AMD newbie question

[kramer]

Simply put, I have 200 bucks to get a Mobo and CPU. Currently what is the best return as far as "overclockability per dollar basis" also known as "as high a score as poss. in 3DMark 2000 for 200 bucks or less" in a AMD based mobo/cpu combo. yet remaining 200 bucks or less. Ive got a 256 meg stick of Micron pc133 7.5 ns ram which probably will suffice so im thinking that the motherboard and CPU will be all I need to get going. I know with only 200 dollars it aint gonna be a whole lot but...... TIA for all responses.!!

[Hoot]

IMHO, an Abit KT7A (non-raid), Duron 600, 650, or 700 OC to 1000 and FOP-32 HSF. Total should run real close to $200. Check Pricewatch.com for sources. I think United Micro can supply all three items in one ship charge.

Hoot

[Hoot]

I just found this combo.
Abit KT7A
Duron 700
Fan (unspecified)
$192.00+ship
http://www.pcbuilderssupply.com/

You must mention Pricewatch for this price.

Hoot

[kramer]

Hello, Hoot. If I got that combo, does the Duron have to be modified in any way before it will OVC or does the KT7 bios handle it?

[Hoot]

You can OC the FSB on the KT7A without having to rejoin the L1 bridges to enable OCing the multiplier, but it seems the best results come from bumping the FSB, combined with bumping the multiplier. So, you will benefit from rejoining the L1 bridges. Certainly worth the effort. I don't OC the FSB on my rig. I get my 1000 by going 10x100.

Hoot

[kramer]

Thanks, Hoot Its nice to know that the mult. can also be changed if one so desires. Do you have a suggestion as to an appropriate cooling device in order to get a Duron 700 to one gig? With my Coppermine im using a Golden Orb slot1. I consider it a very cost effective solution that has always provided good results tho not the best im sure. Im thinking an extra 25-30 bucks for a reasonable cooling device. Any ideas??.
BTW as compared with the Coppermine series how does the Duron perform as far as heat problems? Thanks for all the advice.!!!!

[proze]

i'd advise against the 700. a lot of people have been getting skanky results with them, and pretesters seem to think they're the worst of the duron bunch. get a 600/650/800 instead. more likely to get higher. i've had great results with my d600.

as for cooling the duron, steer clear of the thermaltake orbs. the just don't cut it with the amd chips. rather get an alpha or globalwin. most decent online overclocking stores stock them. personally i've used 2cooltek and found them very good. there are a bunch of new hsfs on the market and tests show they perform very well (thermoengine, silverado, etc) but i'm not sure where you'd get 'em.

[SickBoy]

Bang for the buck-wise, I'd recommend either the MSI K7T Turbo or the Epox 8KTA3, combined with a Duron 800. Likely to do a gig with decent cooling. If you wanna step up to a better mobo (KT7A) you probably need to go with a slower CPU, like a D700 or 650. Keep in mind you'll need better cooling to get a stable gig with a slower CPU. (like, if you get a D650 you're going to need a PEP66 or FOP38, if you go with an 800, you'll do ok with a FOP32). My $.02

SickBoy