Intel 2.4 differences + RAM compatibility?

[PocketLint]

I think I finally killed my current processor (1.33GHz Thunderbird) and am in the market to get a new processor and motherboard.

Right now I'm looking at a 2.4GHz Intel with a Soyo P4X400 DRAGON Lite. My questions are as follows:

1. What's the difference between the 2.4/2.4B/2.4C processors that I've seen advertized?

2. If I get one of the processors with a 533MHz FSB, will I still be able to use my PC2100 RAM with said processor? (The mobo accepts it, I just don't know if the frequency of the RAM will make it incompatible with the FSB of the processor)

Note that I will not be overclocking the processor at all. 2.4GHz is much more power than I need at the moment. Plus I'm looking for quiet, and I hear that the 2.4s don't need all that much fan-power to keep them cool.

Oh, and if anyone reads this the symptoms of my current system problem are as follows:
1. System will only sometimes POST.
2. If it successfulyl POSTs it will run for a few minutes before it stops funtioning. It doesn't power down; my monitors just go blank and all HD activity stops.
3. Sometimes to get the system to boot I have to disconnect the PSUs power cord and reconnect it.

CPU? Motherboard? PSU? Hardware reccomendations? Answers to any of my other numerous questions? What do you guys think?

 

[slvr_phoenix]

It sounds like a power supply problem to me.

1) 2.4 has only 4x100(400)MHz FSB. 2.4B has 4x133(533)MHz FSB. 2.4C has 4x200(800)MHz FSB <i>and</i> HyperThreading.

2) I don't know much about the VIA P4X400 chipset, but I'd imagine that it'd work with PC2100. I doubt that it'd be spectacular and I neither trust nor like VIA, but if that's the board that you want I don't think there will be any problems with that RAM, just lower performance. P4s like their memory bandwidth. But seeing as how you aren't too concerned about the performance anyway then there's nothing to worry about and I'm just rambling.

<pre><A HREF="http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030905" target="_new"><font color=black>People don't understand how hard being a dark god can be. - Hastur</font color=black></A></pre><p>

 

[sparky853]

I have the p4 2.4b, running on a MSI 645E Max-U mobo, and it will run any game currently on the market, as well as any coming on the market. The motherboard can be had for about CAN $100 (65-70 US$), and runs DDR333 memory.

I personally don't like the VIA chipsets either. Go with an SiS or Intel chipset.

Spec: P4 2.4B, 512MB DDR333, GF3 ti200 64MB, SB Live 5.1, WD 60GB, Quantum 6GB, LG24x24x32 CDR, WIN2K Pro.

 

[PocketLint]

Okay, so then the naming convention is just to denote the differences in FSB. Got it.

Now, considering I have such slower RAM would it not behove me to save my money and invest in the regular 2.4 processor? It's been so long since I upgraded I'm still learning how all these properties interact with each other.

Also, I've heard other places that most people suggest to stay away from the VIA chipsets, but noone's really backed up their reasons for why they feel like that. Why do you suggest that I avoid said set of chipsets?

I really appreciate your help in this matter.

 

[slvr_phoenix]

Now, considering I have such slower RAM would it not behove me to save my money and invest in the regular 2.4 processor? It's been so long since I upgraded I'm still learning how all these properties interact with each other.

I would say that since performance isn't critical to you, then yes, that'd be an excellent notion. A CPU with a lower FSB will be happier with your RAM.

Most people would probably kill me for saying something like that. It's <i>always</i> about performance. Heh heh. But really I see no reason why a 400MHz FSB 2.4GHz P4 wouldn't be just right for you.

Also, I've heard other places that most people suggest to stay away from the VIA chipsets, but noone's really backed up their reasons for why they feel like that. Why do you suggest that I avoid said set of chipsets?

I think that no one has backed up their reasons for boycotting VIA because no one really needs to. There are just so many unhappy VIA customers out there that it's pretty safe to express a dislike for VIA without even having to give a reason of explanation. I think that if you actually wanted a list of reasons it'd be a good mile long and touch on just about every one of their products. Heh heh.

On the serious side though, a lot of it is just personal experience trying to get their products to work at some point in the past. In my case for example a lot of my dislike for VIA has come from the P3 motherboard in my work PC. When I first got the PC it was incredibly unstable. VIA claimed that it wasn't their fault. Yet a hundred (and that might not be a very big exaggeration) motherboard driver updates and BIOS flashes and such later it now only crashes maybe once every month or so. Of course that was <i>after</i> disabling a feature of my video card because of a known and still unfixed issue between my video card and my motherboard. And all the while VIA claimed that it wasn't their fault, even though slowly with each passing firmware update from them the problem got better and better. But it wasn't their fault. That was just coincidence. As was the frequency at which they were putting out the updates.

Now I don't mind when a product is faulty and a company <i>admits</i> that it is faulty and repairs or recalls the product. But when they refuse to admit that it's their fault and yet work feverishly to release firmware updates that fix the problem (even if it took over a year before it was really close to anything that I'd call 'fixed') that just pisses me off. And since there's no reason why I can't find hardware that is better than something from VIA, there's no reason for me to buy anything VIA.

A lot of other people are of a similar opinion. There have been a <i>lot</i> of flaky VIA products in the past. And there has been a <i>lot</i> of denial from VIA that they're the ones making the products flaky. VIA <i>always</i> blames some other company for the problems.

To be fair to VIA though I haven't really heard any bad things about their recent products. So if you want to give VIA a shot it probably won't turn out to be a bad choice. There have even been happy VIA customers, so I'm told. 😉

<pre><A HREF="http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030905" target="_new"><font color=black>People don't understand how hard being a dark god can be. - Hastur</font color=black></A></pre><p>

 

[HardWareBoss]

I upgraded my puter. P4 2.4C $169 mobo IS7 $109 HyperX PC3500 512 $123.

 

[HardWareBoss]

You can buy Barton 2500 + Mobo for less money. Don't have names for Mobo's.

 

[zejs1]

The money saved in buying a regular (400Mhz FSB) 2.4Ghz P4 over the 2.4C is about $5. Even if you run them at the same bus speed, it seems to me the hyperthreading capability of the 2.4C would be worth $5.

 

[ChipDeath]

but due to the fact intel locks multipliers, if you run them at the same bus speed, the P4C would only be running at 1.2Ghz....

---
The end is nigh.. (For this post at least)

 

[sparky853]

As for VIA chipsets, Here's an example.

My brother-in-law has a 1Ghz Celeron & mobo using a VIA chipset, 256Mb SD133 RAM, 64MB GF4 MX440.

I had a 450Mhz P3 & mobo using Intel 440ZX Chipset, 256MB PC100 RAM, 64MB GF3 ti200.

My computer could run circles around his, and not just because of the P3-Celeron difference. His comp. was a pain in the ass to assemble and configure because of driver issues. VIAs chipsets (at least there older stuff) was just unreliable.

Well, theres my 2 cents.




Spec:
Intel P4 2.4B
MSI 645E Max-U Mobo
512MB DDR333
GF3 ti200 64MB
SB Live 5.1
WD 60GB
Quantum 6GB
LG24x24x32 CDR
WIN2K Pro.

 

[zejs1]

Oops about the clock multiplier, but doesn't PC2100 RAM work on an 800Mhz bus? Hell if I know, but the owners manual for my motherboard indicates it does.

And how much PC2100 RAM are we talking about? If it's a gigabyte and a half, that's one thing, if it's 256MB, ditch it and buy a gigabyte of PC3200 to go with the 2.4C.

 

[pIII_Man]

ya it will work...but if you want to use that ram you might as well get a 533mhz bus cpu...you are severly neutering the cpu by not running pc3200

512-1gb of ram is fine anything more is a waste


Proud owner of DOS 3.3

 

[HardWareBoss]

Ya what a waste. 2.4C an only PC2100. Why buy it if you do not use the ram it needs. Old with new not me.

 

[Crashman]

If you buy that motherboard, I'll kill you. As a builder, VIA cost me over $2000 in downtime any service time. And that was just in 1999! That's when I quite supporting VIA in systems I supported, and began to charge people $50 a pop to fix driver/configuration issues specific to VIA chipsets. And I hate those jobs, but I needed the money.

In your situation I'd recommend the P4 2.4B (533 bus), an Abit IS7, and two PC2100 mdules in dual channel mode.

If you can't afford that, an Asus P4B533-E and some PC2700 could be a bit cheaper.

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