Would you spend the extra on the motherboard or on the hard drive?

[classy]

I have new 1800+ XP on the way. I am putting together a new a system. I am trying save a little. So here's my question. Should I buy a WD 8meg buffer harddrive and pair it with a KT266A board or buy a Maxtor 740DX and a KT333 motherboard? The Maxtor costs less, by about $20. The same difference in price between a 266A and KT333 board. There is some great bargains on KT266 boards. The WD costs a little more but seems to offer much more punch. I am an online gamer, I play only Q3, so I want my maps to load fast 😉. The rest of my setup inlcudes 384 megs of Crucial 2100 and my Radeon 8500. And damn skippy, the 8500 is as sweet as all get out 😀. Which one do you think offers more. THX

 

[Rand]

The KT333 doesnt offer much performance advantage nor does it offer many features or longevity advantages that are terribly appealing, personally I'd go with a Western Digital 'JB' drive and a KT266A based mobo over a Maxtor D740X and a KT333 board.

 

[hopeless879]

I second that. The KT333 mobo wont do you anygood unless you pair it with some pc 2700 ram. As far as i know the only difference between KT266A and KT333 is that KT333 has support for PC2700. The WD with the 8mb buffer will probably give you faster load times for games.

 

[fatbaby]

Originally posted by: hopeless879
I second that. The KT333 mobo wont do you anygood unless you pair it with some pc 2700 ram. As far as i know the only difference between KT266A and KT333 is that KT333 has support for PC2700. The WD with the 8mb buffer will probably give you faster load times for games.

i thought the kt333 supports ata 133 too?

 

[Rand]

Originally posted by: fatbaby

Originally posted by: hopeless879
I second that. The KT333 mobo wont do you anygood unless you pair it with some pc 2700 ram. As far as i know the only difference between KT266A and KT333 is that KT333 has support for PC2700. The WD with the 8mb buffer will probably give you faster load times for games.

i thought the kt333 supports ata 133 too?

The VT8233A South Bridge supports ATA133, but there is nothing mandating a manufacturer to use the VT8233A chip, nor isanything preventing them from using said SB with an older VIA NorthBridge such as that used on the KT266A chipset.

Either way, ATA133 is of precious little benefit now or in the immediate future.

 

[Athlon4all]

Originally posted by: Rand
The KT333 doesnt offer much performance advantage nor does it offer many features or longevity advantages that are terribly appealing, personally I'd go with a Western Digital 'JB' drive and a KT266A based mobo over a Maxtor D740X and a KT333 board.

Agreed.

As for KT333's ata/133 support, yes, but ATA/133 will never be pushed to the limit, and it, like DDR333, shouldn't even be a factor. Do yourself a favor and get a WD JB drive🙂

 

[etalns]

I second that. The KT333 mobo wont do you anygood unless you pair it with some pc 2700 ram. As far as i know the only difference between KT266A and KT333 is that KT333 has support for PC2700. The WD with the 8mb buffer will probably give you faster load times for games.