$350 for mobo and processor - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

hahaha · 09-22-2003, 04:58 PM

Hey I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor. I would like to get a pentium4 2.4c or 2.6c and do some mild overclocking, but I don't know what motherboard will make this the easiest. I don't need onboard video, but I want 800mhx fsb. I haven't done any overclocking yet, but I don't think Ill have much trouble doing it. What should I get? Would I be better off buying AMD? I want to be able to play HL2 in its glory, after upgrading my video card once the 9800s come down in price.
thanks

Konichiwaneko · 09-22-2003, 05:00 PM

zhevek · 09-22-2003, 06:23 PM

I'd second the Abit IS7 as a great overclocker mortherboard, pair it with a 2.4c and watch it scream

G_Lock · 09-22-2003, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahaha
Hey I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor. I would like to get a pentium4 2.4c or 2.6c and do some mild overclocking, but I don't know what motherboard will make this the easiest. I don't need onboard video, but I want 800mhx fsb. I haven't done any overclocking yet, but I don't think Ill have much trouble doing it. What should I get? Would I be better off buying AMD? I want to be able to play HL2 in its glory, after upgrading my video card once the 9800s come down in price.
thanks

I have an Abit IS7 and I definately agree, it works great. The standard IS7 will run you about $109 and the 2.4c will run you about $171 for the retail box (which I prefer because of the 3 year warranty), but its up to you. Also might I recomend that you get some very high quality DDR since that is a big factor when overclocking. If you want to keep a 1:1 ratio for your RAM then you will need DDR433 or DDR466 depending on how little or how much you want to overclock. And also think about getting two smaller DDR's versus one larger DDR stick, so that you can run them Dual-Channel. Well good luck, and post if you have any other questions.

G_Lock

Lasereth · 09-22-2003, 07:47 PM

I've seen some serious shit done with a 2.4 C core and the IS7 combo. You could compare the IS7 to the Abit NF7-S 2.0, if that gives you any inclination about how good it is. I know absolutely nothing about Pentium overclocking except for the fact that I've seen plenty of 2.4 C's go well over 3.0. Good luck!

-Lasereth

Dilbert1234567 · 09-22-2003, 10:04 PM

i love my ASUS MB for OC, ill take it iver an abit any day.

get a big heat sink as well

Swiftech MCX4000-B is what i would recomend, its a bithc to install but once its on its the best one out there i swear by it. idling at 96 F and around 116F at full tilt.

AxByC · 09-23-2003, 04:53 AM

get ic7 better mobo then the is7. along with the 2.4c

G_Lock · 09-23-2003, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AxByC
get ic7 better mobo then the is7. along with the 2.4c

Well that depends. The IC7 is more expensive than the IS7, and the IS7 comes with a 10/100 and if you are lucky with the GigaBit LAN, but the IC7 comes with neither. So if you want more features then you might consider the higher price of the IC7, but otherwise, I would still stick with the IS7.

poof · 09-24-2003, 10:53 PM

I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor

Go AMD.

hahaha · 09-26-2003, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by poof
I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor

Go AMD.

What mobo / processor combo would you suggest?

Lasereth · 09-26-2003, 08:43 AM

Right now, if you want to spend $300 or less, you should DEFINITELY get the Abit NF7-S 2.0 motherboard and AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton at 1.8 GHz. That will put you at about $200-$250 total. That is an extremely powerful combination, capable of insane overclocking. The motherboard is literally the best on the market for performance with the nForce 2 chipset. NewEgg has them both; you can usually find the processor on sale for about $90.00.

-Lasereth

rocinante2003 · 09-26-2003, 09:31 AM

I have 3 NF7-S motherboards. They are without a doubt the best motherboard I have installed for a long time. The onboard sound is amazing, and I hate onboard devices. Dolby Digital encoding on the fly, and Optical toslink output right on the board.

oberon · 09-26-2003, 11:40 PM

Umm, overclocking would void the CPU warranty wouldn't it?

poof · 09-27-2003, 01:01 PM

hahaha Get a SOYO KT600 for around 160.00. Yeh, expensive, but worth it. Then, throw a Barton 2800 on that mobo.
I will sell you a 2800 Barton that is still under warranty for 140.00. You pay shipping. We just hit 300.00!

There are some ASUS boards also. You can do a lot for the price range you suggested, however (oh damn, the horrible "however")

You have no ram.

Let me know.

Destrox · 09-28-2003, 06:11 AM

i wouldnt waste your money on anything above a AMD XP Barton 2500+ since you can just EASILY overclock it to 3200 speeds.

same core, lower price, same speeds.

Do this with a ABIT Nf7-s, and you are one set mother f'er

(note a decent heatsink would be great - 30-40$ max)

Abit NF7-S motherboard (103$) (Best Nforce2 mobo & best oc'er atm as long as you get reversion 2.x)
AMD XP 2500+ Barton (90$)
(i know this is beyond your limit, but for future reference) 512Mb Corsair XMS Low Latency 400mhz DDR (140$)
Vantec Aeroflow Heatsink & Fan (25$)

Default CPU@ 166x11 = 1830mhz
CPU@ 220x10 = 2200mhz @ 42c Idle / 49c Max Possible Load
RAM@ 7-2-3-2 440mhz

sixate · 09-28-2003, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahaha
What mobo / processor combo would you suggest?

MSI K7N2 DELTA-ILSR $125

AMD ATHLON XP 2800+ Barton $173 or $183. Depends on if you get the Retail version which comes with a heatsink. I'd suggest getting The OEM and just buy better heatsink.

hahaha · 09-28-2003, 05:38 PM

Ok, more choices now. Is there going to be a huge difference in performance between a barton 2500+ and a 2.4c P4? Is the barton 2500+ easily overclocked like the 2.4c?

Johnny Rotten · 09-28-2003, 05:50 PM

With an nForce board you can also plug in digital speakers and record sound from a digital source (music CD, DVD, etc.). The Audigy 2 doesn't allow this. Digital speakers have much fewer cables to work with, too. Just one cable from the computer to the subwoofer, instead of three. I actually own a bog-standard Intel board with a 2.4B Pentium 4, but I got it cheap and would have gone Barton/nForce if I'd had the money.

There is almost zero discernable difference in performance between the two platforms at that CPU speed. Don't worry, you're getting great performance at a great price.

Lasereth · 09-28-2003, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahaha
Ok, more choices now. Is there going to be a huge difference in performance between a barton 2500+ and a 2.4c P4? Is the barton 2500+ easily overclocked like the 2.4c?

I got my Barton 2500+ to 2.2 GHz with shit RAM on an Abit NF7-S Rev. 2.0. That's easily as good as a 2.4 P4 C Core. I hear the Pentium 4 C cores OC really good, but frankly I don't know anything about overclocking a Pentium 4. I know that if you go more than a few hundred MHz then you have to go water-cooling or even vapor cooling in some cases.

My Barton 2500+ went to 2.2 GHz with a Volcano 7+ CPU fan, which is about $30 US.

And the Abit NF7-S on-board sound is amazing. It's literally better than most sound cards you can buy; it even has a built-in Fiber-Optic Dolby Digital jack. They don't call it SoundStorm for nothing.

-Lasereth

bermuDa · 09-28-2003, 08:44 PM

if you really want to overclock a p4, get an Abit IG7-MAX3.

09-22-2003, 04:58 PM	#1 (permalink)
hahaha Insane	$350 for mobo and processor Hey I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor. I would like to get a pentium4 2.4c or 2.6c and do some mild overclocking, but I don't know what motherboard will make this the easiest. I don't need onboard video, but I want 800mhx fsb. I haven't done any overclocking yet, but I don't think Ill have much trouble doing it. What should I get? Would I be better off buying AMD? I want to be able to play HL2 in its glory, after upgrading my video card once the 9800s come down in price. thanks

09-22-2003, 05:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
Konichiwaneko The Dreaded Pixel Nazi Location: Inside my camera	is7 __________________ Hesitate. Pull me in. Breath on breath. Skin on skin. Loving deep. Falling fast. All right here. Let this last. Here with our lips locked tight. Baby the time is right for us... to forget about us.

09-22-2003, 06:23 PM	#3 (permalink)
zhevek Tilted Location: Portland, Or	I'd second the Abit IS7 as a great overclocker mortherboard, pair it with a 2.4c and watch it scream __________________ Whatever is done from love always occurs beyond good and evil

09-22-2003, 07:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	I've seen some serious shit done with a 2.4 C core and the IS7 combo. You could compare the IS7 to the Abit NF7-S 2.0, if that gives you any inclination about how good it is. I know absolutely nothing about Pentium overclocking except for the fact that I've seen plenty of 2.4 C's go well over 3.0. Good luck! -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

09-22-2003, 10:04 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	i love my ASUS MB for OC, ill take it iver an abit any day. get a big heat sink as well Swiftech MCX4000-B is what i would recomend, its a bithc to install but once its on its the best one out there i swear by it. idling at 96 F and around 116F at full tilt. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

09-23-2003, 04:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
AxByC Insane	get ic7 better mobo then the is7. along with the 2.4c __________________ Not all drugs are good. Some of them are great. -Bill Hicks

09-24-2003, 10:53 PM	#9 (permalink)
poof Psycho	<b>I've got about $300-350 for a mobo and processor</b> Go AMD.

09-26-2003, 08:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Right now, if you want to spend $300 or less, you should DEFINITELY get the Abit NF7-S 2.0 motherboard and AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton at 1.8 GHz. That will put you at about $200-$250 total. That is an extremely powerful combination, capable of insane overclocking. The motherboard is literally the best on the market for performance with the nForce 2 chipset. NewEgg has them both; you can usually find the processor on sale for about $90.00. -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

09-26-2003, 09:31 AM	#12 (permalink)
rocinante2003 Insane Location: Dallas	I have 3 NF7-S motherboards. They are without a doubt the best motherboard I have installed for a long time. The onboard sound is amazing, and I hate onboard devices. Dolby Digital encoding on the fly, and Optical toslink output right on the board.

09-26-2003, 11:40 PM	#13 (permalink)
oberon Quadrature Amplitude Modulator Location: Denver	Umm, overclocking would void the CPU warranty wouldn't it? __________________ "There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb

09-27-2003, 01:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
poof Psycho	<b>hahaha</b> Get a SOYO KT600 for around 160.00. Yeh, expensive, but worth it. Then, throw a Barton 2800 on that mobo. I will sell you a 2800 Barton that is still under warranty for 140.00. You pay shipping. We just hit 300.00! There are some ASUS boards also. You can do a lot for the price range you suggested, however (oh damn, the horrible "however") You have no ram. Let me know.

09-28-2003, 06:11 AM	#15 (permalink)
Destrox Metal and Rock 4 Life Location: Phoenix	i wouldnt waste your money on anything above a AMD XP Barton 2500+ since you can just EASILY overclock it to 3200 speeds. same core, lower price, same speeds. Do this with a ABIT Nf7-s, and you are one set mother f'er (note a decent heatsink would be great - 30-40$ max) Abit NF7-S motherboard (103$) (Best Nforce2 mobo & best oc'er atm as long as you get reversion 2.x) AMD XP 2500+ Barton (90$) (i know this is beyond your limit, but for future reference) 512Mb Corsair XMS Low Latency 400mhz DDR (140$) Vantec Aeroflow Heatsink & Fan (25$) Default CPU@ 166x11 = 1830mhz CPU@ 220x10 = 2200mhz @ 42c Idle / 49c Max Possible Load RAM@ 7-2-3-2 440mhz __________________ You bore me.... next.

09-28-2003, 05:38 PM	#17 (permalink)
hahaha Insane	Ok, more choices now. Is there going to be a huge difference in performance between a barton 2500+ and a 2.4c P4? Is the barton 2500+ easily overclocked like the 2.4c? __________________ "find what's good and make it last" -Bouncing Souls

09-28-2003, 05:50 PM	#18 (permalink)
Johnny Rotten lost and found Location: Berkeley	With an nForce board you can also plug in digital speakers and record sound from a digital source (music CD, DVD, etc.). The Audigy 2 doesn't allow this. Digital speakers have much fewer cables to work with, too. Just one cable from the computer to the subwoofer, instead of three. I actually own a bog-standard Intel board with a 2.4B Pentium 4, but I got it cheap and would have gone Barton/nForce if I'd had the money. There is almost zero discernable difference in performance between the two platforms at that CPU speed. Don't worry, you're getting great performance at a great price. __________________ "The idea that money doesn't buy you happiness is a lie put about by the rich, to stop the poor from killing them." -- Michael Caine

09-28-2003, 08:44 PM	#20 (permalink)
bermuDa don't ignore this--> Location: CA	if you really want to overclock a p4, get an Abit IG7-MAX3. __________________ I am the very model of a moderator gentleman.