new purchase- looking for a [H]ard opinion

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Tweakin

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 14, 2003
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I am really looking for some good input on a purchase I am looking to make early this week. I do have a bit of a budget, but that just makes things more fun :) Basically, I am looking for the ~$350 range on a CPU+MOBO+RAM+CASE upgrade kit. I have a still-nice 128mb Ti4200 (Abit) and a good set for HDD, DVD/CD-ROM.

I know I want the P4 2.4c, I fell in love with it when I saw it, before I read any reviews... and of course all the reviews confirm it's a great deal. I also need to ensure my mobo is coming equiped with Audio and Lan, of which i will probably upgrade to a decent pci based audio later. I am also looking for DDR400, but the brand doesnt matter too much to me (unless it should?). The case is also pretty trivial, i need no fancy effects, just a decent case with a nice power supply.

So, this is what I have come up with. Is it a good value for the price? Anything that might be more cost effective? Or a really weak link?

Mobo: ASUS P4S800, S.478, 533/800FSB, Audio/LAN, DDR333/400
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.40GHz HT 512K 800FSB S.478
RAM: 256MB DDR400 PC3200 Non-ECC Elixir (or samsung?)

The case is some house-brand mid tower with a 400w power supply from the site that is giving the best prices for the above, and which i feel is quite professional and trust worthy. It all totals in at about $340, is that pretty good?

The only thing i know i may want to change is getting 256mb of samsung rather then the above, any thoughts?

Any thoughts on the choices i made would be great!
 
Get at least 2 memory modules so you can run dual-channel, and get at least 512MB of RAM if you can afford it.
 
I was thinking i could afford to grab another 256 stick in a month or so, but if it is essential to get it straight away, i can try...

What about the mobo/cpu? Is the Elixir ok?
 
Originally posted by Tweakin
I was thinking i could afford to grab another 256 stick in a month or so, but if it is essential to get it straight away, i can try...

What about the mobo/cpu? Is the Elixir ok?
Click to expand...

You don't have to have it right away for it to work. However, eventually, you should really get another stick and run dual-channel. 512mb of dual channel is a good goal to go for.

I'd probably go with more "name brand" memory than elixir, however I have 512mb of elixir memory in one of my rigs, never had any problems with it.

The 2.4C and the ASUS board sound good. Personally, I'd probably go with ABIT, but that's just me, doesn't really make a difference... :)
 
Originally posted by RS3RS
You don't have to have it right away for it to work. However, eventually, you should really get another stick and run dual-channel. 512mb of dual channel is a good goal to go for.

I'd probably go with more "name brand" memory than elixir, however I have 512mb of elixir memory in one of my rigs, never had any problems with it.

The 2.4C and the ASUS board sound good. Personally, I'd probably go with ABIT, but that's just me, doesn't really make a difference... :)
Click to expand...

I was looking for a good deal on an Abit board mainly because my Gfx Card is an Abit, plus I have been hearing great things about the new Abit boards (a far cry from what used to be said about them when I payed attention to these things!). The ASUS seems to have everything I need though, and fits the budget better.. the Abits i wanted were ~$50 more.
 
If you're looking for a somewhat of a budget Asus board, then you might try the P4P800 or P4P800 Deluxe instead.
 
only 256 megs is fine to start with i ran bf1942 off my moms computer with only 256 for 2 years with full quality settings 800x600 nevr hicuppoed
 
what graphics card were you using? Because I had a 256 machine and tried running bf1942... which was a painful nightmare to do.
 
Originally posted by pbXassassinX1524
what graphics card were you using? Because I had a 256 machine and tried running bf1942... which was a painful nightmare to do.
Click to expand...
I was using a geforce4mx 440 128 meg and the ram was RD on a 2 ghz p4
 
Ok well i have started to rethink things. It seems my choice were ok except on the ram, but I can upgrade that later... when i have the extra money.

What I am woundering now though, is should I perhaps go with an AMD system? I really wanted the 2.4c, but I guess I could live without it if I am saving ~$100! I could get a decent Asus board and an AMD XP 2500+ Barton 333mhz with 2x256 DDR400 sticks and the same case/power supply as the above system for around $300, $40 less then the P4 system with 256mb less ram.

Should I go AMD or Pentium?
 
Originally posted by Tweakin
Ok well i have started to rethink things. It seems my choice were ok except on the ram, but I can upgrade that later... when i have the extra money.

What I am woundering now though, is should I perhaps go with an AMD system? I really wanted the 2.4c, but I guess I could live without it if I am saving ~$100! I could get a decent Asus board and an AMD XP 2500+ Barton 333mhz with 2x256 DDR400 sticks and the same case/power supply as the above system for around $300, $40 less then the P4 system with 256mb less ram.

Should I go AMD or Pentium?
Click to expand...

Straight up, your budget is not enough for a solid P4 mobo, cpu, case, and ram. I recommend you go with an AthlonXP 2500+ mobile processor [$100], DFI Ultra Infinity motherboard [~$90], and Corsair Value Select 512MB [$78] leaving $80 for a case. I recommend something like the Antec SLK3700 in black. That comes with a PSU which you could sell if you don't need it.
 
IF your running xp you should almost cetainly run 512 and i am a little concerned about the sis chipsets. While they tend to pefrom well they can be finiky. Get a P4P i865 chipset board instead. Same price range
 
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