shopping for mobo's & proc.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

I'm unofficially in the market....

this is what i found:

http://tomshardware.bizrate.com/marketplace/product_info/details__cat_id--419,prod_id--7350744.html

tell me what you think?

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Dunno how fast you want to go but Frys has weekly sales of MOBO/CPU combos. They had one about 2 weeks ago that was a mobo w/ AMD XP2400+ for $109. If you wanted something like that I'd be happy to keep an eye out and ship it to ya.

Scott

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

He has one right in Houston Scott, that is a real good suggestion Canuck, their sales compare very favorable with Newegg and other online computer stores.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Well, the fact that it has nForce is a good thing (depending on who you ask, but I'm writing this). ABit has had problems, in the past, with their boards (BE6-2 and BH-6 mainly...yeah, that's almost 3 years ago now). I'd look at the ratings, personally. That one only has 3 votes.

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=13-180-039-04.JPG/13-180-039-03.JPG/13-180-039-02.JPG/13-180-039-05.JPG is a pic of the board I got...
http://www.soltek.com.tw/English/product/75frn2-rl.htm
and http://secure.newegg.com/app/CustratingReview.asp?item=13-180-039

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Hell, youre in Houston, I think they have a Frys...I know Dallas does.

Scott

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Originally posted by LA_MERC_Diesel
He has one right in Houston Scott, that is a real good suggestion Canuck, their sales compare very favorable with Newegg and other online computer stores.

lol...After I posted I went downstairs to look for the ad. Thats when it dawned on me he's in Texas....did'nt see you post befreo I postede again.:D

The reason I said Frys is because I got my mobo/cpu combo for $59!! Its only an XP1800 but good enough for awhile.

Scott

[LA_MERC_Dirge]

abit is the devil!

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

yeah, we have a Fry's here, but it takes me about 45 minutes to get there. Plus I don't really know what to look for. Right now i have ECS K7S5A w/ amd 1.4 but i think it's about to crap out on me. It's been a while since i've shopped around so i don't really know what would be my best options. $109 sounds pretty good though!! I really want a reliable board and processor. Not necessarily the best.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3674975

this is the only one that resembles what you said CFH

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/3674975

this is the only thing close to what you were talking about.

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

I have an Abit and it works great, Dirge is the devil :p:
I think it is hit or miss on so many things in the computer industry.

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

My board is an ECS. 45 minutes aint that far f00. You'll not have ANY shipping costs. As far not knowing what to get, buy a Times for Dallas or Houston TODAY. There should be a Frys ad on the back page of one of the sections. See what the combo deals are for this week. The ads come out Monday and Thursday. Or, just call them and ask what combo deals they have. Get the specs, post and see what everyone says about it.

Scott

[CajunTech]

I just built a machine recently Athlon 2500+ and was looking at boards. I was all for the one LATech suggested (especially since I was going to have golden board, memory, and video card with a window on side of case). I ended up going with a Gigabyte board because it gave me 4 IDE and 2 SATA channels (I like to hook up a lot of stuff to my machine).. It has been running smooth since I bought it.

http://images10.newegg.com/productimage/13-128-199-03.JPG

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

Das purdy....mine is just plain old board. Got 3blue LED fans thouth. :)

Scott

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

i was looking at this on newegg..not a combo though..

asus a7n8x...$120

amd athlon xp2400/266 FSB...$75

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

http://www.ecsusa.com/products/k7vta3_8.html (http://)

this is what Frys has....$84.99 with amd 2400 chip


I am going to go get this in about 3-4 hours so any feedback would be appreciated.

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

That link is working for me but thats the same board I got. The only draw back is the 2400+ is the hottest chip that board can take. If you wann speed up, you have to swap the whole thing but for the price you can't beat it. I say do it. What type of RAM do you have?? That board takes 2100-2700.

Scott

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

i have 512 megs of pc2100..should i be concerned w/ overheating? I do have a pretty good cooling unit on my system now..just not sure what kind it is...i also have a fan on h/d, 2 case fans, and the fan that came on mobo.

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

nah, Scott just means you cannot upgrade to the 2700+,2800+,etc.. down the road, you will need a new mobo and processor then. For that price if you got the all clear from the wife :p: I would jump on it, if it were me.

Mike

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

lol, as far as she's concerned...my computer(as is) does not work..hehehehehe......so what she doesn't know, won't hurt her. I think for 90 bucks, i should be able to use that setup for at least a couple of years. When it's time for a new one, todays best stuff will be old hat anyway. I think my video card is messed up too!!(hehehehehehe)

[LA_MERC_Diesel]

^^^^^
very :naughty
but I like they way you think :p:

[LA_MERC_Cowboy_From_Hell]

BY "hottest" I meant speed not temp. Sounds like you got plenty of cooling.

Scott

[LA_MERC_MadMAX]

I have a ECS K7S5A right now -

I use these at work ALL the time: http://www.insightcomponents.com/ic/apps/productpresentation/index.php?product_id=ASUA7V8X00

Havent had a bad one yet - not fancy, no bells and whistles, just a good, solid stable board, and it's like $70...

[CajunTech]

That Asus board is good, but go with a 333mhz processor if you can. I think the 2400/266 is real close in price (under $10) to the 2500+/333 processor. I've built a 2400+ and 3 2500+'s in the past week and the 2500s seem a lot faster.

Ignore the above... I should learn to read both pages before posting :)

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

I agree...if you're going to go ahead and get a new board and chip, make it a Barton core. 2500+ is the bomb! So, get a good, fast chip that you can upgrade later on a board that will support it.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

sorry link doesn't work.... abit kd7a board


this is what i got with a xp2400 chip

[RockHop]

Um, no offense guys... but I don't know why you are talking AMD. I was a Cyrix/AMD system builder myself for years and I have gone back to the darkside of Intel with my latest system.

Sorry... but price/performance you CAN NOT BEAT the Intel:

2.4 GHz Hyperthreading 800 MHz FSB CPU for $165 Retail Box
Easily overclockable to 3.0 Ghz with a good Heatsink/Fan.

You can get a very fast/stable overclocking MOBO for under $120 with either the 875P or 865P chipset which is way faster than any for AMD. (I reccomend the Abit IC7 family)

To save $50 or $100 bucks to go with AMD is just not wise these days... Intel currently kicks the crap outa AMD.

IMHO, and that of MANY others.

[LA_MERC_eX1|eS' ch1|d]

Maybe you should check some more computer magazines and web sites, because Intel and AMD are typically very close. Intel does a little better in some areas and AMD does better in others. AMD is cheaper and does the same as Intel except at a lower processer speeds.

Canuck, get the system you said you were gonna get because when you buy your next mobo and processer in a couple years it will be 64 bit anyway, not 32 bit like what you have now.

[Phantom]

Hey Rockhop were can you get a 2.4 GHz Hyperthreading 800 MHz FSB CPU for $165 Retail Box for that price? I have a 2100+ right now but I am looking for a little more bang for my buck.

Phantom
Drew

[JUNKY]

Asus A7V600 with a AMD 2500+ and Thermaltake Volcano 8 cooler $175 shipped on pricewatch

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Good deal Junky!

[RockHop]

In reponse to a previous comment, I have been following chip development for over 10 years now and the only reason Intel and AMD are "very close" now is because Intel allows AMD to survive so as not to end up with antitrust problems like Microsoft had.

AMD pushes its chips much closer to operational limits because they need to get more power out of each chip to stay in parity with Intel in the price/performance war. AMD has also had more problems with compatability than Intel has... anyone who ran an AMD chip with a Geforce 1 or 2 knows this: major fixes had to be released for gamers.

Hyperthreading is currently the biggest advantage Intel has as it is a feature that really works.

AMD does a good job of playing catch up, and I am a big fan. Unfortunately right now Intel has the edge in terms of:

1. Overclocking: 2.4 > 3.0 with conventional cooling!!! Come on!
2. Technology: One word - hyperthreading. Period.
3. Compatibility and Stability: They make the chips AND chipsets.

IMHO! Cheers!

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