cheap socket A recomendations

[darkhorseporter]

I'm putting together a cheap system for a friend, and decided that I had to go Socket A given the budget (500-600 including a 19" monitor).
I need help choosing a cpu. I'm leaning toward this:
AMD Athlon XP 2700+ Thoroughbred 2.17GHz
FSB: 333MHz Cache: L1/64K+64K; L2/256K
at newegg for $111.00

Is there a better solution for less? I am open to any and all suggestions.

By the way, here is everything I have so far.
<A HREF="http:// http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishList.asp?position=HISTORY&submit=VIEW&ID=1054145 " target="_new">http:// http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishList.asp?position=HISTORY&submit=VIEW&ID=1054145 </A>

 

[Blasphemy]

Yes. Almost everyone will tell you to grab a Mobile Barton 2500+ and overclock it to higher speeds if you wish. They O/C very easy and run very cool. They're also only 90 bucks.

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AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (stock)//1GB Corsair 3200XL//ATI Radeon 9700Pro (360/335)//WD Raptor 74GB/Antec Neopower 480W//Lian Li PC-61 Custom

 

[darkhorseporter]

Would I need to install a HS/F? Also, would the FSB make a big difference in speed?

 

[endyen]

All modern cpus require decent cooling solutions. I would recommend the vantec aeroflow.
As far as fsb goes, it impacts performance, so run that xp-m chip at the highest fsb the mobo will support.
You may have trouble finding an xp-m2500+, so get an xp-m2400+.
The nforce2 mobos are worth the extra money.

 

[darkhorseporter]

will it stable overclock to 400 fsb? I'm quite new to the overclocking thing, so how will it perform considering the retail xp 2700 is only $6 more after taking the aeroflow into consideration. Will the effort be worth the small dollar difference? If you were building this computer, what would you do with less than $110 for the cpu? The cheaper the better!

 

[bjpatrick]

I would not overclock a chip regarding a system you are building for a friend. It seems that your friend does not know much about computers. What happens if you are away and something happens with the hardware considering the overclocking that is taking place.

 

[endyen]

I agree, usually. When we talk about xp-m chips, that is a different story. These are the cream of the xp chips. Most were originally slated to be xp3000+ or better. When testing showed they could run at reduced voltage, they were given the "m". I have not seen an xp-m chip that ran as warm as a normal xp3200+ at 11 X 200/400 fsb. Nor have I heard of an xp-m chip that could not clock higher than 11 X 200.
I would have no problems giving a customer who was hardware illiterate, an xp-m chip clocked to xp3200+ speeds. Having said that, as with all xp chips, I would show him/her the bios settings, and include notes on making those adjustments.

 

[darkhorseporter]

so now I ask, why not get an xp-m 2200? For $77 it seems the way to go. Also, what is the functional difference between the 35 and 45 watt xp-m's?
I was thinking of getting the shuttle an35n mobo. would that work for oc-ing?

 

[endyen]

I haven't tried the xp-m 2200, nor do I know of anyone who has. Same is true of the 35 watt version.
I cant say much about shuttle boards. I've never thought too much about them, and most of what I've heard suggests it's safer that way. The Abit NF7-S is my board of choice.
The quality of the onboard sound makes for a good enough cost saving.

 

[darkhorseporter]

Here is what I ended up recommending. He really wanted a 19" monitor (because he is nearly blind...thus the IGP), and wireless. The budget was ~$600. He already has a case, keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc...
I decided against overclocking, having never done it before.

BIOSTAR "M7NCG 400" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
$61.90

AMD Athlon XP 2600+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache Processor - RETAIL
$107.00

pqi TURBO Series Dual Channel (Gunmetal) 184-Pin 512MB(256MB x 2) DDR PC-2700 - OEM
$88.00

SONY Beige 1.44MB 3.5Inch Floppy Disk Drive, Model MPF920, OEM
$7.00

Seagate 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model ST380011A,OEM
$60.00

PROVIEW PS909 19" CRT Monitor –RETAIL
$129.00

Optorite 8X DVD+RW/-RW Drive Model DD0405, RETAIL
$47.99

LINKSYS 11Mbps Wireless Access Point Router with 4-Port Switch, Model BEFW11S4
$49.99

LINKSYS Wireless PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model WMP11 -RETAIL
$42.99

Unincom ROUND, 18-Inch, Floppy drive cable, Booted, 2-Connector ( RED ), Single-device -RETAIL $2.85

Unincom ROUND, 24-Inch, True ATA133/100/66/33, ( RED ) IDE Cable, 3-Head, 24 Inches -RETAIL
2x$3.85 = $7.70

Speeze 80mm DC Case fan, Model "FD08025S1M4"
2x$1.59 = $3.18

Subtotal = $607.60

 

[fishmahn]

I wouldn't bother buying the cables - they come with a retail boxed motherboard unless you want the eye candy effect of round red cables. Hmm... might need 1 of the IDE cables - some mobos only come with 1 and you probably want HD and DVD on different channels.

Also - check price on PC3200 RAM. If it's the same price or less, get that - it'll work just fine at pc2700 speeds, and you may get future use out of them (and if not, for the same price - no loss).

Mike.

 

[Spitfire_x86]

If you don't overclock, then 2700+ is the best for you.


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[darkhorseporter]

(2x256)pc3200 is a couple bucks cheaper, but it's my understanding that it won't work with the onboard video.

 

[endyen]

It will work fine, as long as you set the mem to 166/333 fsb. In opther words, you have to set it to pc2700 settings. You can probably tighten up latencies that way as well. If you decide to advance the fsb, you will need the faster ram. It works fine at 333 settings.