Need help upgrading PC on a budget

[omniskillz]

Hello Everyone,

I respect everyones opinions so please help me out. I have 700 dollars to spend, first i was thinking of upgrading my car stereo but.. i spend more time on the pc so.. well anyway.. currently I have a p3 800eb 512mb ram geforce 3 etc... so all i need is a new cpu, mb, ram, case, fans, and power supply. I want to overclock and want a light case... aluminum is expensive... lian-li is very tempting but 200 dollar investment just on the case... I wanted the 1.6a at first but with all these stories of the 2.26b getting 3ghz... i am tempted to buy that... I play quake 3 mostly... I want to be able to keep this new rig for atleast 2 years or more... I must have spent over 10 grand since 1994 buying pcs....

thanks all.

[Tamasha_Strife]

RDRAM based system from newegg:
P4 2.26 $274
Abit TH7II RAID $126
2x128mb Kingston PC1066 RDRAM $154
Antec TruePower380W $80
which leaves $66 for your case so you'd have to get a steel one...
if you get the 1.6A ($140 instead of $274) you'd have $200 for your case so you could get one of them Lian-Li.

DDR based system from newegg:
P4 2.26 $274
ASUS P4B533 $146
256mb Corsair PC3000 CL2 103$
Antec True Power 380W $80
and you're left with $97 for your case. With the 1.6A I'd advise you get more memory like 512mb Corsair PC3000 CL2 at $154 which would leave a total of 180$ for your case so you could get a nice alu case (but not a Lian-Li).

Hope this helps a bit

[omniskillz]

hmm thanks tamashi... i do have a spare evercase... maybe i can just make do with that and maybe if i come across money later buy a aluminum case? if i overclock is it just good to have to case wide open? instead of getting all these fans?

[batboy]

Tamasha has a good starting point listed. I suggest a couple of minor changes. Go with the Antec True Power 430 watt power supply and get Samsung PC1066 memory instead. Kingston sometimes has conflicts when used in the TH7-II. If you're on a budget, then get the 1.6a or 1.8a Northwood, which is lots cheaper than the 2.26 gig CPU. If you plan on a significant overclock, then don't skimp on cooling. Get the fans, Arctic Silver, and a decent cooler.

[Rasputin'sLiver]

LOL! Look at my system at my signature - except for the mobo, its pretty close to being Tamasha's ddr recommendation. It works great!:D

[omniskillz]

Thanks, batboy and ras...
is it easy to drill wholes in a case to add fans if there are no slots? i was thinkin of maybe puttin a 120mm fan uptop for exhaust... I'm not a real good tool person.. there are cases out there that have it done but its pricey.... is there any how to sites?

[Tamasha_Strife]

Tamasha has a good starting point listed. I suggest a couple of minor changes. Go with the Antec True Power 430 watt power supply and get Samsung PC1066 memory instead. Kingston sometimes has conflicts when used in the TH7-II. If you're on a budget, then get the 1.6a or 1.8a Northwood, which is lots cheaper than the 2.26 gig CPU. If you plan on a significant overclock, then don't skimp on cooling. Get the fans, Arctic Silver, and a decent cooler.

I agree with ya batboy!! I just looked at newegg again and the 430W is actually the exact same price as the 380W!!!

Omniskillz, the more I think about it the more I believe you should get a 1.6A, those babies overclock like crazy!!! Also you can always get a new CPU in a few months if you find it somehow too slow....

You might also consider getting 512mb or RDRAM instead of 256mb (assuming you even care for RDRAM!)

[omniskillz]

if i get a 1.6 and decide to upgrade to the p4 533mhz bus, do i need to buy a new motherboard as well? my hope was to get an upgrade and not worry about upgrading for atleast 2 years i mean i guess i could go over 700 dollars put it on credit.. i got 700 cash.. just dont like puttin stuff on credit

[Tamasha_Strife]

Yes you could upgrade your CPU later without changing anything else. All Northwoods (that's the core the P4 uses currently) are socket 478 processors so you can put anything from a 1.6A to a 2.53 and it'll run fine.

Also since Intel is phasing out the 1.6A when you get your new CPU you might get a nice price for it on Ebay

[PhobMX]

I have the very same setup you do, but i'm about to sell my comp and was targeting for the same 3ghz. But my budget is $1400 ;)

well first of all get corsair pc3000 512mb, huge ram, huge overlockability not to expensive, FORGET ABOUT RDR FOR HUGE OCS

Get abit BD7II mobo, its the best there is, ASUS WILL HARDLY GO FOR MORE THAN 150 FSB well, thats what ive heard...

Yep, your best bet is p4 1.6A, the best value and overlockabilty around. You might get a thermalight AX-478 heatsink along with a sunon ultra high speed fan, it will be silent and effective, get both along with Artic Silver 3 here:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/tecar.html

Im going to have same setup but with p4 2.26, gf4 4400 tv-in, dynaflat monitor, liteon cdrw, sony dvd rom, audigy sound card and a cool $150 case with an antec psu included.


Bet that your setup will last for those 2 years you want, if im lucky and i get 3ghz maybe mine will last more :D

[omniskillz]

dam MX... well im thinkin of just goin with the 2.26, i wanted rdram but it is way way way expensive.. so 2.26, ill try for that corsair xms ram 512mb.. ill see how much that runs and the abit bd 7? motherboard... and the antec 430 powersupply.. i guess ill just keep the case open and put a huge fan blowing air to it , until i get more money for a good case =p

[PhobMX]

lol

that should work too :D

[omniskillz]

hey guys another questions.. should I wait til september to buy ?? will it be cheaper then? or should i just buy it now??? i know in may they had a nice price drop... is there only certain parts of the year prices drop???

[PhobMX]

buy when you feel like buying, myself i dont wanna wait until october for a price drop. I WANT NEW STUFF NOW!!!

So just buy when you have all you want...

[Tamasha_Strife]

well first of all get corsair pc3000 512mb, huge ram, huge overlockability not to expensive, FORGET ABOUT RDR FOR HUGE OCS

Ehhh that's not quite true, look around and you'll notice that all the huge overclocks were made with RDRAM not DDR. Also the P4 is extremly memory bandwidth hungry and any way you look at it, RDRAM is still the better memory for P4s.

Omniskillz, if you want a decent overclock then you could go either DDR or RDRAM but if you want a MAD MAD MAD overclock then RDRAM is the only way to go in my book right now. If you decide to wait a bit then it's gonna be a whole different ball game with dual channel DDR.

[omniskillz]

well Tamasha... if i get the samsung 800 rdram... can i overclock it so it will work fine with the 2.26??? whats the success rate on the ram overclocks? well 1.6a and 2.26 prices seem to be rock steady... im hoping for ram prices to drop, but i dont know if that will be the case... i mean if 2 months from now prices will still be relatively the same, ill buy it now and have some fun with it, instead of grudging it out with my p3 800

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by PhobMX
buy when you feel like buying, myself i dont wanna wait until october for a price drop. I WANT NEW STUFF NOW!!!

So just buy when you have all you want...

My feelings exactly!:D

[Tamasha_Strife]

well Tamasha... if i get the samsung 800 rdram... can i overclock it so it will work fine with the 2.26??? whats the success rate on the ram overclocks? well 1.6a and 2.26 prices seem to be rock steady... im hoping for ram prices to drop, but i dont know if that will be the case... i mean if 2 months from now prices will still be relatively the same, ill buy it now and have some fun with it, instead of grudging it out with my p3 800

Well if you wait a few months then either:
1) new stuff will have come out and you'll want THAT!
2) no new stuff will have come out and prices will be the same.

soooooooooo buy it now!

If you're looking for a good OC but nothing crazy, just go with DDR. It's gonna be cheaper and simpler.

Also it is rumored DDR prices will go up very soon so I'd make up my mind ASAP if I were you as they certainly won't go down!

Finally if you do decide to go DDR you might want to check out the Abit BD7-II. It seems like a better board than what I first suggested.

[Caffinehog]

Originally posted by Tamasha_Strife
Also it is rumored DDR prices will go up very soon so I'd make up my mind ASAP if I were you as they certainly won't go down!


Go get it NOW! DDR is going up on pricewatch. Or better yet, snag it from someone in the classifieds here!

[omniskillz]

alright fellas, im tempted with delusions of grandeur... getting the 2.26 the abit bd7II .. now im lookin at getting 2x 128mb samsung 1066 rdrams... for overclocking is ECC or NON-ECC the way to go? can anyone tell me what the difference is? thanks again =)

[HaywirE]

Make Your Switch to AMD

Okay, i have a GREAT Budget Pc FOR YOU.

For Starts, The motherboard.

ECS K7S5A - Why? - Onboard LAN, Onboard audio. Saves you 10 for the nic, and atleast 10 for the soundcard. Good Part You have 512mb of pc133 or pc100 memory as you've said, and the ECS K7S5A Uses DDR/And SDRam. You could put your 512mb of pc133 in there, and use it and when you want to upgrade to DDR You can. It has 2 SD And 2 DDR Slots. Price 53 Dollars

AMD Athlon Xp 2200 Retail - Economical Lightning Fast CPU, That will last you and overclock you well. Price - 213

Memory - Dane-Elec PC2100 DDR Memory - 512mb - Reliability, Fast. Price 98 Dollars a stick

Hard Drive - 80Gigabyte 7200 Rotations per minute IBM Hard Drive
Reliability, Speed - Price 89

Power Supply Unit - 400 Watt Enermax Whisper Price 75

Case - Antec 1040B Full tower - W/ Out PSU
Includes 3 Case Fans (its a great case, lots of room, economical, and good looking. Price 49

Its under your budget, quite a bit as well.
Have fun!

I also hope that you have thought about AMD And where there going, make your choice now, so when the New Bartons/Hammers come out you know what your getting, all i all i think that you will be very happy w/ AMD And i wish you luck with your new PC.

-HaywirE

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by HaywirE
[B]Make Your Switch to AMD

For Starts, The motherboard.

ECS K7S5A - [/COLOR]


[

If I'm not mistaken that mobo doesn't overclock at all although there is a whole new industry in making bioses for this board....:eh?:

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by omniskillz
alright fellas, im tempted with delusions of grandeur... getting the 2.26 the abit bd7II .. now im lookin at getting 2x 128mb samsung 1066 rdrams... for overclocking is ECC or NON-ECC the way to go? can anyone tell me what the difference is? thanks again =)

Non ecc all the way!

You only use ecc if your mobo (tyan 2460 comes to mind) requires it..... the main difference is expense! It certainly doesn't work any faster - I've found that the ecc is slower - and it doesn't seem to matter whether it's correcting errors or not because I've never seen a difference in stability.

[Caffinehog]

Originally posted by HaywirE
Make Your Switch to AMD


OK, I like AMD and all, but that system you just suggested really sucks. At the moment, Intel is the way to go anyways.
But if you want AMD, you might want to try substituting these parts for ones previously suggested:

On newegg.com:
Epox 8k3A+ = $92 (KT333!)
Corsair XMS 512mb pc3000 cas2 = $175 (up to 185FSB cas2!)
Thermalrigh AX-7 heatsink = $28
80mm sunon 39CFM fan for AX-7 = $5
shipping = $17.18

This should still be within your budget, and I guarantee you'll get a lot more out of your system.

[omniskillz]

haha you guys are a trip... any recommendations for a heatsink and fan for the p4 2.26? do i need arctic silver?? and the AMD guy... sorry i never tried a amd.. and i dont wanna start right now... i heard alot of headaches and sour stories about them... maybe its bias.. but i always had good luck with intel

[AgEnT0140]

Originally posted by omniskillz
haha you guys are a trip... any recommendations for a heatsink and fan for the p4 2.26? do i need arctic silver?? and the AMD guy... sorry i never tried a amd.. and i dont wanna start right now... i heard alot of headaches and sour stories about them... maybe its bias.. but i always had good luck with intel

well i'm not gonna go on some amd trip here, but i would suggest get the 1.6a then wait till they phase it out, sell it on ebay and get a 1.8a. 1.8a and 2.2something are the same chip, but one runs at 100mhzX4 and the other at 133X4 system bus. You are bias towards intel becuase AMD systems are not a headache to setup. I used to be all AMD but i am starting to swing both ways.. both brands of course! Maybe its time for an avatar upgrade :rolleyes: <<<< GEt teh ax-487, its good. get Artic silver 3 aswell.

[Caffinehog]

Originally posted by PhobMX
well first of all get corsair pc3000 512mb, huge ram, huge overlockability not to expensive
Get abit BD7II mobo, its the best there is,
Yep, your best bet is p4 1.6A, the best value and overlockabilty around. You might get a thermalight AX-478 heatsink along with a sunon ultra high speed fan, it will be silent and effective, get both along with Artic Silver 3 here:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/tecar.html


I'm all about this configuration. Well, the 2.26B might be a better choice if you want to shoot for 3GHz. And I would personally go with water cooling, but that's just me.
And make sure you have an adequate power supply. I'd get at minimum 350W brand-name or 400W generic.

Also, invest in a large 7200RPM hard drive, or two smaller ones in a raid configuration. (raid is only useful if you move or edit large files frequently.)

BTW: Don't count out AMD. If you do upgrade in the next two years, you'll probably be buying a 64-bit clawhammer. AMD is just as easy as Intel, and usually almost as fast. AMD only gets complicated when you start doing things like unlocking, options you don't have with intel.

[Maverick494]

ABIT BD7II 845E Based Pentium 4-478 ATX Mainboard 400/533MHz Retail 113.00

Intel Pentium 4 1.6A GHz 512K Socket 478 Processor 400MHz Processor Bus 152.00

CORSAIR MEMORY XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series CMX512-3000C2 512MB PC3000 DDR RAM - OEM 64x64 184-Pin, CAS2 -Unbuffered With Heat Spreader 175.00

Raidmax Model A228 (Aluminum) Case with 10" Sound Activated Neon Stick and Side Window; Retail 79.00

ENERMAX EG465AX-VE (W)FCA. 431W Power supply for AMD K7 & Pentium4. Meet AMD K7 and Intel ATX +12V 1.1 and ATX 2.03 version (Pentium 4 fully support). 62.00

Panasonic Panaflo Axial Fan 92x92x25.5mm, Ball Bearing, DC 12V, 5.52W, 2500 RPM, 103.8 CFM, 41.5 dB-A Model: FBA09A12H1A 8.00 EA x 4(2 intake and 2 exhaust) = 32.00

Thermaltake VOLCANO 7+. (With Fan Speed H.M.L RPM Setting Cable) Variable Fan Speed Control. TINY FIN TECHNOLOGY. High Ratio (36 fins). All Copper Material. 3-Pin with 4-Pin adaptor. Retail. 42.00

Total (without shipping) = 655.00 (got all my prices from newegg.com)

this should overclock nicely and give support for future CPU upgrades. It will o/c pretty well too.

[Caffinehog]

All good but the heatsink. I'd reccommend the thermalright AX-478 with an 80mm 2900rpm 39cfm Sunon fan. Both are on newegg.com. The heatsink is $24, the fan is $5, and shipping should be $12, giving you a much better heatsink/fan for less than the volcano 7+ price. (And probably less noise, too!)

[PhobMX]

PROBABLY??? LOL!!!
TAKE A LISTEN:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/tecar.html

[omniskillz]

got the p4 2.26.. whats better for rdram? abit th7-ii or asus p4t-533-e? or anything else for that matter..
should i get the new 4200 ram? 232 pin? for o/c

[omniskillz]

Gigabyte GA-8IHXP
tomshardware gives it rave reviews for use with the p4 and rdram... but is it a good overclocker?? not stated in the review

[PhobMX]

yes it is stated in the first page "rdr is very sensitive to ocs" or stuff, they use the rdr for stock setup and ddr for overclocked one. Thats why i still think that ddr is the way to go for extreme ocs, but if you still want a good chance of a big oc with rdr, u must use pc1066, which brand?? id also like to know :(

[omniskillz]

well i got the 2.26b retail from google for 242 shipped
right now im about to get the gigabyte ihxp6 and antec truepower 480 from newegg.... ram.. im prob gonna get samsung1066, the gigabyte mb only supports 16bit modules not the new 32bit

[micamica1217]

Originally posted by Tamasha_Strife


Ehhh that's not quite true, look around and you'll notice that all the huge overclocks were made with RDRAM not DDR. Also the P4 is extremly memory bandwidth hungry and any way you look at it, RDRAM is still the better memory for P4s.

Omniskillz, if you want a decent overclock then you could go either DDR or RDRAM but if you want a MAD MAD MAD overclock then RDRAM is the only way to go in my book right now. If you decide to wait a bit then it's gonna be a whole different ball game with dual channel DDR.

I could not say this any better.:cool:

amd is all good in my book but get ready for water cooling because of the temps.

with a 1.6a or a 2.26b you can safely OC with air.

go with an ax-478...pick your fan.

my 1.6a on air beat an amd 2000xp on water at same 154fsb in 3dmark2k1. you can't do this with DDR memory.

I can't wait to go water cooling.

P.S. I tested my rig up to 160fsb,and can safely say RDRAM can OC well.

mica

[omniskillz]

well im no doubtedly going rdram... hey how do i put a picture under my name to the left? samsung rdram 1066 is hard to find all i see are kingstons!
so far i got the p4 2.26, gigabyte ihxp6, antec true power 480 w/ blue led.. hehe, and i was gonna get that alpha pal or the swiftech.... but ppl are tellin me to get the thermalright.. its it the cheapest out of the three... but is it the best?

[omniskillz]

are the samsung 1066 just overclocked 800s or do they have more head room for the overclocks... i mean if there just 800s overclocked i might as well get the 800s come on someone help me out, my buying finger is twitchy!

[AgEnT0140]

RDRAM blows for overclocking, get some XMS 3200DDR and a nice DDR baord and you will rock. also just a note if you didnt know, that 1.8a and the 2.26b are the same multi, just different default FSBs...

[omniskillz]

then how come not alot of 1.8's get to 3ghz?

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by AgEnT0140
RDRAM blows for overclocking, get some XMS 3200DDR and a nice DDR baord and you will rock. also just a note if you didnt know, that 1.8a and the 2.26b are the same multi, just different default FSBs...

with the right mobo (th7ii) people are getting good rdram oc's!:D

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by micamica1217


I could not say this any better.:cool:


P.S. I tested my rig up to 160fsb,and can safely say RDRAM can OC well.

mica

well put by both of you. mica, turbo and ebolaman to name of few are doing great things with rdram!

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by omniskillz
then how come not alot of 1.8's get to 3ghz?

that's 1.2ghz of oc! that's a lot to ask out of one of the 400mhz woodies!:burn:

[omniskillz]

well i was just responding the agent, who was basically saying 1.8a and 2.26b are the same chip but its not like you said .... i think anyone got a place to get samsung 1066 cheap?

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by omniskillz
well i was just responding the agent, who was basically saying 1.8a and 2.26b are the same chip but its not like you said .... i think anyone got a place to get samsung 1066 cheap?

my bad. i see what u mean!:o

www.micropro.com carries 1066 at a great price. I think they have kingston and ocz though.

[PhobMX]

With p4 2.26b the config to get on rdr is pc1066 samsung (real, not oced) and abit th7II with lastest mr natural's bios, am i right?? how about i try a thermalight ax478 along witha 50cfm 80mm sunon fan?? will that get me up to 2.5ghz?

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by PhobMX
With p4 2.26b the config to get on rdr is pc166 samsung (real, not oced) and abit th7II with lastest mr natural's bios, am i right?? how about i try a thermalight ax478 along witha 50cfm 800 sunon fan?? will that get me up to 2.5ghz?

Man, that would rock!:beer: you canlikely do 3ghz with that setup!

[omniskillz]

i think you should get that easy MX... i got the gigabyte ihxp.. going with somethine new and diff i guess, good reviews so i went with it plus newegg had the th711 sold out... eitherway good luck, and for heatsink fan i think im gonna go with the alpha pal or the swiftech from that sidewinder web page u showed me

[PhobMX]

ohh thnx ppl, i was almost convinced by crappy ddr hehehe but i know that not even pc1066rdr can feed enough bandwith to p4 so rdr is a must

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by omniskillz
i think you should get that easy MX... i got the gigabyte ihxp.. going with somethine new and diff i guess, good reviews so i went with it plus newegg had the th711 sold out... eitherway good luck, and for heatsink fan i think im gonna go with the alpha pal or the swiftech from that sidewinder web page u showed me

yahhhhhh! that new swiftie is probably awesome!:p

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by PhobMX
ohh thnx ppl, i was almost convinced by crappy ddr hehehe but i know that not even pc1066rdr can feed enough bandwith to p4 so rdr is a must

hey, easy does it dude! i might have suggested rdram but some of us r still using that other "crap";)

[PhobMX]

lol, well ddr is still cool...

omni, are you sure tru pc1066 samsung rdr ram is better than kingston??? i also heard somewhere that kingston is a bad ocer, is it true?

[batboy]

I'd like to correct a couple things that Agent said. First, RDRAM does NOT blow for overclocking. I'd check your facts a little better before spouting off. DDR does overclock quite well and SOMETIMES will achive a slightly higher system overclock, but RDRAM still beats it in bandwidth performance. Look at some comparison memory benchmarks if you want proof. Second, the 1.8a and the 2.26b are NOT the same multiplier. The 18a is 18X and the 2.26b is 17X. The "B" series Northwoods are all packed in May or later and it's a know fact that the later cores are better yielding. Plus I suspect (but can't prove) that Intel is probably "binning" or cherry picking the better cores for the more expensive and faster CPUs. They have done this in the past more than once.

[micamica1217]

Originally posted by PhobMX
lol, well ddr is still cool...

omni, are you sure tru pc1066 samsung rdr ram is better than kingston??? i also heard somewhere that kingston is a bad ocer, is it true?

never, I said never get kingston 1066 rdram.

I can't say anyting about samsung pc1066 yet I'll bet most new samsung pc800 can goto 1100 speed. mine can. and so can a few other peeps.

kingston has problems on the th7II as well as some other mobos...
this was told to me from their tech suport after I tryed them.

I could not get samsung pc1066 at the time....who cares, my ram runs at 1066 speeds anyway.:p

mica

[AgEnT0140]

Originally posted by Rasputin'sLiver


hey, easy does it dude! i might have suggested rdram but some of us r still using that other "crap";)

ok, yes it does have more bandwidth, but i do remember reading an article on overclockers.com that said at high FSB speed RDRAM has a 90% failuer rate while DDR did much better with about a 10% And i also remember reading that a 1.8a is the same multi as a 2.26b, i'm not sure where, but it was a thread here on oc forums. I will search for the links now. Please correct me if i am wrong. and if you have some proff i would like to see it, as i have just entered into the intel world and am trying to learn all i can. From what i have read, till they get dual channel rdram out with 400mhz bus then its not worth the cost..l

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by micamica1217


never, I said never get kingston 1066 rdram.

I can't say anyting about samsung pc1066 yet I'll bet most new samsung pc800 can goto 1100 speed. mine can. and so can a few other peeps.

kingston has problems on the th7II as well as some other mobos...
this was told to me from their tech suport after I tryed them.

I could not get samsung pc1066 at the time....who cares, my ram runs at 1066 speeds anyway.:p

mica

what about ocz? www.micropro.com carries ocz 1066 rdram

[PhobMX]

Originally posted by AgEnT0140


ok, yes it does have more bandwidth, but i do remember reading an article on overclockers.com that said at high FSB speed RDRAM has a 90% failuer rate while DDR did much better with about a 10% From what i have read, till they get dual channel rdram out with 400mhz bus then its not worth the cost..l

Well, they RDR ram we have atm is worth the extra cost IMO. But im curious about that failure rate you are talking about, does it mean corrupted memory data or wtf??? Because all those dudes that could oc to 3ghz with rdr nerver talked about unreliable stability, no point on ocing without stabilty..

[omniskillz]

damn it im confused with the rdram should i pay much and get 2 x 128 1066 samsung or get 2 x 256 800 samsung and hope it overclocks... is that out of the question for a 2.26b which already has the starting fsb at 133 and that wont give me much o/c headroom with the ram right?

[omniskillz]

bah f*** it... i bought 2 x 128 samsung 1066 sticks for $159 shipped now i gotta order a cpu fan and heatsink and im done for awhile =p

[batboy]

Sorry Agent, I don't mean to be ragging on you, especially since you explained you were new to Intel, but I've had a RDRAM quad pumped, dual channel system since January. Somehow I think you're getting something confused. The standard RDRAM is dual channel, that's why you have to use them in pairs.

Ok, as for the multipliers, just do the math... 1.8a is 18X100=1800 MHz or 1.8gig... 2.26b is 17X133=2261 MHz or 2.26 gig.

I have not heard of those "failure" rates that you are referring to. Perhaps you could post a link for that article? There are lots of RDRAM folks here on the forum running high FSB. To be fair, there are also lots of DDR folks running high FSB too. Both are good overclockers. Both work quite nicely with the Northwoods. But, at high FSB, the RDRAM will edge out the DDR for bandwidth, especially since the PC1066 memory is now available. Do a search in the Intel CPU section and look at some of the screen shots of the RDRAM memory benchmark scores.

[AgEnT0140]

i cant find it, oh well, doesnt really matter. i would think a higher default multi would be better, no? and i'll stick to DDR as i am cheap, and its the best bang for you buck. Hopefully i can get a 1ghz OC out my my 1.6a, who knows. thanks for clearing things up :D

[batboy]

Agent, since you are on a tight budget, then sure, DDR memory and motherboards are usually a little cheaper. Certainly the 1.6a is the best bargain and should overclock quite well with the right cooling.

Omniskillz, I think you'll be happy you got the PC1066.

[AgEnT0140]

Originally posted by batboy
Agent, since you are on a tight budget, then sure, DDR memory and motherboards are usually a little cheaper. Certainly the 1.6a is the best bargain and should overclock quite well with the right cooling.

Omniskillz, I think you'll be happy you got the PC1066.

i still think he should have gotten DDR, but oh well. yea, my MB was $33 shipped refurb from newegg :D

[omniskillz]

ok im dying here with my last choice... alpha pal8942 with delta 80x25mm, swiftech mcx478-b with delta 80x38 or the thermalright ax-478 with delta 80x38.... come on guys give me some votes or give me some websites with reviews on these please!!!!!!!

[omniskillz]

actually anyone know much about the swiftech mcx 4000?

[omniskillz]

well i went with the swiftech mcx-4000 hope its good, hope all my decisions were the right ones... sigh... buyer's guilt?!?! now i gotta buy round ide cables and arctic silver 3 thermal grease.. anyone use that, is that worthwhile?

[micamica1217]

arctic silver 3 thermal grease.. anyone use that, is that worthwhile?

it's the best.

mica

[stereo555]

Hey there omniskillz , you may want to check out TCWO.COM for a 2.26 (retail) for $245 . TCWO has a very good "resellerrating" but is $30 cheaper than Newegg (and NO tax depending on your location) . Dont get me wrong ... I LUV Newegg , but when your on a budget as you are ; every bit helps . My added .02 :D

[Rasputin'sLiver]

Originally posted by omniskillz
well i went with the swiftech mcx-4000 hope its good, hope all my decisions were the right ones... sigh... buyer's guilt?!?! now i gotta buy round ide cables and arctic silver 3 thermal grease.. anyone use that, is that worthwhile?

good choice! :D if it were out 2 weeks ago when i ordered my ax-478, i would have gotten the swiftech instead.:(

[PhobMX]

ok is the thermalight or the swiftech the best one??? iw as going to get a thermaligh ax-478...

[omniskillz]

i dunno man, i just looked at the switech mcx 4000 read some reviews and went with it everyone seems to love swiftech and thats all they make heatsink, fans and waterblocks and even watercooled cpu cases.... thermalright seems to me the budget buy honda civic like.., swiftech on the other hand would be a lexus sc430 like =p haha

[Maxvla]

Originally posted by omniskillz
i dunno man, i just looked at the switech mcx 4000 read some reviews and went with it everyone seems to love swiftech and thats all they make heatsink, fans and waterblocks and even watercooled cpu cases.... thermalright seems to me the budget buy honda civic like.., swiftech on the other hand would be a lexus sc430 like =p haha
who is that in your avatar? she's cute.

[omniskillz]

a friend of mine, her name is bonnie =)