• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Is the Chipset more important than processors?

G

geschaft

n00b
Joined
Jun 17, 2005
Messages
7
I would like to buy an Athlon or an Intel PC but there are some doubts that I want to solve.

Fisrt one: is the chipset more important than processors?

For example: in orde to sustain the PC up-to-date for a relative time (of course it´s quite impossible when we talk about IT) I need to have good knowledge about the chipset. I know that Via, nVidia/nForce, SIS, ULI, Intel has each one advantages and disadvantages.

But which is the best nowadays? Which give me an opportunity to get the best performance and can offer a complete compatibility with the components as Sata, gForce, FSB 800, Raid 0/1, DDR400, DDR2, Gigabit,etc?

Actually, I need to have, until the end of the year, 7 PCs to work in my small business and, of course, I should find the best solution.

But I have already read a lot of thing about chipset and I did not find some specific text that give me technic support to help me with the problem.

I have not enough money to spend. May I have a good system with the best cost? How?
I think that the most up-to-date chipset is between Via and nVidia... Am I correct?

Thanks
Geschaft
 
To answer your first question: YES.

Chipsets handle most (if not all) of what the computer needs to function. They often handle onboard video/sound, Ethernet, IDE/SATA connections, RAID, and USB/FireWire capability. Memory is a mixed bag: Intel's chipsets handle its memory controllers (and, depending on the chipset, can handle DDR, DDR2, or both) while AMD puts its memory controllers directly in the processors (right now, it can only handle DDR RAM). A lot of the functions that you need are also based on what the motherboard manufacturers activate on their various boards. (I'll have to find the links talking about chipsets for you later. That is too much information to put into one post.)

For now, check out the AMD Processors and Intel Processors forums; they often have "which chipset is best" threads. Also, use the search function on NewEgg to see which board has what you need.
 
Here are a few links for more information on the various chipsets:

Intel Chipset Comparision Chart
Intel Chipset Page (choose which chipset you want to research individually)

nVidia nForce Information Page
nForce 4 Chipset
nForce 3 Chipset

Via Chipsets (DIsclaimer: I know virtually nothing about Via chipsets, but they have a selection for both Intel and AMD)

You first need to decide on what you need right now and what you may want in the future. Right now, Intel and AMD are transitioning into dual-core processors, which may limit your options if you want the newest technology. Intel currently has the 945 and 955 chipsets for their dual-core SocketT (LGA 775) processors while most of the AMD Socket 939 chipsets built during this year can handle dual-cores.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top