I am about to build my first PC and therefore welcome advice from you guys who have ‘been there - done that’. I want a fast, stable system I can use, want to tweak it a bit to improve performance to ‘wow’ but not constantly tweak and dabble. I plan to upgrade the CPU in future when prices have fallen as newer models are introduced - as they do!
I have been an Apple Mac user for the past 17 years, but have decided to switch to Windows XP. I have now decided on AMD Athlon 2800+ Barton (I have the retail version, but will happily replace the standard cooler if so advised), and Antec Sonata case - I want a reasonably quiet life. I shall probably go for Connect3D Redeon Pro or Crucial Radeon Pro graphics card, but have no idea on Ram - other than it will be 1Gb.
My main problem now is what motherboard - looks like nForce2 Ultra rather than VIA KT600, and I have narrowed choice down to three; Abit NF7-S, Asus A7N8X-Delux or EpoX 8RDA3+. Trouble is which one - Asus seems to have a lot of issues posted which is making me weary, despite lots of good reviews. Cost is not really an issue here - a few pounds either way is no big deal given the overall cost of the whole system - which will be the most stable, reliable, most easily recovered if I over-egg the over-clocking? I was going to choose the EpoX, as it is fast, has good sound, should be stable and reliable but the Abit seems very good, and the Asus is used a lot by OEM system suppliers…..
All and any help and guidance will be much appreciated.


LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote



It makes more sense to get an XP2500+ and o/c a bit, do a quick search and you'll see. The 9 layer 0.13mu core is almost always capable of XP3200+ speeds and often with very little added voltage, really it makes no sense to plump for the XP2800+ unless you really are afraid of o/c'ing. Do rem a decent HSF though, don't settle for the stock retail cooler. No point upgrading the CPU later as XP3200+ is almost certainly as good as SktA will get and many surpass that with an o/c'ed XP2500+ anyway! Even if you go the expensive 800FSB Intel route or the equally expensive Athon64/FX route you aren't likely to have better longevity. It seems most (or all) current 800FSB mobos won't work with Intel's 3.4ghz+ CPUs and the Athlon64 will be moving to the long term 939pin layout sporting Dual Channel non-ECC capability. But hey in terms of cost and perf you really can't beat the SktA route.
