Need help on SFF pc choice

[vader]

I'm pretty much open to all manufacturers of small form factor pc's, my only limitation is I'm porting over a couple componets from my existing machine.
I currently have a Athlon 64 socket 754 with a gig of Cosair memory and a
terribly slow GeF3 4200 video card.  My fan died on the 9800xt and I just
haven't got around to replacing it.

My main concern is should I only settle for a socket 754 mb with PCI-e or
can I got the agp route.  Is there that much of a difference in performance ?

If I got AGP what videocard would your recommend and vice versa with the
PCI-E

I'm a fan of ATI, but I believe Nvidia has the performance edge ATM and
better drivers, so I can either way.  I need it to be a single slot cooler and
I would like the price to stay around 250.00 US

Here are the  links of the SFF's I'm looking at ATM, but I'm open to suggestions.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16856140021

PCI-E Option

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16856101462

AGP Option


This one may have been discontinuted, so I'll have to look around for it.

Thanks Guys,

Tim

[pointdablame]

I've owned 3 Shuttle SFF systems so far, and I love them, so I'm going to be biased in their favor, and would recommend the Shuttle out of the 2 choices you have, except for one thing.  It's AGP.  Do NOT buy an AGP motherboard at this point in the game.  You won't be saving a ton of money, and you're destroying your options.  It also is very silly to buy a new (or new-ish) AGP video card, since you'll have no chance to reuse it on your next system, when AGP will undoubtedly be out of the picture. (unless you build systems every 2 months).

However.. I think there is one important thing to mention here.  You are looking at very little upgrade options with your system if you go s754.  If that is ok with you, go ahead and buy one of the ones you list, but I'd really consider a s939 system so that you can have many more options for upgrades in the future.  Sell your s754 CPU on Anandtech or eBay or something, and put it towards a s939 chip.

So... my recommendation...

If you know for a fact you are 100% sure that you will never upgrade your CPU and you're ok with buying a video card you won't be able to reuse, get the Shuttle you linked to.  It's a very nice case, easy to work with, and its very neat looking in person.

If there is even the smallest chance you will upgrade the CPU in your system, sell that s754 chip you have and start fresh.  You can get a nice s939 3000+ for dirt cheap these days and you'll have a ton of headroom for upgrades.  Same thing goes for PCI-E.  Go PCI-E unless you plan to keep this new system for years and years.  It just doesn't make sense otherwise.

My roommate at college has a Shuttle SN25P, which is a s939 board with PCI-E and it is AWESOME.  Looks great, easy to use, has room for 3 hard drives.  I highly recommend it if you can swing it.

As far as video cards, ATI looks really good right now on the high end side of things, but for your price range I'd get something in the Nvidia 6600/6800 series or something in the ATI x800 series.

[vader]

Great info Point......


I'm like any other nerd and I like to upgrade as much as my wallet will let me.  I jumped on the A64 bandwagon to soon, because within a month they released the 939/940 platform.  All your points were perfectly valid.  Hell....I may just get the AGP shuttle setup and give it to my father and start fresh for myself.  Buy today, outdated tomorrow...such is the computer life...

Thanks Again

Tim

[pointdablame]

Great info Point......


I'm like any other nerd and I like to upgrade as much as my wallet will let me.  I jumped on the A64 bandwagon to soon, because within a month they released the 939/940 platform.  All your points were perfectly valid.  Hell....I may just get the AGP shuttle setup and give it to my father and start fresh for myself.  Buy today, outdated tomorrow...such is the computer life...

Thanks Again

Tim

And the best part is..... s939 is pretty much done for already   There aren't any plans to really push out more CPUs on the s939 platform.

But at least with s939, you will have MANY more options, and with the s754 Semprons turning s754 into the "low end" or "budget" socket... s939 will work out much better in the end.

I'm still sitting on my AGP shuttle with a 3000+ s939 and an 9800pro, so I'm in a similar boat as you are.  Go s939 now?  or wait it out a bit longer?

[vader]

[/quote]
  Go s939 now?  or wait it out a bit longer?
[/quote]

LOL......you know as well as I do there is no such thing as waiting out it a little bit longer.  I'll probably just bite the bullet and do a new fresh 939 platform, heck...the  garage will need a computer eventually, right....or maybe make it a media pc....


Choices
Tim