Upgrading Test b0x...

D

diablo111

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 26, 2004
Messages
1,734
I can't decide which way to go. I'm die hard, pro AMD...but I think the P4 with HT also has merit. Here is what I am looking at.

AMD
MSI RS480M2-IL Socket 939 ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Micro ATX - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice Socket 939 - Retail

Total = $240.98
___________________________________

Intel
BIOSTAR I915G-M7 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 915G Micro ATX - Retail
intel Pentium 4 520 Prescott 800MHz FSB LGA 775 - Retail

Total = $249.99


Both have integrated graphics (allthough the AMD board has the better graphics of the two) so I won't have to buy a PCI-e card quite yet. I need to move to a PCI-e platform for my computer business, mainly for hardware testing. This is what I have now (larger bold items are going to be re-used, everything else will go to build a used box to sell and help fund the upgrade).

AthlonXP Barton 2600+
Chaintech 7NIL1 nForce mATX
512MB (2x256) Corsair PC3200 Dual Channel
Visontek 64MB Geforce 3
Onboard nVidia Sound
Onboard nVidia 10/100 nic
Samsung 160GB 7200 rpm PATA
Lite-On 4x DVD Burner
3.5" Floppy
Inwin mATX w/Super Flower 350w PSU (12V@22A)

Or I might pull the 80GB SATA drive from my main b0x for the HDD...opinions?
 
Well, I could give you some opinions on the subject of onboard video. It sucks, dont even do it, atleast get a cheap pci express card so you can operate the system lol
 
Yeah, I've had to build systems with on-board video for customers that wanted to save a few bucks (and wouldn't listen otherwise)...it does blow pretty bad...it's ok for desktop/internet, anything else it doesn't cut it...
 
wait, what? what are you going to use the computers for? (i'm afraid i dont' understand, sorry =\)

 
For the intel or amd thing above, what are you going to be doing mostly? Do you even use apps that could utilize 2 processors?
 
Carnival Forces said:
wait, what? what are you going to use the computers for? (i'm afraid i dont' understand, sorry =\)
Click to expand...

It's a test box. I use it to troubleshoot pieces of hardware for myself and customers. Install Linux and different OS's...basically the hard drive is getting constantly wiped and pieces of hardware are going in and out of it all the time. Right now I allready have another Socket A AGP box I can do that with as well...so I was thinking, going PCI-e (as all of my systems are AGP (and maybe Intel)) would help me broaden my testing range.

Homer said:
For the intel or amd thing above, what are you going to be doing mostly? Do you even use apps that could utilize 2 processors?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be doing a dbl proc machine...just a single CPU w/PCI-e.
 
I think you should stick with the onboard video, yea it does suck, but for gaming, honestly, you will never notice that you have a geforce 6800 ultra SLI rig if all you do is test components and mess around with operating systems...

and i think you're making a good choice with pci-express since now you will have the option of testing pci express parts and you dont have to shell out for another videocard...

IMHO, i might go with the intel, for the HT and for the fact that you'll have an intel processor and an intel chipset, should make it a tiny smidge easier to diagnose a "bad" peice of hardware since, as i understand, thats one of this box's uses...

then again if its just a test box i might go with the cheapest pci-express solution i could muster up... just cause i dont see the point in plunking down too much cash for a test box, check out what the absolute cheapest is, although you probably already did this... but you might be able to grab a sempron or a celeron and save some dough
 
^^^

Some great suggestions there Spleeze, thanks :)

The only problem with going Sempron is they don't have it in s939 and there are no s754 PCI-e mobo's :(

As for going cheap as possible...with the same mobo (cheapest pci-e/mATX w/onboard video mobo available) and a Celeron D 330J (2.66GHz) I could save about $70...at $170 it's getting very tempting :)
 
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