New Motherboard?

[triggert]

I'm planning on building up a new system, I'd like to get a Intel Pentium 4 2.4ghz and an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Based on these 2 major factors what would be the best motherboard at an affordable price to get? I'm trying to spend about $350 on the processor and motherboard combined.

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[JSR]

go amd

it's a no brainer......but 350?...........the videocard alone is going to suck that up.......un less you are separating the two......if just processor and board.....then well an asus nforce 2 board with a 2800+ processor at about that price with an onboard geforce mx and 6.1 sound........................and , it will kick the crap outta that p4

 

[triggert]

So if I get the Asus nForce 2 board with a 2800+ processor and throw a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro in it how will it run? What would be the best and most compatable video card out there right now to run with the Asus nForce 2 board?

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[triggert]

Do I want the ASUS A7N8X DELUXE NFORCE2 or the ASUS A7N8X NFORCE2 DDR? And just to make sure I'm checking out the right processor it is the AMD ATHLON 2800+ XP 2.08GHZ 333FSB, correct?

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[Arris]

Both the boards are DDR. There is no non DDR version of the A7N8X. If you point us to where you have seen them listed we can look into what the differences are.

 

[triggert]

ASUS A7N8X DELUXE NFORCE2 MOTHERBOARD

ASUS A7N8X NFORCE2 DDR MOTHERBOARD

There you go, could you check em out and let me know which is the better of the two?

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[Arris]

The A7N8X NFORCE2 DDR is the non deluxe model.
Dunno why they put DDR in the name when its nForce2 and its obvious that its DDR..

non deluxe
http://www.asus.com/products/mb/socketa/a7n8x/overview.htm

deluxe
http://www.asus.com/products/mb/socketa/a7n8x-d/overview.htm

Deluxe has in addition to the normal version:

Serial ATA raid (with adapters can use IDE drives)
Firewire
Extra USB 2.0
Dual LAN

You can check the features in the links above.
If your not interested in the extra features just go with the non deluxe

 

[triggert]

Is there any major differences that would affect the speed of the processor or my video card? If not I can save about $50 and get the non-deluxe version. Also, could you tell me if the ATHLON 2800+ XP 2.08GHZ 333FSB is the best processor to run with this board?

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[Tarkus]

No there are no major differences that would affect them. the only reasons you'd want to go with the deluxe is running two drives in RAID, a need for a second lan port or if you want to run digital sound out of a SPDIF connector (Dolby Digital) of the Soundstorm audio.

One thing I recommend is buying High Quality PC2700 RAM like Corsair XMS2700 DDR Memory. The low latency version (XMS2700 LL Memory) gives a few percentage points increase in performance. The nForce2 motherboards are very touchy about what ram will run without problems.

The 2800/333 is basically the same chip as the 2600/333 with extra cache memory on the chip. They both run at the same speed. I've had no experience with the new Barton chips. You may get about 5-10% performance between the two at a cost of 65% increase in price of the XP2600 chip. Check this out for a comparison of the two chips and others to help you make a decision...

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/cpu/article.php/3261_1582091__2

I used to be an Intel only guy but I have to say this A7N8x and AMD CPU are the most stable system I've ever used. Don't be afraid to come over to the dark side.

 

[Nic]

I'd go for PC3200 memory, just to get a little headroom should you wish to overclock. Also, seeing as both AMD and Intel have moved over to PC3200 standard it would seem the most futureproof thing to do. Cost is about the same. Forget Corsair, its good but way too expensive, get TwinMOS at less than half the price and same speed (CAS2, though they quote CAS2.5), just make sure you order the 'winbond' version, which is slightly more expensive, as it uses the same chips used by Corsair.

 

[triggert]

I plan on getting PC3200 for sure, as well as a 7200RPM 8MB HDD. Is Kingston 512MB PC3200 DDR CL2.5 any good? As much as I'd love to have Corsair that is a lot of money to dish out compared to everyone else but I'm sure you can tell a performance difference. Also, do you guys have any good websites where I might be able to buy some parts?

Thanks,
William T. Thompson

 

[JSR]

read my post to your other thread trig

you are getting close.....but, still no cigar

 

[JSR]

as for memory

it's all good........as long as understand what your qualifications are........if you only need 2700 and get 3200 well wtf.......ain't no thing.......and, some modules slted @ cas 2.5 will adjust in the bios down to cas 2 if the module is of sufficient quality or you pre test it........but, if you overclock ......you will be bringing that cas down to 2.5 for stability............as i said ......read my response to your other post.........and, the article in ace's hardware.........i would get the 3000+......it beat's the 3200+400fsb version due to the clock timings in 333mhz mode.....with the kind of memory suitable to crank it up to 2.4 giga .........this beat's the current best p4 config out there...........so, hence..........close, but no cigar

 

[acidosmosis]

IMG opinion, go with the A7N8X deluxe.


JSR. Your giving out cigars to people that build a nice PC? Got an Arturo Fuente Hemingways?

 

[JSR]

yes

to go along with partagas/ macanudo/ romeo y juliettea/ and bootleg cubanos

 

[JSR]

acid

you and i have about the same system..........probably the easiest upgrade would be to slap in the 266 fsb 2600+.........and wait for the hammer............i'm considering this............and depending on my bios revision, hopefully higher.........i'll send you one when you upgrade that 2100+

 

[acidosmosis]

OoOOoo Partagas. I used to be into the Partagas S Series . Romeo Y Juliet was the first cigar I ever smoked. Never tried Macanudo or Cubanos (that I remember).

Hm.. sorry to get off topic here. hehe... he got me on the topic of cigars... mmmmmm

 

[Elcarion]

You can pair up an 800Mhz FSB 2.4Ghz P4 with a nice Abit IS7 or IC7 in the $350 range and knock the socks off of ANY (333Mhz FSB) conventionally-cooled Barton. Expect a typical o/c at or near 3.0Ghz with 1000Mhz FSB with stock Intel cooling! Sorry, I don't think there is a comparison if you want the best. I currently have 3 AMD-based systems in my den. It looks to me like the next one will most likey be an Intel. My $.02 worth.

 

[Tarkus]

Elcarion...He's spending Canadian money, plus the extra shipping and ungodly tax they pay. That would be well over $500 Canadian, possibly $600 CN.

triggert...like I said nForce2 mother boards are picky about RAM modules. Spend the extra money now and save yourself a whole lot of grief and expense. If you have to ship bad RAM back you may wind up not saving yourself anything, in fact then you have all that extra cost on top of buying good RAM.