Main > Main Forum
pentium or athlon?
Frobozz:
On the motherboard issue:
A motherboard alone can affect overall system performance by up to 50% or more.
I once replaced a junk proprietary Packard Bell motherboard in a Pentium 166 with an FIC, the system ran Quake at almost twice the framerate than before, from JUST swapping the motherboards!
I've seen similar results from swapping modern boards (a friend's eMachine comes to mind). If you got a junk motherboard, it don't matter how fast your CPU is. It's a major bottleneck because it connects everything to each other. A lot of OEM computer makers skimp on the motherboard to save a buck because motherboards aren't a largely "advertised" component. But that's why a lot of us build our own machines, because we wouldn't touch these junk motherboards with a 10-foot pole.
Consider this as well. Most junk boards have very weak, very "featureless" BIOSes. You go into the BIOS, and there are almost no options available. No RAM timings, no BIOS cashing, to AGP settings, nothing. The motherboard DOES do this, because it has to, but they are "hard coded" to a factory default, and are unchangeable. Now, how much do you want to bet those unchangeable "factory defaults" are the slowest, most "compatible" settings possible?
Your choice. My first motherboard was junk. I'll never do that again.
lightspeed:
If using an Athlon, find a motherboard with the VIA KT266A chipset (as opposed to the KT266). The "A" designation indicated VIA modifyied (ie improved) the chipset since it's initial release. This chipset supports 266mz PC2100 DDR.
As an aside, VIA has just just released a new chipset, the KT333, which supports 333 Mz PC2700 DDR RAM. Theoretically, this will be faster that the above, but VIA always seems to revise the chipset just after release.
Frobozz:
Good point. The Abit board (KR266) I have does have the KT266A on it. I don't know of anything using the KT333 yet. Heck, I thought the KT266A was pretty hot and I just bought it 2 months ago! Then (when I was going to VIA's site for latest drivers), I saw that new chipset.
At that point, I felt like the posterboy for those "It was obsolete the moment I opened the box" jokes. :P
Jonathan_the_Red:
With the mobo, chipset is more important than manufacturer these days. And for Athlon XPs, there's really only one choice: Via's KT266A. Yeah, there's the KT333, which will probably replace the KT266A eventually but the jury is still out. My mobo is a Shuttle AK31+... nice 'n' cheap, does the job.
With all due respect to Frobozz, I do not recommend the ALI MAGIK. It's a budget chipset, and with KT266A boards as cheap as they've become, there's just no need.
Absolutely do not run your processor without a heatsink attached. However, unlike Frobozz I tend to buy OEM chips. I prefer aftermarket heatsinks. Yep, AMD will replace your retail boxed proc if something goes wrong, but there's still a hassle involved. Nobody likes to deal with a fried proc. And after seeing the little chintzy heatsink AMD ships with the XP 2000+, I just can't believe that it's up to the task of cooling that monster chip.
Attaching a heatsink is an acquired skill, and unfortunately most heatsink clips are not very user-friendly. Make sure the heatsink is aligned properly (it should have a "lip" that will fit over the lip in the socket), slide one of the clips over one of the cleats, then carefully use a flathead screwdriver in the notch above the other clip to maneuver it over the other cleat.
Mushkin RAM is indeed the creme de la creme, but for me there is no other RAM maker than Crucial. They make excellent RAM for an excellent price and ship it Fed-Ex 2-day for free. If you go to the forums at http://www.fatwallet.com you'll find a link for either a 10% or 15% discount from them.
Donor:
I agree that the athlonis the best bang for your buck. I've been building pc's with amd cpu's for years and I think they are a quality product. I recently Purchased a biostar M7vib-a motherboard for $67 it has the kt266a chipset. This is a kick --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules-- board. I also purchased a boxed 1900+ athlon for $155 which I thought was a good deal. Rundmc use a Athlon you won't be diapointed.
Check out this site for your parts.
http://www.fticomputer.com
I buy from them often and I can't say enough good things about them, they are cheap and have great service. I purchased a bad oem cpu from them and they replaced it with no questions ask.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version