Upgrading need advice

Scrunter1 · May 13, 2003, 09:23 PM

heya folks

Right now I'm running a 2200XP epox 8k5a 2*256 pc2100 and a gf4ti4600. came into some dinero and was considering a little upgrade. Well maybe more than a little. here are a few questions for ya:
[list=1][*]Xp2700 or 2.4b 533 p4? I can get a 2.4b for about $80 used here [*]I can get an ATI 9700pro or the new 9088 pro although I think the 9800 is also 128mb[*]pc2700 memory or pc3200 what brand would be preferable for overclocking and relatively cheap

[*]lastly, as stated I intend to overclock this rig so from your experience what board would be good for the p4 2.4b or perhaps an amd 2400-2700?[/list=1]

I could get a n Epox 8rda with 2*256 pc3200 for about $180. I've used EPOX boards before and have gotten great returns on overclocks.

Well any advice would greatly be appreciated.

Nuke209 · May 13, 2003, 11:15 PM

first off

get a mobo with the nforce2 chipset (unlocks the new amd's)

3200 ddr for 200fsb and 400mhz

amd barton core...the 3200+ xp are 400mhz fsb (matches with ram)

and as for video card, up to u...the 9800 performs well....so i would, unless u wanna spend a lil less, go for the 9700pro

tek · May 14, 2003, 03:08 AM

Agreed with ^

WyreTheWolf · May 14, 2003, 03:18 AM

Best bang for the buck is the Epox 8RDA+ with a 2700+ T-bred... the T-bred will be unloacked by the board, drop the multiplier a notch, and take it to 200MHz FSB... Radeon 9700 Pro is a great choice or even a Radeon 9500 Pro, or 4600 Ti. Choice is yours on that respect. The Epox board is the fastest nForce2 mobo at the moment... and the fastest AMD motherboard being built at the moment. The comperable Intel system would cost quite a bit more... and right now there is not a good quality 8X AGP with dual channel DDR solution available.

tparker · May 14, 2003, 04:23 AM

I would get a barton 2500 or 2800 or if you really rolled in the dough a Barton 3200 which has the 400 FSb .There is no such thing as good cheap memory in my opinion i would go with the matched pair 2-512megs = 1,024 megs of Corsair 3500.Motherboard the new Asus revision 2.00 A7V8X Deluxe Motherboard.Videocards either a FX 5900 with 256 megs of DDR or the ATI Radeon 9800 with 256 megs either one you can't go wrong i like Nvidia drivers better .I would use the sound that comes with the Asus Nvidia board it gets better frame rates than any card that i have seen that uses a Pci slot.Harddrives i would put the Raptor 10,000 RPM Western digital in as Master and a Western Digital 8 meg Buffer 80 or 120 gig EIDE Harddrive as secondary drive.Lian -Li or Antec Sonatra Case with plenty of fans.monitor a Nec or Mitsubishi 22 inch CRT model they sell for less than 500 dollars here.XP Profession as the OS.Keyboard,mouse,speakers are pretty much a individual buy .Last but not least a fast Internet Connection cable or DSL preferrably cable and do buy your own Modem and Router cheaper that way a Cable Modem can be found for free after rebatesPower suply Antec or Enermax.Cdrw or DVD burner Sony has served me well.

Scrunter1 · May 14, 2003, 05:24 AM

thanks for the advice guys I'm leaning towards the EPox 8rda+ with 2 256mb chips for Dual channel 3200. I think its buffalo mem sticks: this is the NEWEGG decription Buffalo Technology 256MB 6 Layer PC3200 DDR Memory Module CL 2.5 32X8 (Winbond Module) - OEM what you guys think. I hear the Winbond module is good for overcloaking

shuki · May 14, 2003, 10:41 AM

if you get an r9700 you definitely need a mobo that will lock off the agp fsb. my r9700 pro will not do over 180fsb...

If you want to OC, don't skimp out on the memory! Don't get the "buffalo" memory... I would highly recommend the kingston hyperX series. I bought 2x256 pc3500 for like $78 each shipped. I've ran mine as high as 230 with no problems

I would get:
xp1700 0310 wpmpw if you can find one (running 2.3Ghz on ~ 1.7v and can be had for ~$75)
either epox 8rda+ or the abit nf7-s can't go wrong with either one IMO
2x256 pc3500 kingston hyperX
bba r9700 pro

you'll be smokin'

edit - thinking if you go with epox, ya might consider the 8rga rather than the 8rda. evidently the 8rda only goes up to 1.7vdd (same as nf7) but the 8rga will allow 2.0 vdd. Just something to consider

WyreTheWolf · May 14, 2003, 10:51 AM

BTW guys ... Corsair memory, and the Epox 8RDA+ DO NOT GET ALONG ... you will need modified BIOS to make it work at all... You can look up everything that you need for the Epox 8RDA+, and may other nForce2 motherboards [url=http://8rdafaq.com/8RDA/index.php[/url] look under the BIOS section. Good luck!

Vampyromaniac · May 14, 2003, 11:57 AM

Any info/links on why the 8RDA+ and Corsair don't get along?

DTC · May 14, 2003, 01:49 PM

Hello @ll,

I think the Abit NF7-s at Rev. 2.0 is the better choice, because it supports FSB200
and goes up to FSB 220 with good memory.
I have the Abit NF7 in Rev1.2 and it runs with vdd 1,7V and FSB200 with PC3200
Twinmos/Winbond BH5 this is same chipset as corsair, but much cheaper and also
perfect for overclocking.

DTC

Zardon · May 14, 2003, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Vampyromaniac
Any info/links on why the 8RDA+ and Corsair don't get along?

stick with OCZ 3500 matched pairs, works much better

Zardon · May 14, 2003, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DTC
Hello @ll,

I think the Abit NF7-s at Rev. 2.0 is the better choice, because it supports FSB200
and goes up to FSB 220 with good memory.
I have the Abit NF7 in Rev1.2 and it runs with vdd 1,7V and FSB200 with PC3200
Twinmos/Winbond BH5 this is same chipset as corsair, but much cheaper and also
perfect for overclocking.

DTC

I dont really agree, the Epox8DRA+ is a better overclocking board than the abit. like the V2 abit (which i had and didnt like at all), the new Epox revision hits well over 200fsb. ive hit 224fsb

2.2 core volt/2.9ram. The abit V1.2 was flawed.

Abit V2 is a good motherboard I just think the epox is better for extreme overclocking. especially if you mod the stock cooling.

DTC · May 14, 2003, 02:20 PM

The Abit NF7 Rev 2.0 is also very good, I is very easy to go to FSB 224 with multi of 8

The Rev2.0 is much better than the Rev1.2 so I think its equal then to the epox, or a little bit better !

DTC

Zardon · May 14, 2003, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DTC
The Abit NF7 Rev 2.0 is also very good, I is very easy to go to FSB 224 with multi of 8
The Rev2.0 is much better than the Rev1.2 so I think its equal then to the epox, or a little bit better !

DTC

my mate swears by the abit V2 and he knows his stuff (so ill not argue to much

), I havent used one myself yet (but ill get a chance this weekend), but I had terrible results with the V1.2.

anyway welcome to the forum ! dont mean to hijack this guys thread but whats the rest of your system like?

DTC · May 14, 2003, 02:58 PM

Thx, for the welcome, nice to be here

My System:

Abit NF7 Rev1.2 @1,7V
XP1700+ @ 2200Mhz (11x200) @ 1,65V
with Artic Copper @ 53C
Readeon 9500np @ 9700 270mem/380core
2x256 Twinmos/Winbond with Bh5 chip @5-2-2-2
a poor 300W Power Supply unit

which timings do you have at FSB224 ?

Scrunter1 · May 15, 2003, 12:06 AM

wow lot sof replies now. I checked hte buffalo memory and they are the Winbond chips which are the same on the Twinmos memory if I'm not mistaken. Difference is that the Buffalo costs only $90 with shipping where as the twinmos costs $120 with shipping.

May 13, 2003, 09:23 PM	#1
Scrunter1 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	Upgrading need advice heya folks Right now I'm running a 2200XP epox 8k5a 2256 pc2100 and a gf4ti4600. came into some dinero and was considering a little upgrade. Well maybe more than a little. here are a few questions for ya: [list=1][]Xp2700 or 2.4b 533 p4? I can get a 2.4b for about $80 used here []I can get an ATI 9700pro or the new 9088 pro although I think the 9800 is also 128mb[]pc2700 memory or pc3200 what brand would be preferable for overclocking and relatively cheap []lastly, as stated I intend to overclock this rig so from your experience what board would be good for the p4 2.4b or perhaps an amd 2400-2700?[/list=1] I could get a n Epox 8rda with 2256 pc3200 for about $180. I've used EPOX boards before and have gotten great returns on overclocks. Well any advice would greatly be appreciated.

May 13, 2003, 11:15 PM	#2
Nuke209 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: St. Paul Posts: 568 Rep Power: 0	first off get a mobo with the nforce2 chipset (unlocks the new amd's) 3200 ddr for 200fsb and 400mhz amd barton core...the 3200+ xp are 400mhz fsb (matches with ram) and as for video card, up to u...the 9800 performs well....so i would, unless u wanna spend a lil less, go for the 9700pro __________________ 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

May 14, 2003, 03:08 AM	#3
tek DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, US Posts: 2,103 Rep Power: 0	Agreed with ^ __________________ [COLOR=White][/COLOR]

May 14, 2003, 04:23 AM	#5
tparker DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Winston Salem N.C. Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	Buying advice I would get a barton 2500 or 2800 or if you really rolled in the dough a Barton 3200 which has the 400 FSb .There is no such thing as good cheap memory in my opinion i would go with the matched pair 2-512megs = 1,024 megs of Corsair 3500.Motherboard the new Asus revision 2.00 A7V8X Deluxe Motherboard.Videocards either a FX 5900 with 256 megs of DDR or the ATI Radeon 9800 with 256 megs either one you can't go wrong i like Nvidia drivers better .I would use the sound that comes with the Asus Nvidia board it gets better frame rates than any card that i have seen that uses a Pci slot.Harddrives i would put the Raptor 10,000 RPM Western digital in as Master and a Western Digital 8 meg Buffer 80 or 120 gig EIDE Harddrive as secondary drive.Lian -Li or Antec Sonatra Case with plenty of fans.monitor a Nec or Mitsubishi 22 inch CRT model they sell for less than 500 dollars here.XP Profession as the OS.Keyboard,mouse,speakers are pretty much a individual buy .Last but not least a fast Internet Connection cable or DSL preferrably cable and do buy your own Modem and Router cheaper that way a Cable Modem can be found for free after rebatesPower suply Antec or Enermax.Cdrw or DVD burner Sony has served me well.

May 14, 2003, 10:41 AM	#7
shuki DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: in the hidden place Posts: 1,975 Rep Power: 0	if you get an r9700 you definitely need a mobo that will lock off the agp fsb. my r9700 pro will not do over 180fsb... If you want to OC, don't skimp out on the memory! Don't get the "buffalo" memory... I would highly recommend the kingston hyperX series. I bought 2x256 pc3500 for like $78 each shipped. I've ran mine as high as 230 with no problems I would get: xp1700 0310 wpmpw if you can find one (running 2.3Ghz on ~ 1.7v and can be had for ~$75) either epox 8rda+ or the abit nf7-s can't go wrong with either one IMO 2x256 pc3500 kingston hyperX bba r9700 pro you'll be smokin' edit - thinking if you go with epox, ya might consider the 8rga rather than the 8rda. evidently the 8rda only goes up to 1.7vdd (same as nf7) but the 8rga will allow 2.0 vdd. Just something to consider Last edited by shuki; May 14, 2003 at 10:56 AM.

May 14, 2003, 03:18 AM	#4
WyreTheWolf Wolfish Bastard Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cave; Ozark Mountains Posts: 2,110 Rep Power: 0	Best bang for the buck is the Epox 8RDA+ with a 2700+ T-bred... the T-bred will be unloacked by the board, drop the multiplier a notch, and take it to 200MHz FSB... Radeon 9700 Pro is a great choice or even a Radeon 9500 Pro, or 4600 Ti. Choice is yours on that respect. The Epox board is the fastest nForce2 mobo at the moment... and the fastest AMD motherboard being built at the moment. The comperable Intel system would cost quite a bit more... and right now there is not a good quality 8X AGP with dual channel DDR solution available.

May 14, 2003, 05:24 AM	Thread Starter #6
Scrunter1 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	thanks for the advice guys I'm leaning towards the EPox 8rda+ with 2 256mb chips for Dual channel 3200. I think its buffalo mem sticks: this is the NEWEGG decription Buffalo Technology 256MB 6 Layer PC3200 DDR Memory Module CL 2.5 32X8 (Winbond Module) - OEM what you guys think. I hear the Winbond module is good for overcloaking

May 14, 2003, 10:51 AM	#8
WyreTheWolf Wolfish Bastard Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cave; Ozark Mountains Posts: 2,110 Rep Power: 0	BTW guys ... Corsair memory, and the Epox 8RDA+ DO NOT GET ALONG ... you will need modified BIOS to make it work at all... You can look up everything that you need for the Epox 8RDA+, and may other nForce2 motherboards [url=http://8rdafaq.com/8RDA/index.php[/url] look under the BIOS section. Good luck!

May 14, 2003, 11:57 AM	#9
Vampyromaniac confutatis maledictis Join Date: May 2002 Location: somewhere dark Posts: 5,974 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	Wyre Any info/links on why the 8RDA+ and Corsair don't get along? __________________ *Digitalis 3.3* Athlon 64 3000 // ASUS K8V SE Deluxe // 1024MB PC3200 (2-2-2-10 1T) ATI All-In-Wonder 9700 Pro // 20" Dell 2005FPW (DVI) M-Audio Revo 7.1 + Philips Acoustic Edge // Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 320/16 Western Digital WD3200KS + 120/8 Seagate 7200.7 NEC ND-3550A 16x DVD±RW + Lite-On 52x24x CD-RW Antec Sonata case // 480W Antec TruePower personal bests \|\| Aq'3: 46796 \| 3D'01: 20461 \| 3D'03: 6336 \| 3D'05: 2677 \| PC'04: 4605 \| PC'02: 7691,9092,1250

May 14, 2003, 01:49 PM	#10
DTC DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 62 Rep Power: 0	Hello @ll, I think the Abit NF7-s at Rev. 2.0 is the better choice, because it supports FSB200 and goes up to FSB 220 with good memory. I have the Abit NF7 in Rev1.2 and it runs with vdd 1,7V and FSB200 with PC3200 Twinmos/Winbond BH5 this is same chipset as corsair, but much cheaper and also perfect for overclocking. DTC

May 14, 2003, 02:20 PM	#13
DTC DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 62 Rep Power: 0	The Abit NF7 Rev 2.0 is also very good, I is very easy to go to FSB 224 with multi of 8 The Rev2.0 is much better than the Rev1.2 so I think its equal then to the epox, or a little bit better ! DTC

May 14, 2003, 02:58 PM	#15
DTC DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 62 Rep Power: 0	Thx, for the welcome, nice to be here My System: Abit NF7 Rev1.2 @1,7V XP1700+ @ 2200Mhz (11x200) @ 1,65V with Artic Copper @ 53C Readeon 9500np @ 9700 270mem/380core 2x256 Twinmos/Winbond with Bh5 chip @5-2-2-2 a poor 300W Power Supply unit which timings do you have at FSB224 ?

May 15, 2003, 12:06 AM	Thread Starter #16
Scrunter1 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	wow lot sof replies now. I checked hte buffalo memory and they are the Winbond chips which are the same on the Twinmos memory if I'm not mistaken. Difference is that the Buffalo costs only $90 with shipping where as the twinmos costs $120 with shipping.