-Asus A7N8X Deluxe motherboard($117 now but sale is ending before I'll purchase)
-ATHLON OEM XP 2500 Barton processor($87)
-Thermalright SLK-800-U Heat Sink($39)
-Fan: Unsure of for now, looking for good 80mm to go with heat sink, noise not an issue.(~$15)
-Arctic Silver Ceramique thermal compound($4)
Total: ~$262
Probably going to be doing some overclocking in the future since upcoming college next year will kill most of my funds for a long time. Hence the 800-u(900 doesn't fit the board) and the Ceramique. Any suggestions that keep it to about $300 would be appreciated.
Best. Fans. Ever.
Short list:
Intel Pentium 4
Processor Prev. Price New Price Change
3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB $637 $417 -35%
3GHz, 800MHz FSB $417 $278 -33%
3.06GHz, 533MHz FSB $401 $262 -35%
2.8GHz, 800MHz FSB $278 $218 -22%
2.8GHz, 533MHz FSB $262 $193 -26%
2.6GHz, 800MHz FSB $218 $178 -18%
2.66GHz, 533MHz FSB $193 $163 -16%
2.53GHz, 533MHz FSB $193 $163 -16%
---------------------------------------
Also AMD is seems:
Processor Old Price New Price Difference
Athlon XP 3200+ 464 325 30%
Athlon XP 3000+ 265 203 25%
Athlon XP 2800+ 180 140 22%
Athlon XP 2700+ 137 117 15%
Athlon XP 2400+ 84 79 6%
Athlon XP 2200+ 74 71 4%
Athlon XP 2100+ 74 66 11%
[Edit] Arg, I can't get this to stay formated in a decent font/size... [ 10-27-2003: Message edited by: Valso ]
quote:
Valso had this to say about (_|_):
Just happened... let me find that site I saw it on.
Prices haven't adjusted yet on newegg 
[ 10-27-2003: Message edited by: Alaan ]
quote:
Kegwen stumbled drunkenly to the keyboard and typed:
Prices haven't adjusted yet on newegg
Not sure... I know they mentioned with AMD that it was in 1000 units, but didn't seem to mention anything about the quantity of Intel cpus.
quote:
Alaan wrote this stupid crap:
So if the P4 prices do drop by the time I get the money together would I probably be best off going that direction? Price is currently a little too restrictive on the budget since the 2.4 Northwood P4 is about double the price of the Barton 2500.
You can still take the Barton 2500+ (with a decent fan) near the 3000+ model line, if I remember reading what others have done with it with little troubles. It only results in around 200MHz increase in speeds I believe. So, on a budget, the Barton 2500+ should still be a good choice.
quote:
Valso had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
You can still take the Barton 2500+ (with a decent fan) near the 3000+ model line, if I remember reading what others have done with it with little troubles. It only results in around 200MHz increase in speeds I believe. So, on a budget, the Barton 2500+ should still be a good choice.
Even if the P4 2.4 ends up cheaper?
I turn to Intel chips once I pass the 2.4GHz+ mark.
quote:
And I was all like 'Oh yeah?' and Alaan was all like:
its fairly easy to pull the 2500+ up to 3000+ consistantly.
Overclocking is never a sure business. Every single chip out there is unique.
One may jump to that speed, but the one you buy may not handle anything over a petty 5MHz increase in the FSB.
quote:
Mortious had this to say about John Romero:
Overclocking is never a sure business. Every single chip out there is unique.One may jump to that speed, but the one you buy may not handle anything over a petty 5MHz increase in the FSB.
I have more patience than money, so I can at least creep my way up. 
quote:
Next quick question: Can I assume my crappy 64 meg 5200 FX is going to be pwned by the rest of the system forcing me to upgrade that too?
The 5200FX is really a terrible card considering the other options out there, (ti 4200, Radeon 9500, 9600 (PRO) etc) but you shouldn't need to upgrade as long as you run games at 640x480 with everything turned off 
quote:
Alaan had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
Well I fear I shall need to go ATI to be safe with DX9 support(had a bad experience with a Rage 128 or somesuch), so what fairly inexpensive options do I have for gaming?
Radeon 9600 watered down version of the 9700, and quite cheaper.
Edit: Any reason to go with the SE or Pro over the the base 9600? [ 10-28-2003: Message edited by: Alaan ]
Don't get a Radeon that isn't a PRO.
In order of feroiciousness (prices off the top of my head... feel free to search fo them)
9800XT $500
9800 PRO $400
9700 PRO $300
9500 PRO $200
9600 PRO $150
Note about the 9500 vs 9600... the 9500 was essentially a 9700 with some of its power artificially disabled. Thus, you could mod the card to 9800 levels with a simple hack. The 9600 is a slightly beefed up version of ATI's mobile flagship... and is really an excellent consumer card, but it dies with things like AA turned on.
quote:
Gembolah had this to say about dark elf butts:
SE = ShiteDon't get a Radeon that isn't a PRO.
In order of feroiciousness (prices off the top of my head... feel free to search fo them)
9800XT $500
9800 PRO $400
9700 PRO $300
9500 PRO $200
9600 PRO $150Note about the 9500 vs 9600... the 9500 was essentially a 9700 with some of its power artificially disabled. Thus, you could mod the card to 9800 levels with a simple hack. The 9600 is a slightly beefed up version of ATI's mobile flagship... and is really an excellent consumer card, but it dies with things like AA turned on.
Not quite. The 9600pro does quite well with AA/AF on or off, but not quite as well as the 9500pro. If you can find one at a good price (~180) the 9500pro is a great card. The 9600pro is also nice, and I've been hearing good things about the 9600XT. The 9800pro and XT are overkill for your PC, but the 9800non-pro is a great card if you want a powerhouse to match the rest of your pc. It's a much stronger performing card than a 9600pro, and not that much more expensive.
I'd suggest a 9800np if you can spare the cash, you won't be disappointed.
As for the rest of the PC, the Asus board is nice and feature laden, but for overclocking, the Abit NF7 and NF7-S are the kings right now, with the Epox 8RDA and 8RDA+ in second place. If you're sure you want to overclock, I'd consider something other than the Asus.
The 2500+ is great, most chips are hitting 200 X 11 easily (same as a barton 3200+) or even 220 X 10 and with minimal voltage increase (maybe at 1.8V total) as long as you have good cooling. The SLK800 is a nice choice, but have you considered the 900? Look on SVC.com for a good price comparaison. My choice for a good 80mm fan would be a Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2 (or a tornado if you have a fan speed controller). If you go with the SLK900, then I'd suggest a 92mm fan instead.
No, Really. Bite me.
Edit: Seems the 8RDA+ is pretty hard to track down, but the NF-7s is on newegg for a little bit less than the Asus even.
Edit 2: 9800 brings my price total bit too far up. Probably have to go with the 9600 Pro. [ 10-28-2003: Message edited by: Alaan ]
quote:
Burger attempted to be funny by writing:
Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2
Mortious bursts out with laughter.
quote:
We were all impressed when Mortious wrote:
Mortious bursts out with laughter.
dude, it'll push more CFM than the panaflow or papst, it's got a thermal diode so that it'll slow itself down when it's not needed, and the diode can be overridden by an included rheostat (or is it a potentiometer?). It's fast and loud when it needs to be, and it throttles itself down when it's not needed. When you're not under load, it'll be nice and quiet.
quote:
Mortious had this to say about pies:
Oh, I'm not doubting its performance. I've just never liked Thermaltake products because they're gaudy, flashy, and look like cheap-o rubbish.
oh, I'll agree to that, but the SF2 is a fairly non-flashy fan. Just orange is all.
But most of their stuff would appeal only to those that deck out their cases with a half dozen cathodes and countless LED's. Ugly.
No, Really. Bite me.
quote:
Alaan had this to say:
Really a null point since using the NF-7S is going to have a 900 strapped on with a 92mm Panaflo on top of that.
A 92mm Fan will have no effect over using an 80mm fan, on that particular heatsink.
Because of the way it was designed, the larger core of the 92mm fan actually covers the area it's supposed to cool and creates a "dead spot" of air. So it gives identical temperatures to an 80mm fan.
The only good thing is the fact it's quieter. [ 10-29-2003: Message edited by: Mortious ]
