specs of your pc!!!😉 joking aside, but that was stupid...
Click to expand...

I wonder if he might possibly have been joking? 😉
 
Are those ECS mobo's any good? I want a very reliable, long lasting KT333 mobo......I've been hearing a lot about ECS.....what's up with them? So should i go Abit, Asus, or ECS?
 
Honestly, if you want rock stable then I would go with at least an xp 2000 or 2100. Then i would go with Either the Asus A7V333 or the Epox 8k3a. Of course spend the extra money and get a better hsf for that processor to keep it cool though... probably a slk-800 is what i would go with. Then get at least PC 2700 preferably Samsung on a samsung pcb. Then use Win2k (not xp) I dont believe xp is ready... Make sure you have a pretty large Hard Drive like at least 60 gig. The faster the better on the drive also. The two motherboards from what i know are very good stable mobos. On the asus you can count on it overvolting the processor by like .23v. They are known for that so realize that. And probably the most important piece of equipment in your box should be an awesome psu dont buy junk... you want it to be stuck to the rails because that is basically the backbone of the pc. Without continuous sturdy power your equipment may as well be junk. I prefer Leadman psus because I have one and I cant get it off the rails no matter what I do... I hooked up 10 fans in series and powered up my cpu overclocked the )(*& out of it and it didnt come off its rails. That is a good psu. Take this all into consideration when purchasing your equipment. My order of importance would be this...

1. PSU
2. Mobo
3. CPU (Speed)
4. Memory
5. Cooling
6. Drives

That is my opinion... I hope i helped.
 
The top KT333 motherboards out right now are the Epox 8K5A series, and the current favorite is the 8K5A2+ Not only is it reliable, it has shown itself to not only be the fastest KT333 board, but also in some cases faster than the newer KT400 boards. Evan Lieb, AT's motherboard editor, had this to say in his most recent review, of the new Epox P4 board, the Epox 4PEA+...

Recently, Epox has been gaining some significant traction in the enthusiast motherboard market, dominated by overclockers and bleeding edge performance and features gurus. It's no wonder that AnandTech's very own forums are filled with Epox-related news, reviews, and all types of information related to Epox mainboards.

Quite frankly, we have to agree, Epox is doing a lot of things right. They clearly have the fastest Socket A KT333 motherboard on the market (only by a small margin though), dubbed the 8K5A2+. In fact, the Epox 8K5A2+ is faster than a number of KT400 motherboards available today. Overclocking-wise, it doesn't seem like many boards can match what Epox is able to consistently dish up. After talking with several Epox reps, we learned that Epox's "secret" to engineering consistently well-overclocking motherboards is to design boards with cleaner circuit layouts, which help in feeding a steady voltage to all the components on a motherboard.
Click to expand...

The board can be had for ~$90, and it has 5.1 sound, 6 USB 2.0 ports, ATA133/RAID, and onboard LAN, and it fully supports the thermal protection of the Athlon XP's. The current favorite setup is a 1600+ XP (1.4ghz), 8K5A2+, and some good PC2700. The latest 1600+ CPU's are basically 2100+'s now, and they pretty much all run 166mhz FSB, 1.75ghz with no exotic cooling or added voltage. The board also has full support for the upcoming 333mhz FSB Athlon's, and as a result, has the correct dividers for keeping the PCI and AGP in spec when running a 166mhz FSB. While technically it is o/c ing, it's really quite simple to do, and is extremely low risk. It's simply a matter of setting the FSB to 166mhz in the bios, and your done. The best part is the 1600+ CPU's are only ~$50, so it saves you some money that can be put to better use in the form of a nicer videocard and/or larger hard drive. If you are dead set against o/cing at all, then just snag a 2100+ and a decent HSF.

Here is a configuration to consider...

Epox 8K5A2+ - $95 @ Mwave
Athlon XP 1600+ - $56 @ Newegg
512mb Corsair PC2700C2 - $158 @ Googlegear (2day Fedex for $.50)
WD 80gb "SE" HD (8mb cache) - $111 shipped @ Newegg
Lite-On 48x12x48 CDRW - $61 @ Newegg
Lite-On 16X DVD - $45 @ Newegg


🙂

 
Very many thanks to all you guys 🙂

Thanks so much insane3d! So if I get the Epox board, and an XP 1600+, I wont need any special cooling other htan a better HSF combo? Are there any special markings I should look for in the chip to know it will go 1.75ghz?? For under $150 bucks, this sounds like a bad ass solution....I dont mind o/c'ing, I just didn't wanna delve into having to do special things to a chip to add voltage and all that crazy stuff......
 
Another vote for the Epox 8k5a2+

Not too hard to overclock it. For a while newegg was advertising AGOIA cores, but they aren't anymore. People have had good oc'ing experiences with the 1600+ AGOIA and AROIA cores. Set the fsb to 166 and away you go. Maybe have to bump the vcore up a bit, but I didn't have to.
 
Thanks guys....


Oh, and I'm building from scratch....I dont do complete POS systems 😉

Where can i get that epox board for pretty cheap?
 
Take a look at the configuration I suggested above...it has links to places with good prices. You also might want to check here. They have it for a few bucks cheaper, but you will probably be better off buying from a quality retailer like Mwave. I've heard some horror stories about RMA's with CnetPC, so be careful.

🙂

Also, you might want to check that Epox 8K5A series thread in the Motherboards forum, it has tons of great info. 🙂
 
Thanks for all your help Insane3d 🙂 I didn't even notice the system configuration you posted...LOL....I was in a hurry at lunch...I'm not really worried about a new harddrive and the cdrw dvd stuff....I have all that already 🙂
 
NP...if you encounter any problems during your system building, or have any questions, feel free to send me a pm. Do you need a HSF suggestion, or do you have that covered already?
 
Actually Insane, I could use a HSF recommendation....Haven't thought about that one yet...Whichever way i go, it's gonna be an Athlon XP...
 
The MSI KT3 Ultra2 and the EPoX 8K5A2+ are both excellent motherboards based on the KT333 chipset. The KT400 chipset doesn't have anything to offer that the KT333 does not besides extra cost. Anything up to the XP2000+ is an extreme bargain. The 2200+ and 2400+ are both well priced, but not quite as competitively as those below it. You can pick up a 2000+ for around $110 with a good heatsink. 512MB of memory is the way to go right now. Crucial always has some of the best memory one can find for excellent prices; PC2700 is the way to go. The GeForce4 Ti4200 is probably the best video card out there in terms of price/performance. One can be had for under $150. The Radeon8500LE 128MB is the way to go if you need a slightly cheaper video card (Around $100). Sound cards are a hot topic of debate right now. I have a Philips Acoustic Edge, and I love it. The positional audio is awesome, as well as the audio playback, especially with 5.1 setups. I don't like the Audigy; the drivers have just been sub-par. The Turtle Beach Santa Cruz is also a nice choice. Philips also makes slightly more budget versions of the AE, such as the Seismic and Rhytmic Edges. The Seismic Edge is the same as the AE without the S/PDIF in. The Rhytmic Edge is the same as those, but with only 4.1 support. Any of those soundscards should be had for $70 or less, the RE for under $40.
 
Originally posted by: x3ro
Actually Insane, I could use a HSF recommendation....Haven't thought about that one yet...Whichever way i go, it's gonna be an Athlon XP...
Click to expand...

Well, I'll give you two suggestions.. For a cheap, excellent performing HSF, that is relatively quiet, check out the copper bottomed Taisol CGK760092 for $15 Now, on the high end of the spectrum, if you can afford it, is the Alpha PAL8045. It is considerably more expensive @ $38, but well worth it. It is pretty much the best Athlon HS you can get, other than maybe the $50+ Swiftech. Pair that up with a quiet 80mm fan and you will be good to go. Either way, both will do the job.

I have a 1600+ here on a 8K5A2+ that is running 166mhz FSB, 1.75ghz, with the Taisol and no case fans. 🙂

 
Again, thank you so much guys!


Insane3d, do you have aim? I'd lik to talk to you further........Real time would be easier though 🙂 I have AIM and ICQ...


a 1600+ at 166mhz bus would be what GHZ speed?

Thanks!
 
If you don't need AGPx8, the ASUS A7v333 mobo is your best choice in my opinion. Great included instructions and easy to set up. I know two buddies using it, one has been running it for 6 months withot any problems, the other for 1 month. Onboard sound, however, is only decent.
 
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