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Will this PC suck? And CPU recommendations!

msi1337

msi1337

Diamond Member
So, I am in the process of building my next computer and I went over budget before I had a chance to purchase a better cpu. Do you think this config will be bearable until I can buy a new cpu? Also, which cpu should I get? I am a techie, but have not really read enough about the differences between barton/sempron/mobile..etc...

System so far:

ATX case
Athlon 1000 Thunderbird (vintage, yes I know!), AeroCool Extreme HSF (decent. it was free)
Enermax 365 watt PSU
Abit NF7-M (onboard GF4MX .. I am not a heavy gamer)
(2) 512mb Corsair Value Ram PC3200 (Cas2.5)
Seagate 160GB 8mb 7200rpm HDD
13.6GB Maxtor (Does me more good in here than collecting dust)
52x Samsung CD-RW
Floppy
(2) 120mm Fans
(1) 80mm side blowhole


Any thoughts? How much slower will this be than my other pc with the same specs, except sempron 2300+
?
 
Originally posted by: DanDaMan315
Just get a AMD64 2800+, it'll be worth the extra bucks.
Click to expand...

Not going to work in a Socket A mobo. Could go Sempron which is roughly equivalent to an XP. Either one should do, and if all you are going to do is office apps and web surfing don't even bother.
 
well, lets say I want pretty high end, but not necessarily A64...

if I go A64 wouldn't I need a new PSU, Mobo, Chip,hsf?

could I keep my current ram?

I was thinking about putting a 3000+ barton or sempron in the computer

 
With a A64 your powersupply and ram should still be find.

Buying a retail cpu will have a hs/f (and come with the 3 yr warranty vs 30 day, so it's a good idea anyway)

You'll need a new motherboard, but they're not all that expensive.

Maybe:

soltek motherboard

athlon64 2800+ cpu

EDIT: is your powersupply 350 watts or 365?

Enermax is a nice brand and it should be solid for you unless you're running tons of extra stuff in your case (which it seems you're not 🙂)
 
Old school stuff. As everyone else said. I'd sugges upgrading to an A64 2800+ to be partially "future-proof" as you'll have suppor tfor 64bit OSes when they're released. (Yes, I know Linux has a 64bit OS.)
 
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
With a A64 your powersupply and ram should still be find.

Buying a retail cpu will have a hs/f (and come with the 3 yr warranty vs 30 day, so it's a good idea anyway)

You'll need a new motherboard, but they're not all that expensive.

Maybe:

soltek motherboard

athlon64 2800+ cpu

EDIT: is your powersupply 350 watts or 365?

Enermax is a nice brand and it should be solid for you unless you're running tons of extra stuff in your case (which it seems you're not 🙂)
Click to expand...

Socket 754 isn't going to be around forever, however.
 
Originally posted by: ohnnyj
Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
With a A64 your powersupply and ram should still be find.

Buying a retail cpu will have a hs/f (and come with the 3 yr warranty vs 30 day, so it's a good idea anyway)

You'll need a new motherboard, but they're not all that expensive.

Maybe:

soltek motherboard

athlon64 2800+ cpu

EDIT: is your powersupply 350 watts or 365?

Enermax is a nice brand and it should be solid for you unless you're running tons of extra stuff in your case (which it seems you're not 🙂)
Click to expand...

Socket 754 isn't going to be around forever, however.
Click to expand...

I'm aware of that.... Socket 939 isn't going to be around forever either 😉

You can get a 939 solution too, but it's going to cost you more. If you're trying to get a cpu/mb for cheap now, I think 754 is a good option.
If you want to spend more, 939 is usually better.
I'd also argue that if you're looking at save money now, you're going to be getting a budget board now in either socket. Later on down the road if you're going to get a better processor (which would be the argument to get a 939 solution) then you might be wanting to get a new mb at that time anyway.


Oh, and if you're not a heavy gamer like you say, your tbird will probably be fine.
 
can someone tell me the diff between 754 and 939... is it possible to use an AGP card on 939 and my current psu and memory?

would this mobo be any good?

I dont have a clue how much a pci express video card would be, so I dont know if it would be worth it to get the only motherboard (939) with onboard video..

also, which chipset is best Nf4, NF4 ultra, or NF4 SLi
 
NF4 SLI is a waste unless you're going to get 2 videocards and run SLI.

NF4 or NF4 ultra would be good.

If you're not doing any gaming, the board you picked would be a nice cheap option.

There are 939 motherboards with AGP too if you have an AGP card laying around.

As for 754 vs 939, 939 gives a little more performance, but costs more. The main reason to get a 939 is upgradablility. 754 isn't going to support newer processors that come out in the future.
 
say I decide to just keep what I have now and just get a faster processor. what should I get?

3000+?

is it even worth it? If I get a 2.0ghz or 2.2ghz amd processor, it should last me at least another year

 
Yeah, it might be a good idea to just do that. A 2500+ or 3000+ barton would be a good performance jump from your tbird. The mobile processors are nice if you want to overclock, but if that's not what you're doing, a sempron or barton would be a nice bump.

Maybe just upgrade the processor now and then save up for when you can upgrade the mb/processor/vid card later?

I have a 2500+ right now and I'm not much of a gamer. I'm very happy with the performance of it.

If you're interested in AGP 939 motherboards, these are a couple options
MSI

Epox
 
what will you all be doing on this computer. if you are strapped for money i dont see why you would even consider going to a s939. dump that old harddrive as its too small for data storage and to much slower then the seagate for an os drive. if you are willing to overclock get a mobile 2400 25watt and a zalman alcu 7000b. with a nice oc of 2.4 or so it will not be much slower then the baseline a64s and is significantly cheaper.
 
Originally posted by: footbal07
dump that old harddrive as its too small for data storage and to much slower then the seagate for an os drive.
Click to expand...

QFT (Quoted For Truth) as it is definite weak link in your system. And I hope you are not using it as an OS drive. You would be better off just using the single Seagate.

 
I think I am going to upgrade my video card and get a mobile socket a processor. I looked into upgrading to 939, and it's just too much for my budget right now.

any suggestions on a good AGP card for my Abit Nf7-M motherboard? something middle of the road with 128mb memory should be fine. Like I said I really don't play much computer games besides emulators.. I played Doom 3 at 1024x768 on the onboard Gf4Mx and it ran fine.

P.s. the 13gb hard drive has been dumped!
 
get a 3200 barton

even if your a light gamer g4mx wont play shlt
the one in my dads wont even play Comand and Conquer Generals
 
Originally posted by: msi1337
can someone tell me the diff between 754 and 939... is it possible to use an AGP card on 939 and my current psu and memory?

would this mobo be any good?

I dont have a clue how much a pci express video card would be, so I dont know if it would be worth it to get the only motherboard (939) with onboard video..

also, which chipset is best Nf4, NF4 ultra, or NF4 SLi
Click to expand...
Yes, that looks good. On-board graphics, and a pci express 16x slot in case you change your mind !
 
Originally posted by: Markfw900
Originally posted by: msi1337
can someone tell me the diff between 754 and 939... is it possible to use an AGP card on 939 and my current psu and memory?

would this mobo be any good?

I dont have a clue how much a pci express video card would be, so I dont know if it would be worth it to get the only motherboard (939) with onboard video..

also, which chipset is best Nf4, NF4 ultra, or NF4 SLi
Click to expand...
Yes, that looks good. On-board graphics, and a pci express 16x slot in case you change your mind !
Click to expand...

This probably won't be a problem for you, but I'm pretty sure that board has no overclocking options.
 
stick with socket A, get an athlon xp mobile and vid card (anything is better than an integrated gpu)

i really don't understand why everyone is saying to get athlon 64 even though its obviously overkill for what he does.

 
A 2800 would allow him to go 64 bit in the future, this is why I suggested the 64. And on top of that you'll get a nice preformance boost, and you'll most likely not have to upgrade as soon.
 
by the time 64 bit becomes useful he should have enough cash to get a modern (at that point in time "modern") athlon 64 system. for now the athlon 64 is overkill for his needs and the athlon xp will be plenty adequate (since he doesn't do that much gaming).
 
Originally posted by: msi1337
I think I am going to upgrade my video card and get a mobile socket a processor. I looked into upgrading to 939, and it's just too much for my budget right now.

any suggestions on a good AGP card for my Abit Nf7-M motherboard? something middle of the road with 128mb memory should be fine. Like I said I really don't play much computer games besides emulators.. I played Doom 3 at 1024x768 on the onboard Gf4Mx and it ran fine.

P.s. the 13gb hard drive has been dumped!
Click to expand...

Does a $100 card sound alright? You can get a radeon 9600pro for that much and it will be much more capable than your mx.

You could also try a 6200 and try to unlock the pipelines to get the performance of a 6600. You void your warranty, aren't gauranteed success, and have to do some work to get that to happen. If you like little projects though, that could be an option.

If you want to get really good value and don't mind used cards, getting a used radeon 9700 pro would be a nice option. $140 on ebay. Check FS/FT forums too.

 
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