$199 with cpu - PentiumŪ 4 1.7GHz 1700Mhz 478 Pin w/ Heatsink & Fan with complete combo kit.
kato2274
February 6th, 2003, 02:06 PM
you can do a lot better on price unless you are specifically committed to a p4. (and maybe even then)
a quick spin on newegg shows you could get a
cooler master athlonXP approved cooler
MSI KT333 mobo
and athlon XP 1700+
for $132
shipping (at least to me, in PA) looks to be only $9
definately check out newegg though. great prices and super service.
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 02:17 PM
Yeah, MSI is currently my favorite "bang for the buck" manufacturer. I've been continually amazed at the quality and extras these boards provide versus the cost.
On the whole Asus makes high quality boards, but you're much more likely to pay a little extra for that quality.
Regardless, you should do a little research before making a final purchase. Google would be a good place to start. Just type in "Manufacturer", "Model Number", and "Review" for your search parameters, and you should be provided with more than enough information to make an informed decision.
natb1
February 6th, 2003, 02:55 PM
Hmmmm...boy..Im really afraid of GOOD PRICES!
Ive burned myself too often because of "Good Prices"
Theres always been a reason it was cheap!
my last AMD project had "issues" (Irongate, GeForce&AMD, and other subtle compatibility issues). My Intel Boxes had less issues to deal with. I may be goofy or something, but it just seems that way to me.
Ill Check out newegg though!
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 03:06 PM
There's a HUGE different between cheap and inexpensive. Differentiating between the two is where the research comes in.
Also, don't be so quick to dismiss MSI because of it's price. You can spend tons more money and not get a board even close to the same quality.
The KT333 is a very, very good motherboard (in general, not just for the price).
As far as Intel vs. AMD, I was never a fan of the K6-2's (and to a lesser extent) the original Athlons, but I've never had any issues with the Athlon XP's. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty DV encoding, then by all means spend the extra dough for a P4, but if not, you're just throwing good money away (IMHO of course).
Budd
February 6th, 2003, 03:08 PM
i would stay away from the "combo" deals on pricewatch, the shipping usually ends up killing you. i would agree with Kato tho and check out newegg.com for you mobo and cpu.
natb1
February 6th, 2003, 03:40 PM
Originally posted by mrwilhelm
There's a HUGE different between cheap and inexpensive. Differentiating between the two is where the research comes in.
Also, don't be so quick to dismiss MSI because of it's price. You can spend tons more money and not get a board even close to the same quality.
The KT333 is a very, very good motherboard (in general, not just for the price).
As far as Intel vs. AMD, I was never a fan of the K6-2's (and to a lesser extent) the original Athlons, but I've never had any issues with the Athlon XP's. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty DV encoding, then by all means spend the extra dough for a P4, but if not, you're just throwing good money away (IMHO of course).
Your words are very compelling, lots of people use XPs..hmmm.
Recommend an afordable ASUS or SOYO XP combo ????
Im mostly interested in "NO ISSUES", then speed, then price.
Thanks
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 04:01 PM
If compatibility issues are your main concern then it would help to know exactly what HW you're planning to pair your new combo up with.
Also, I don't want to sound like I'm pimping for MSI, but as earlier mentioned, the KT333 (actually the correct model number is KT3 Ultra2) is a phenominal board at a great price. I think kato2274 hit the sweet spot with his Kt333/Athlon XP 1700+ combo. I've had two recent experiences with that combination (one MB/CPU upgrade, and one new build) and both went off without a hitch. I'd even go as far to say that they were the most painless installs I've had in a long, long time. I didn't even have to re-install the OS with the motherboard upgrade, and for XP that's a rarity.
Of course there's nothing wrong with Soyo or Asus, so if you're stuck on one of those manufacturers we can easily come up with a few recommendations as well.
natb1
February 6th, 2003, 04:23 PM
I MADE A MISTAKE !!!!!!
I was confusing your "MSI" with the "ECS" I saw on Price Watch....That would make a difference in both of our opinions wouldnt it?
OOOPs!...I may consider this "MSI"
Dang Anacronyms...or whatever you spell
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 04:37 PM
MSI and ECS are typically light years apart quality-wise, so yes, that makes a huge difference.
You should be able to find a KT3 Ultra2/Athlon XP combo in your price range. Given the fact that you were ready to spring for a P4 you could go even faster than a 1700+ and still come out ahead (I think the 2100+ is probably the sweet spot right now). You would not be disappointed in this board. I'll bet my reputation on that. In spite of the low cost there are absolutely no compromises made in regards to quality. Like I said earlier, I've recently worked on two systems based on this board, and to say it left a lasting impression on me would be an understatement (unlike the Asus A7V8x that I bought for myself that I JUST got stabilized after 3 months of hair pulling).
ztek012
February 6th, 2003, 05:33 PM
i just acquired an asus a7n8x for under $110....put an xp2000
with it and have a lightening bolt ..........and dv editing goes off without a hitch.........pioneer ao5 dvd-r......other machine has an epox k8rda.....both with nvidia chipsets ......AWESOME....no os issues or hardware as a matter of fact.....win2000pro
Jeff the Brit
February 6th, 2003, 06:00 PM
Built half a dozen boxes recently with MSI KT3 and KT4 mobos ... all running sweet and fast, I'd recommend them. Please treat yourself to decent RAM though, the cheapo generic stuff is well dodgy, quality control went out the window when RAM prices dropped.
natb1
February 6th, 2003, 06:40 PM
TWO THings:
Heres my intended usage:
Play online 3D games (D3D & OGL)
Some CAD applications 3D and 2D types.
Using Windows 98SE
GeForce2 or GeForce4 AGP
Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Value PCI
Some kind of PCI LAN
About New Egg:
Sight is kinda clumbsy. I dont get what I expect when clicking links. For instance....Wheres the MOBO/CPU combos???
kato2274
February 6th, 2003, 06:50 PM
Originally posted by natb1
About New Egg:
Sight is kinda clumbsy. I dont get what I expect when clicking links. For instance....Wheres the MOBO/CPU combos???
that's my main complaint about newegg. the site is clumsy, but you can't beat the price and service, so I cut them some slack.
best navigation I've found is to search by catagory.
I don't believe they sell combos, you need to add each individual item to the cart individually.
Rojacks
February 6th, 2003, 07:45 PM
Originally posted by natb1
I have just given up on a PC and looking for another MOBO/CPU combo. This was cheapest first NON PCchips MOBO with P4 combo I found on Price Watch.
Does this MOBO have any SNAFUs I should be aware of?
$199 with cpu - PentiumŪ 4 1.7GHz 1700Mhz 478 Pin w/ Heatsink & Fan with complete combo kit.
Often the solution with the lowest inital price is a poor one its total cost of ownership over its useful life will be excessive.
The most expensive inital price can also be a bad solution as the high price can mask high costs and you may be buying more than you need but its useful life is usually longer.
The best bet usually is something in the middle, slightly more than you want to pay but with slightly better specifications and quality than you need.
-The price is long forgotten while the quality still remains.
-Penny Shy, Pound Foolish
-If it fails to meet expections when new it will never meet them when it is old.
Without getting into a flame - I use Intel chipsets - Intel CPU - leadtek Nvidia Video Cards and Branded Ram. Thats it. This minimises compatibility - simplifys setup and driver issues and has given a very high customer satisfaction level. My choice of Boards are Gigabyte or Intel.
I avoid all the 'Performance boards' as the RAID and Firewire are not used and cost alot.
Forget the likes of ECS and such these are really budget stuff.
I do not and will not supply AMD based systems, I cannot get the stability and reliability that my clients require from them.
Use a Celeron CPU - say a 2.0 or 2.2 GHz - 845 Chipset Motherboard from say GIgabyte and stick some Samsung DDR memory in it with a GForce4-4200 you will build an ultrastable and good system. I use a huge number of celerons and because of the cost vs performance and this allows the use of extra memory.
Larommi
February 6th, 2003, 07:55 PM
I like ASUS but am not sold on the SiS chipset.
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 08:12 PM
Rojacks -
I wouldn't think of flaming you, because I used to have the exact same mindset. I would never even think about going non-Intel unless the budget I was given simply wouldn't allow it, and either way, the results were always predictable... the Intel based systems were almost always smooth sailing, while the AMD based systems seemed to cause one headache after another.
But with the advent of the Athlon XP (and the various supporting chipsets) this appears to have changed. Of course, this is strictly based on my own personal experience, so your mileage may vary. And BTW, when it came to building a new system for myself I did put my money where my mouth is and went with AMD. That would have been absolutely unheard of a year ago.
Rojacks
February 6th, 2003, 09:39 PM
Originally posted by mrwilhelm
Rojacks -
I wouldn't think of flaming you, because I used to have the exact same mindset. I would never even think about going non-Intel unless the budget I was given simply wouldn't allow it, and either way, the results were always predictable... the Intel based systems were almost always smooth sailing, while the AMD based systems seemed to cause one headache after another.
But with the advent of the Athlon XP (and the various supporting chipsets) this appears to have changed. Of course, this is strictly based on my own personal experience, so your mileage may vary. And BTW, when it came to building a new system for myself I did put my money where my mouth is and went with AMD. That would have been absolutely unheard of a year ago.
The strange thing is I had a really good run with The K6 Cpu's for quite some time, I was using K6-350's and such on AMD approved Motherboards with VIA chipsets on them. I used Diamond Stealth PCI videocards and external modems. The systems were Fast, stable and very affordable. The fly in the ointment came when the motherboard source changed brands and the new board had an AGP slot and AMR on it plus built in sound. Basically no one ever got the AGP slot to work reliably
The onboard crystal audio was just plain nasty and I very guickly had to move to Intel Celerons and ATX form factor.
From the systems that come thru for service I have to say that I get a disproportional number of Athlons and Durons, however there are qualifiers to that statment. The systems are all really budget crap - Dinky little PSU's horrid tiny CPU coolers on MSI or Sovtek or PCChips motherboards.
The end of the Day I cannot experiment on my clients and if I do a system build - which I try and avoid if I can, I have to go with what I know. If you are not paying for My techs time an Athlon XP may be a good choice and If I had the time to fiddle I may even try one myself.
Sorry to say but Kids - Suppliers, Customers and Accounts keep me occupied.
(I just noticed that I still have an Kingston Turbochip 133Mhz AMD X5 class CPU on the shelf! - These were possible the best CPU upgrade Ever made, When I replaced many of the system that had X5-133Mhz customers complained that the new Computer was little faster and infact a 200MMX Intel or a Cyrix 233 were often slower. )
natb1
February 6th, 2003, 10:39 PM
Originally posted by Rojacks
From the systems that come thru for service I have to say that I get a disproportional number of Athlons and Durons, however there are qualifiers to that statment. The systems are all really budget crap - Dinky little PSU's horrid tiny CPU coolers on MSI or Sovtek or PCChips motherboards.
The end of the Day I cannot experiment on my clients and if I do a system build - which I try and avoid if I can, I have to go with what I know.
"If I had the time to fiddle I may even try one myself."
I can relate in principal...I used to purchase low end electronics like "pyramid"...mainly cause I can fix or solder anything that uses electricity.
Learning curve for debugging computers is just too long...Especially when you learn something and NEVER NEED THAT INFO AGAIN...cause technology changes and all those gems of knowlege gather dust.
Ive heard only good about the Celerons...arnt they Reduced Instruction Set CPUs?
I mean...They are less than half price the Pentiums!
There has to be a draw back..What is it?
I have to agree with "Buy In Between"...thats what I want.
mrwilhelm
February 6th, 2003, 11:35 PM
The current Celerons are essentially castrated P4's (reduced FSB and L2 cache). They're a good option for the average user who would probably never notice the difference, but considering the 3D gaming and CAD stuff you plan on doing I think you're still much better off with an Athlon XP or P4.
Budd
February 7th, 2003, 11:45 AM
Originally posted by natb1
About New Egg:
Sight is kinda clumbsy. I dont get what I expect when clicking links. For instance....Wheres the MOBO/CPU combos???
newegg doesn't offer cpu/mobo combos. but with thier prices you really don't need it.
amd, intel, you'll be fine either way. just make sure to buy a good mobo, psu and ram.
natb1
February 7th, 2003, 01:01 PM
Originally posted by Buddy Holly
newegg doesn't offer cpu/mobo combos. but with thier prices you really don't need it.
amd, intel, you'll be fine either way. just make sure to buy a good mobo, psu and ram.
That was the impression I got from new egg.
I noticed that there are some nice prices on ASUS motherboards. And video cards are reasonable.
Im sure your right about the AMD...but...Im sooo scared to try them again....(biting nails)
Uhhh...PSU?
Tanks!
kato2274
February 7th, 2003, 01:07 PM
Originally posted by natb1
Uhhh...PSU?
Tanks!
Power supply unit
enermax, antec are my favorites - or if you have no budget constraints pc power and cooling.
the antec true power lines are VERY nice. threw a true power 430Watt into my machine at home and it's a real nice PSU.
Budd
February 7th, 2003, 01:18 PM
Originally posted by natb1
That was the impression I got from new egg.
I noticed that there are some nice prices on ASUS motherboards. And video cards are reasonable.
Im sure your right about the AMD...but...Im sooo scared to try them again....(biting nails)
Uhhh...PSU?
Tanks!
i haven't seen it in the thread, but what kind of case are you planning on using? a new one or one you already have? you may have to get a new psu if you go amd or intel.
if you deciede to go amd, remember as long as you get a decent mobo, a amd certified psu and good ram you won't have any problems. most of the AMD stability problems i have seen have been the result of "low end" hardware.
natb1
February 7th, 2003, 02:48 PM
Originally posted by Buddy Holly
i haven't seen it in the thread, but what kind of case are you planning on using? a new one or one you already have? you may have to get a new psu if you go amd or intel.
if you deciede to go amd, remember as long as you get a decent mobo, a amd certified psu and good ram you won't have any problems. most of the AMD stability problems i have seen have been the result of "low end" hardware.
I would get a new case and power supply.
AMD prices are hard to refuse....but my time has become more valuable lately.
Would you call MSI MOBOs "low end"?...or just ECS & PChips?
Im not disrepecting anyones opinion..I JUST DONT WANT TO TROUBLESHOOT ANYMORE!
Im thinking ASUS/XP for <$150 or AUSUS/P4 @ $200..hmmm?
mrwilhelm
February 7th, 2003, 03:03 PM
MSI is not low end. They make very high quality boards. There's nothing wrong with Asus except the price tag. Just keep in mind that the extra dough you'll be spending will be buying you the name, not extra quality.
That configuration should install without a hitch, boot right up, and be rock solid stable. This is not theory BTW, I speak from experience.
natb1
February 7th, 2003, 04:25 PM
Originally posted by mrwilhelm
MSI is not low end. They make very high quality boards. There's nothing wrong with Asus except the price tag. Just keep in mind that the extra dough you'll be spending will be buying you the name, not extra quality.
That configuration should install without a hitch, boot right up, and be rock solid stable. This is not theory BTW, I speak from experience.
You know something?....I think Im going to do just that!
I could use the extra money for case and PSU.
I may choose a different model number though.
If I dont get it running in a week...newegg will "exchange" the stuff right? Or give me credit toward something else?
P.S. ONE LAST ?...All the XP MOBOs indicate 200/266/333 Mhz FSB speed....BUT the Pentium MOBOs indicate 400/533 Mhz!
Isnt the faster numbers better?????
mrwilhelm
February 7th, 2003, 04:51 PM
Good choice, you won't be disappointed. Just keep in mind that the configuration I threw at you is based on my own personal experience with the exact products mentioned, so I can't speak for any substitutions you plan on making.
As far as newegg, someone else will have to chime in on that since I've never dealt with them personally.
natb1
February 7th, 2003, 04:54 PM
P.S. ONE LAST ?...All the XP MOBOs indicate 200/266/333 Mhz FSB speed....BUT the Pentium MOBOs indicate 400/533 Mhz!
Isnt the faster numbers better?????
mrwilhelm
February 7th, 2003, 06:23 PM
Different architectures, so it's comparing apples and oranges. It's confusing, but essentually the Athlon XP does more instructions per clock cycle than the P4, so the two are usually compared in regards to performance rather than raw clock speed.
natb1
February 7th, 2003, 07:53 PM
Originally posted by mrwilhelm
Different architectures, so it's comparing apples and oranges. It's confusing, but essentually the Athlon XP does more instructions per clock cycle than the P4, so the two are usually compared in regards to performance rather than raw clock speed.
I think I know what your driving at...OK.
Im gonna start "affordable", and If that dont work, Ill send it back for "Higher End".
Thanks for the support...Im Out.
Ill share my newegg.com experience as well
FredThompson
February 8th, 2003, 03:15 AM
I've been building my own systems since the 25 mHz 386 days. Here's what I've learned: Sometimes the cheapest is the most expensive, just like anything else.
Can't tell you the number of 2nd-tier or lower mobos I've used. DFI, Azza, you name it. Sometimes there's a jewel but usually they're 99.9% good. Thing is, if it isn't 100% proper, something will bite you eventually. Either it's the odd driver or the almost-the-same-as interface or whatever.
Currently, I'll only uses Asus boards. Why? Well, they're the most reliable I've tried and they consistently do very well in all the tests. (I've not used ABit which also places quite well, just mentioning that to be fair.)
If you're time is worth anything at all, you're better off buying a tool that you know will perform. Sure, you could buy a smaller brand and "save" $20 or so then you'll more than pay for it in time trying to make the thing work. Right now, I've got an Azza board whose USB controller isn't 100% compatible. It worked with Win98 but not with Win2K. Was the board a bargain? No, I had to buy another USB controller card to make it work. Some bargain.
My latest toy is the A7N8X Deluxe. This thing is incredible. You'll find it on Pricewatch for around $140 or so plus s/h. It's $165 at my favorite local retailer. All it needs is memory, a cpu, and video. Everything else you'll probably want is built-in.
Now, I COULD have bought a board with fewer things built-in and used the PCI cards from before. However, this board allowed me to pull 4 PCI cards (FireWire, Sound, USB2, LAN) which is really quite nice. The drivers are one-stop shopping at Asus' site and there's no question they will work. That's just wonderful.
Over the past 15 years, I've upgraded my computers at least once a year and have a HUGE pile of screws and jumpers to proove it. What I've learned is comptuers are the same as everything else, TANSTAAFL and you get what you pay for.
Oh, one last plug, the Thermalright SLK-800 and an 80mm Vantec stealth fan makes for a near whisper-quiet CPU cooler. Very nice. You only get one set of ears and fixing them (if it's even possible) costs a heck of a lot more than a few extra $ for premium cooling. Same with your eyes, an extra $50-$100 for a good monitor is a lot cheaper than a lifetime of glasses or eye surgery.
mrwilhelm
February 8th, 2003, 04:15 AM
While you can certainly use a manufacturer's track record and reputation as a guideline, you would be doing yourself a major injustice by just automatically assuming that everything "Company A" makes is going to be a winner, or that everything "Company B" churns out is going to be a dog. It just doesn't work that way. Both Asus and Abit have cranked out their fair share of lemons over the last few years. Believe me, I know. And while I can't immediately think of any examples off hand, I'm sure that companies like Jet or PC Chips have managed to release a gem or two in that same time frame.
That's why I tend to look at individual models and not manufacturers. Of course this philosophy requires much more effort since it means pouring over tons of reviews and benchmark data as opposed to simply pigeonholing an entire company's product line as either good or bad.
Because the technology landscape is in a constant state of flux I think it would be downright foolish to remain blindly loyal to a particular manufacturer to the exclusion of all others.
Of course that all just my opinion, so take it for what it's worth...
FredThompson
February 8th, 2003, 05:13 AM
Methinks you didn't read what I typed.
I didn't say everything Asus (or any other manufacturer) makes is the best. I said I'll only buy Asus now. Those are two very different things.
The Asus boards I've had, P5A, A7V133, A7A266, AV8NX all had very good reviews. I do check sites like Tom's Hard OCP, etc. Personally, I usually wait about 6 months after something has hit the market so there's time for lemons to surface.
You get what you pay for. A "name" board isn't necessarily more expensive just because of the name, it can frequently mean a greater chance of reliable performance. That's how they got to be a "name".
Once a company has a good reputation and has proven itself over time, they're probably going to stay that way.
MSI isn't "bad", they're just don't have the same track record as Asus and nowhere near the market share. VIA's Eden looks like something to watch for non-gaming entertainment uses but it's not a workstation. Abit will probably (I hope) get better after they recover from the pirated capacitor thing.
One thing to consider about Asus is they give a nearly-unlimited exchange support for dead boards. You pay the shipping to them and they send you a tested replacement. Elitegroup (I have a couple of BookPCs, really nice but dated now) makes cheaper boards but the tech support is lousy, that's a generous term.
I'll check a couple reviews at reputable sites and that's about it. If you're really checking "tons" of review, you're doing it as a form of recreation. There are plenty of good, reliable review sites and once you've learned where they are, you should be able to research a mobo very quickly. If you're fairly new to researching these things or a student, maybe it makes sense to put more time into it. If not, your time is probably worth far more than any "savings" you'll get from overly extensive research. Unless, as I said earlier, it's something you're doing for recreation.
I do agree with you about the Antec cases. I've got two here right now. Quite nice. That's another lesson, isn't it? Buy the $30 case and cut the snot out of your hands or bend the cover trying to get it back on. Same thing with power supplies, buy a cheapie and it won't scale. False economy.
256M is fine for most people, no question. If you're going to do A/V, better up that. Oh, don't know about whatever board natb1 bought but it would be a great idea to use one strip of 256M instead of smaller ones. That leaves at least one slot open for expansion down the road without pulling what's in there.
Rojacks
February 8th, 2003, 02:25 PM
One board that seem to be near unmentioned are the Genuine intel motherboards, I find them simpy the best and cheaper than ASUS, I used to be a huge ASUS fan and always used ASUS in my own PC (486 days and early Pentium ~ 10 years ago now!) but found that as ASUS became more well known the prices asked became excessive, A few points need to be considered if you use a Genuine Intel Motherboard, Forget about overclocking but that is counted with an outstanding 3 year warranty and a level of stability that I cannot believe.
If you do buy an Intel board avoid the whitebox and get a retail boxed one, No one should be selling whitebox/oem boards to endusers but they seem to bend the rules a bit.
FredThompson
February 8th, 2003, 02:39 PM
That's true, Intel boards are about as stable as you can get.
You're also required to use their CPUs which are more expensive, though.
How's their tech support for mobos and individuals?
Rojacks
February 8th, 2003, 11:12 PM
Intel still do forward replacment for faulty boards which is good.
I have found the tech support excellent, But Asus and Gigabyte are pretty good.
At the end of the day when I sum up the real cost of a system a few dollars extra on a CPU and motherboard don't factor in. A techs time quickly erodes any small saving at inital purchase.
I wished AMD produced a boxed CPU / Boxed AMD motherboard combo - I would then look at them as an alternative and possible try them on my more adventurous customers.
factory81
February 8th, 2003, 11:56 PM
Asus = #1.
Best overall board, have seen the least problems, the least returns, and the least bugs in there boards.
FredThompson
February 12th, 2003, 02:43 PM
OK, thought I'd post these links for review. This is my latest setup:
Asus A7N8X Deluxe: http://www.lostcircuits.com/motherboard/asus_a7n8x/
Quote:
What is particularly impressive about the nForce2 and, by extension, the A7N8X Deluxe are the general performance and the fact how the memory is handled. Single DIMMs, dual or triple configurations, nothing really threw the board off except for running the 1GB DIMMs. Also as we showed in the earlier review, the nForce2 has almost no competition when it comes to performance meaning that the signs are set for a giant leap also in market share.
One of the aspects we have not covered yet is the quality of the integrated Soundstorm. It is hard to describe it in a few sentences, so let's just say that it is pretty overwhelming.
What about the A7N8X? There is a lot of things we can say, most of all, the A7N8X Deluxe is probably the best Socket A board we have reviewed so far, despite the non-working multiplier adjustments. But maybe that can still be fixed.
ThermalRight SLK-800 heatsink (I used a Vantec Stealth 80mm fan):
http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/slk800/
Quote:
The only HSF combo we have seen so far that performs better in terms of temperature control is the Swiftech MCX462 with an 80 cfm fan but that one also blows out your eardrums. Bottom line is that the SLK-800 is a piece of art with respect to its esthetics, design and performance likewise and deserves nothing less than an editor's choice, a very rare thing around here.
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Not that these are the absolute best there is and ever will be. There are a number of great options.
FredThompson
February 12th, 2003, 02:43 PM
OK, thought I'd post these links for review. This is my latest setup:
Asus A7N8X Deluxe: http://www.lostcircuits.com/motherboard/asus_a7n8x/
Quote:
What is particularly impressive about the nForce2 and, by extension, the A7N8X Deluxe are the general performance and the fact how the memory is handled. Single DIMMs, dual or triple configurations, nothing really threw the board off except for running the 1GB DIMMs. Also as we showed in the earlier review, the nForce2 has almost no competition when it comes to performance meaning that the signs are set for a giant leap also in market share.
One of the aspects we have not covered yet is the quality of the integrated Soundstorm. It is hard to describe it in a few sentences, so let's just say that it is pretty overwhelming.
What about the A7N8X? There is a lot of things we can say, most of all, the A7N8X Deluxe is probably the best Socket A board we have reviewed so far, despite the non-working multiplier adjustments. But maybe that can still be fixed.
ThermalRight SLK-800 heatsink (I used a Vantec Stealth 80mm fan):
http://www.lostcircuits.com/advice/slk800/
Quote:
The only HSF combo we have seen so far that performs better in terms of temperature control is the Swiftech MCX462 with an 80 cfm fan but that one also blows out your eardrums. Bottom line is that the SLK-800 is a piece of art with respect to its esthetics, design and performance likewise and deserves nothing less than an editor's choice, a very rare thing around here.
Sometimes you get what you pay for. Not that these are the absolute best there is and ever will be. There are a number of great options.
Radical Dreamer
February 15th, 2003, 01:43 PM
I have a new celeron and its the same FSB as my P4, the only dif is the cache, it has 128 to the P4 512
Originally posted by mrwilhelm
The current Celerons are essentially castrated P4's (reduced FSB and L2 cache). They're a good option for the average user who would probably never notice the difference, but considering the 3D gaming and CAD stuff you plan on doing I think you're still much better off with an Athlon XP or P4.
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