P4 *OR* ATHLON : WHAT IS THE CURRENT 'SWEET SPOT" MOBOS?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuck
  • Start date Start date
C

Chuck

Namely those that best combine price, upgradeability, and features?

More interested in stability than overclocking, but wont rule out an OC if
its *really* worth it.

I'll take either an Athlon or a P4 board as I'm basically starting from
scratch this time around.

Would like (but I'm not married to it) onboard nic and soundcard, unless
that would hamper speed/effectiveness...


Thanks,

Chuck
 
GA-7VT600-L ($68.99 Directron.com) will handle 200 FSB CPUs and supports DDR
PC3200 at 400 FSB, Barton 2500+ ($87.99, same place). Sweet combo, low
price.
 
THE board of the moment is the Abit NF7-S2 - beats the Epoxes hollow.
THE chip of the moment is the Duron 1.6 Applebred, which on the NF7 achieves
250 x 10.
It's basically a Barton core with 192/256k cache disabled - but a simple L2
mod re-enables it.
It's also half the price of a 2500+
Unbeatable combo.
Get some TwinMOS CH-5 or Samsung-chip memory.
 
Can't agree there. Sure, these mods are fun, but in at least some cases
it won't work (cause the cache is defective). And you're wrong that it's
a Barton core, it's a Thoroughbred (Barton's have 512KB cache).
Basically, the Duron 1.6 is a Athlon XP (Thoroughbred) 1900 with
disabled (possibly defective) 3/4 cache. Since Athlon XP 1900 isn't
really that much more expensive, I'd rather suggest that, unless you do
modding as a hobby or really need to save that 15 USD. (Or, if you want
to spend a bit more, the XP (Barton) 2500 still offers excellent value
for the money and overclocks reasonably well usually.)
 
Back
Top