wwjd with $350?

[Blues X]

Okay, I'm pretty knowledgeable regarding computers. At least I thought I was until I started reading through all these forums...

I want to upgrade my current system (P3 1Ghz with 512mb pc133 mem) to a P4 system or equiv. AMD system.

I'm going to reuse most of my current system, like my HD, vid card (GF4 4200 w/ 128mbRAM), cd-rom and cd-rw, floppy, etc.

All I need are a mobo, CPU, memory, and case w/power supply.

FYI, I will not be doing any overclocking at all. And I don't need the latest bleeding edge technology. I'd like USB 2.0. Onboard LAN would be nice, too. But I can always add cards for those features if I need to. I'm upgrading mainly for gaming.

I do want a cpu that meets or surpasses 2Ghz clock speed. I'd like the P4 2.4Ghz w/533fsb (It's down to $191 retail now on Pricewatch).

So, what setup would you choose for around $350 (give or take)? I'm interested to see what choices various people make that I maybe hadn't considered.

Thanks for your input.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

a Dell ..check with LukFilm

 

[Blues X]

A Dell wouldn't be bad... but that wouldn't be an upgrade, either. That'd be a new system.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Jesus would live with what he has and donate the money to a food bank

In your case, you can go P4 but need maybe another $50-100 to add the case (cpu, intel mobo, DDR 2700, case), perhaps by seeing what you get for your existing parts? An Antec 630 or 660 would be much nicer (and more reliable power supply) than a Hot Deals $30 case.

With AMD $350 should get you at least a 2100+.

[edit] and price your parts at Newegg not Pricewatch, newegg sells at about the lowest price that a reputable company can afford to. If Pricewatch lists lower the seller is probably not too trustworthy.

 

[warrenpeace]

I guy i work with got the 2.4 P4 northwood thru price watch this week from Newegg for $184 shipped... i just built it up for him last night. I am an AMD fan, but i would give that deal the big nod in a hurry !
I don't know what he paid for his mobo, but it was an Intel with onboard LAN and sound, selected because it was inexpensive, under, but around $100 (also from newegg)... and he bought an Enermax case with an enermax power supply for $64 shipped ($54 +$10). They were sold out of the case when he looked yesterday... i know four people who bought that same case last week !. He bought RAM locally pretty cheap, $44/256 meg after rebate, but it was Kingston pc2100 (on sale at best buy last week), not anything super fast.

All in all it came in under $450.

Personally if i were buying this week, i would get that proc and a mobo that ran RDRAM, but thats me...


"Jesus would live with what he has and donate the money to a food bank ".... Yea... but 'What Would Jerry Do ???' LoL

 

[Blues X]

I think I found my mobo...

ECS P4S5A/DX. It has USB 2.0, onboard LAN, 5 pci slots, 533mhz fsb, and supports both my current pc133 ram as well as 333DDR ram which I can get after Christmas (yeah, I know, the 133 will suck with a p4, but that's what my budget can afford).

It's about $57 at mwave.com. I am just waiting to make sure they have the right model (all the p4s5adx's I've found so far have usb 1.x instead of usb 2.0)

 

[dszd0g]

I don't see why you would need a new case. You may need a new power supply if your current power supply doesn't have a 12V connector (or open to debate on these forums if it is less than 300-350W). If your case if decent, I would spend the money on the better quality power supply rather than getting a case with a cheap power supply.

Power Supply: ENERMAX EG365P-VE(FM). 350W $47 Newegg/$50 mWave

Memory: Samsung Original DDR333 PC-2700 256MB CAS2.5 $81 Newegg/ not carried by mWave
vs. KINGSTON KVR333X64C25/256 256MB PC2700 333MHZ CL2.5 DDR DIMM $77 mWave ($83 Newegg, but the Samsung Original is better)

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 / 2.4BGHz Northwood 512K Socket 478 Processor 533MHz Retail Box $197 Newegg/$204 mWave

Just that puts you at $325 Newegg/$331 mWave

Motherboard: ASUS P4PE/L (Intel 845PE, onboard audio and lan) $124 Newegg/$123 mWave

You could go with the ECS mobo you mentioned or you could go with. Either would put you over budget, it just depends on how much.
I just prefer going with Intel chipsets if at all possible. If you go with the ECS motherboard, you can skip the memory above and keep yourself within budget. Your performance will be pretty bad, so I would upgrade the memory ASAP. I do not have a high opinion of ECS, but some people here like them for the budget end.

If you want to go AMD:

CPU: AMD ATHLON XP 2100+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL BOX $106 Newegg/$101 mWave
Mobo: Epox Motherboard for AMD Socket A Processors, model EP-8K5A2+ Retail $96 Newegg/$96 mWave
(Buy this somewhere other than Newegg, IMO)

That puts the total at:

$330 at Newegg/$324 mWave

Within budget and a much faster system than running a P4 with PC133 memory. The Athlon XP 2100+ technically runs at 1.73GHz, but hopefully your 2GHz request was a performance request not a technicality. IMO an AMD system with an Epox 8K5A2+ mobo (quite popular on these forums), is going to be more stable than an Intel system with an ECS motherboard. But others opinions may vary. I think the Intel system with the Asus mobo would be a better system, but it is more expensive (one could get an Athlon XP 2400+ system for a little cheaper).

I went with Retail CPUs, because it is cheaper than decent aftermarket coolers. If you plan on overclocking I would recommend an aftermarket cooler and going with OEM processors.

 

[Blues X]

dszd0g,

Thanks for the info. I work in a university chemistry department, and we have our own computer & electronics shop. I'm pretty comfortable going with the ECS board because they've used lots of them and have had no problems. And a lot of the computer users in our department excel at screwing up their systems given any chance, so I think the ECS will be okay for my needs.

I was wary at the low prices of the ECS mobos (since you usually get what you pay for) but all the reviews I read said that the boards were really stable, although not the best choice for overclockers (which I won't be doing; I value the stability over a little more performance; plus I can't afford to fry any components).

I plan to get the memory upgraded ASAP. I would get it immediately, but I'm getting my wife a laptop for Christmas (so I can have more time at the desktop without her bitchin' and moaning ). I realize that a P4 will run like a dog with pc133 memory, but it'll be faster than a P3 1Ghz with the same memory. But I have 512mb of the PC133, and don't want to run on just 256 of DDR. I want to wait until I can get a full 512mb.

My current case is such a piece that I'll be glad to replace it. It's about a 4 year old ATX design, it's hard to get into, and it isn't quiet at all. I might be able to mod it to fit the new mobo and chip, but I think it'll be better to let it go away.

Does anyone know if the CPU prices will drop much more? I had read drops of 30% were expected, but that may have just been for the processors that were really high to begin with.

 

[Blues X]

Should I be looking for a mobo with AGP 8X, or is that pretty much worthless to invest in right now? Seems like I read that the agp is not a bottleneck, so right now it's not a big issue. I just don't want to get a mobo and then in 6 months have cards coming out that I can't use.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Get an EPOX 4PEA+ (Intel 845PE) for mobo - $130. That sucker has EVERYTHING on it. Actually I guess that's a tad out of budget. The 4G4A+ are cheap now.

 

[Daovonnaex]

Jesus would buy a plane ticket and get his ass out of Judea...

 

[Blues X]

Jesus would buy a plane ticket and get his ass out of Judea...

ha!