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What to do, what to do?

A

angrybusdriver

Gawd
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
684
Hey guys. I'm a student so I'm poor as hell. But I'm also a gamer so I want decent stuff.

First of all, I have about $530 (usd) to spend on some new parts, and I'll have a little more over the next few months for other new stuff.

My current specs are
AMD 1900+ (stock AMD cooler)
Asus A7V333
512mb PC2700
WD 60GB hdd (x2)
350w PSU
GeForce 4 Ti4200 (128mb, but the 4x AGP version)

Now. I was thinking of getting something along these lines:
AMD Barton 2500+
ThermalTake Volcano 9 heatsink (I bought it awhile ago, never been used) + Arctic Silver 3 (never used either)

I'm a bit stuck on which board to get... I've read a lot about the Abit NF7-S... a lot of problems it seems? I was thinking of getting another Asus A7V board, like the -8X or something, but apparently the A7V boards are approaching EOL??

I'm very open to any kind of board, so long as it's reliable and pretty decent for overclocking.

I'm very new with overclocking and I've only read about what people have done with a 2500+, but it doesn't sound too difficult. Will my Volcano9 + Arctic Silver 3 keep the 2500+ cool enough to get to about 2GHz?

Like I said, I'm gonna be doing a lot of gaming. I want something HL2/Doom3 ready... My Ti4200 won't really cut it, and i'll probably end up getting a 9600XT or a 5900XT (Read about it on Guru3d, it looks pretty nice).

So, what do you think is the best bang for my $530 usd?

I can get a lot of stuff near cost since I do web work for a local computer store, but it ends up being the same price you see on pricewatch and stuff like that anyways.

Thanks guys!
 
One of the best bangs for the AMD buck is the 2500+ Barton. I'd probably go with the Abit NF7 mobo, and I hear the DFI Lanparty is pretty good too.

As for being Doom 3/HL2 ready, get off it. We don't know what ready really means, since the games haven't come out yet. I'd probably recommend getting an Ati 9700Pro or a 9800 Pro (Newegg has the Sapphire one for $239 or so).

My suggestion is to just go for a new proc and mobo if you need, and hold off until we see the R4xx core from ATi.
 
Ahh okay, thanks for the tips.

I'm still wonderign about my Volcano9 cooler though. Anyone have any idea if it'll cool the 2500+ well enough to OC to 2GHz?
 
The volcano 9 should be enough for you cooling needs. The newer line of Thoroughbreds/Bartons dont seem to get as hot as some of the older AMDz. I currently own an MSI K7N2 Delta-L board and am very happy with it. It doesn't have a lot of onboard features which are useless for me and it has a couple of things I liked. It has heatsinks on the voltage regulators and an extra voltage plug on board (aka P4) blug for extra stability. The only thing it does not have is mounting holes for the cpu heatsinks. So if u plan on doing some watercooling/huge heatsinks u might wana get an NF7 board, but the MSI is very good on the budget. Simple board for a very good price.

Just my $0.02.
 
Ah yeah, I've seen the K7N2 compared with the NF7-S.

I won't be doing watercooling or huge heatsinks, I'm only wannabe [H].

As for temp, I was concerned cause my 1900+ runs 55 idle and 59 load with a stock cooler.

Thanks for the advice, I'll check the K7N2 out a bit more.
 
I am currently using 1800+ with an AX-7 (thermalright) with a panflo L1A. My idle temps are 31-33 C, Under 100% load 38-40c. The processor is OCd to 1.73.

Another cool feature of the MSIs is the LED indicator. It lets you know the hardware status of your system. If any problems it makes things easier to diagnose.
 
The 2500's are great, I have one and it runs at 3200 speed 24-7. Easy OC. Just make shur on any AMD that you have good cooling. I baked my 1700:mad:
 
...if noise is an issue, you'll probably find that the Volcano's sound like a Lear Jet on a short runway.....:D I just installed a Zalman and WOW is it nice and quiet....temps rock, too.

Not cheap, but worth every penny, IMHO.......

Regards - B.B.S.
 
Aghghg! Noise.

Well. I figure I might as well just say "fuck it" to the noise aspect. It's too cosmetic for me to worry about right now, I think. I'll have a new desk soon, and I'll put the box behind a cabinet door and soften up the wall behind it to reduce noise bouncing from the PS fan and stuff like that.

I heard the V9 was loud.. its too bad, but it can't be too much louder than my Stock AMD cooler right now.... damn that thing works hard.

Oh, my Tt V9 box says "SMART and SILENT" so I could always go after them for false advertising :D
 
Unless you need to play DX9 games now, don't bother upgrading your video at this time. Your Ti4200 will continue to serve you well DX8-wise. By the time HL2 hits retail, you could probably get a 9800pro for the price of a 9600pro (this is just speculation, but you know what I mean).
 
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