If you had $300 to spend on mobo/chip/memory...

[Helevitia]

..what would you get?

I'm thinking of

Asus A7N8X $83
AMD 2500+ 333FSB $92
Crucial Micron 512MB DDR PC2700 $89

It has to be less than $300 with tax and shipping. This is for my brother. He's the typical "I just want my games to run fast" person.

Know of anything better?

Dave

[UtwigMU]

I'd get 2 memory modules for dualchannel action.

Also consider Epox 8RDA+/8RDA3+.

Do you intend to o'c Athlon?

Also 2500+ = Barton = 1.83GHz, Thoroubhbreds have higer frequency and lower cache for same PR, check wether your bro's apps would benefit from higher frequency more than higher cache.

Consider a cooler as well.

[bsdgeek]

Sounds good, though I might go for 2x256MB Crucial $98 and an Epox 8RDA+ for $79. Add in a Thermalright SK7/PanafloH, and you're almost guaranteed to be able to set it at 2800+ or more.

[Helevitia]

Thanks for the quick responses

My brother will never overclock his system. As far as two memory modules, he will upgrade later...

I'll check out the Epox, admittedly though, I am a huge Asus fan and I am always afraid to stray.

EDIT: Oh and the AMD chip is retail so it comes with a stock heatsink/fan. That'll work for him.


Dave

[bsdgeek]

Ah, well in that case just stick with the system you configured. Should work wonderfully.

[Novdid]

Looks good. That's probably the best parts you can get. I have the 8RDA3+ myself and I'm very happy with it, but seriously if if you don't want to OC it doesn't matter if you go with the Asus.

[UtwigMU]

If you don't get 2 modules, you loose dual channel memory = half of bandwidth.

Don't know how that translates into benchmarks (VIA equaling/closing in on nF2 with KT600 - single channel)

[Helevitia]

Originally posted by UtwigMU
If you don't get 2 modules, you loose dual channel memory = half of bandwidth.

Don't know how that translates into benchmarks (VIA equaling/closing in on nF2 with KT600 - single channel)

hmmm, you sure about this? Can anyone else confirm?

Dave

[Helevitia]

I realized another problem. He will need a new case as well since his old Dell case and PS will not work.

anybody know a cheap case with an AMD approved PS? I know about the $18 Allied 300W PS, but what about a functional case with maybe USB ports on the front?

Dave

[GNEP]

Does he realise how noisy the stock HSF will be? Might be worth spending a little on a quiet one, and getting an OEM chip. Some people I know who hadn't upgraded in a few years were quite annoyed when they got their shiny new systems and turned it on for the first time... also watch the noise of the PSU if going for a cheap one included with the case.

[agallag]

Speaking of HSFs, what's a decent quiet one to throw on my 1700+? The stock one is a little noisy, and it doesn't do a great job of cooling either. I'm usually around 55-60C unless I run CPUIdle, which brings it down to around 45-48C. I don't overclock, so I don't need anything wacky like water or peltier.

[Tjalfe]

I have the retail hsf on an athlon 2500+ at work.. it overclocked beautifully to 3200+ I don't find the noise to be bad...
Motherboard is the A7N8X-X
very fast for the price

[UtwigMU]

Don't know about Athlon H/S but BOXed tualatin Celeron is loud and annoying.

I'd get SK7 and Panaflo, Papst or Zalman F1.

You could also undervolt stock fan with Zalman resistor or Zalman fanmate or something similar.

WRT to PSU: Check my thread here.

[Kurt]

The stock HS/F for the Athlon are fine. They're not whipser silent à la Zalman, but they're not very noisy -they used to be bit not anymore.

As for the performance with one stick instead of 2, well...it's not noticeable.

BTW, if you wondered why the A7N8X-X is cheaper than the A7N8X, it's because it is a _single_ channel nforce2 board...

Also, get a XP2600+ if you can, they overclock nicely and are faster than the Barton (the 2600+ is about the same price as the 2500+).

[Marshmallowman]

I would get a decent size single stick, screwing your uprgrade path for a 1% perfomance increase now is silly...

Unless you are going straight to 2x 512=1G

I canshow you some benchmark's if you need a bit more promting...(200mhz cas2 is pretty decent)