Motherboard/chipset Question

I'm thinking of building a PC - but have been out of the loop with hardware over the past few years (I've played it cheap and just bought ready made systems).

Can you guys recommend a motherboard/chipset that would be a good deal for the money? I don't have a huge budget to work with but I don't want to get junk either.

As for usage - the PC will be used pimarily to do 2D artwork (Photoshop) and some 3D rendering (Strata, etc.) on. I'm just guessing an Intel chip with a ton of ram.

As for the video card I have been considering one of the new nVidia GeForce 6 series based on their current ratings against ATI. I figured I would give them a bit though just in case any tests were 'fudged' or any bugs appear.

 

I like Intel a lot, but I just can't recommend them over AMD right now. If you want a chip that will support 64 bit windows and applications in the future (you’re going to keep this machine 3 years or so), then get an Athlon 64 with a KT800 chipset mainboard. If you aren’t worried about that, then the Athlon XP is so ridiculously cheap that you can’t pass it up. Going that route, I’d by either a “barton” core XP 2500+ OR a mobile Athlon XP-M, (a full sized chip designed for those huge desktop replacement notebooks). Both of these chips are excellent overclockers and the difficulty factor for doing so with an nForce2 Ultra 400 chipset mainbaord is somewhere between “monkey” and “complete idiot”. It’s all handled in BIOS and is as simple as selecting which speeds you want. Newegg has both of these XP chips in stock, as well as the Athlon 64 and affordable motherboards based on both chipsets. You were right about ram though. Buy a BUNCH for what you want to do. If you get the nForce2 board, but 2 (and only 2) identical sticks of ram so “dual channel” memory bus is enabled – slightly better performance. And may I also suggest a 10,000 rpm Raptor hard drive? Spending a little extra on the Raptor will give you more performance gains than an extra 200mhz on one of the processors listed above.

 

WHAT HH SAID. I think the new pci express boards are coming out in a couple of weeks. Supoposed to be the biggest jump in technology over the last 10 years.

 

:xyzthumbs I fit snuggly in there.

As for Intel vs AMD - wow! I had no idea there was such a difference now. I will definitely go the AMD route because I want something that will last for a few years.

Dave - you mentioned something about some new PCI boards coming out. Will these be of any benefit to current hardware or is this going to be a new standard (ie USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0)?

Also - how about cases for the above mentioned puppy?

 

http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.html?i=1830


here is some info about pci express. You can also google more info. Check your pm's, troll.

 

Yep, I agree with HH and Dave, you really can't go wrong with Athlon XP and nforce2 at this point if you're looking for the best combination of power and price. I highly recommend the Abit NF7-S rev. 2 motherboard, and the fastest Barton chip you can afford. Make sure you get a BIG powersupply if you're looking at the new nvidia cards, they recommend 480W. Also, ATI should release their competing product within the next month or so, so you might want to wait and see how products of the same generation compare, instead of new nvidia vs. old ati.

I've also bought multiple times from newegg.com and would recommend them.

 

I highly recommend the Abit NF7-S rev. 2 motherboard, and the fastest Barton chip you can afford


agree 100%. if you can find an early stepping barton that has the multiplier unlocked you can overclock the crap out of it. Ive got a 2500 barton that runs at 3200 speeds with no problem. too bad its just sitting on my desk right now.

 

Guys, that Mobile Athlon that newegg sells is multiplier unlocked and based on a 266mhz bus too. I would strongly recommend something like this:

Mobile Athlon XP 2400+

$78 - 512k L2 cache (the 2200 only has 256k) and enormous headroom for overclocking. Simply bumping the FSB up to 333mhz & you get a chip running at 3.0 GHz, which my friend has achieved easily with this chip. He had a normal barton core 2500+ but sold it for this one.

May I also recommend some artic silver thermal grease and this Thermaltake "silent" heatsink/fan combo to cool it. I have this thinga, and while it isnt truly silent, it's not far above the 21 db the front side of the package claims. Keeps my thorougbred core Athlon XP running at about 36 celcius. It's AMD approved.

As for power supplies, if you want 480watts to push the $500 nVidia monster, I'd go with this one: startech 480w silent. I have the 380w variety and it really is silent. I can't hear the fan. The 480w one will set you back $72, but that's cheap for that much power. They also have a Soyo one (similar design) at the store that goes for $99. Both fo these are AMD approved.

Abit motherboards used to be the best, but they had quality control issues. This new one Rez & Dave mentioned is getting very good reviews, but I'm still a little concerned about quality. Feature-wise, it's superb.

 

Simply bumping the FSB up to 333mhz & you get a chip running at 3.0 GHz, which my friend has achieved easily with this chip. He had a normal barton core 2500+ but sold it for this one.



im calling bullshit. I have to see some screenies if you want me to beleive that.

 

I thought he was kidding too Dave, let me see if he has the screens up for it.

Come to think of it, I betcha I just botched that. I think he achieved the same clock as an XP 3000+, not 3.0GHz. Sorry.