After much debate...decided on my first P4

[Jhatfie]

So I am building an additional computer (currently I have a Athlon 2100+ (200x11.5). Been throwing around if I should go with a Athlon64 or a P4 for weeks. But after much thought I've decided to go with a Intel CPU this time. I've been hearing of lots of A64's dieing with overclocking and that is something I enjoy to fool with. Sure the 64's are little better with games, one of my other favorite things to do, but I fool a lot with encoding and animation (Animation Master) and if I can OC a P4 to 3.5or so I will be happy. I have not decided if I will go for a prescott or not...depends on how the perform and overclock I suppose. But right now this is what I am thinking of, so please chime in if I might be better with something else.

Abit AI7
2x512 Mushkin Level 1 PC3500
P4 2.8 or 3.0 (once price cuts hit bext week, which might serve me better in terms of overclocking?)

Already have 2x80GB Hitachi SATA HDD's, Radeon 9500 PRO (325/310), Whitewater water Block, Thermaltake 480W PSU, Hydor L30 and other watercooling goodies. So I am just waiting on CPU, mobo and ram. I've think I've read of the AI7 having some issues with some ram, anything I should be concerned about if I get the Mushkin level 1?

[johnflyons]

You need to track down some BH-5 Black Level 2, I beleive they are in very short supply and are not being made anymore.

[jtjuska]

Yeah definatly go with the black lvl 2 if you can get it, i don't have any but a good freind of mine does and it has proven itself to me. I just don't have the money for it right now

[pkrew]

The lvl II does quite well with the AI7. The only issue that I know of is that some AI7's wont boot with the Mushkin when the bios vdimm is set to 2.5, but just put in some of your old ram and increase the vdimm

[hUMANbEATbOX]

also, if you can grab a sl6z5, i'd grab the 2.8c. it should top out around the same, if not more, but probably get there with less voltage, and you'll have a higher FSB to boot.

[Jhatfie]

Thanks for all the advice so far. The reason I was eyeballing the Mushkin Level 1 is because I can get a GB for just a little more than 512MB of the level 2.

[StealtheR]

or get the 2.4c MO stepping.
then IC7-Max3
+good ram

you can go 3.5ghz :) with your watercoolin.

[pkrew]

Originally posted by Jhatfie
Thanks for all the advice so far. The reason I was eyeballing the Mushkin Level 1 is because I can get a GB for just a little more than 512MB of the level 2.

If I'm not mistaken, lvl 1 is ch-5 and 865/875 chipsets have issues with ch-5 modules. The Max3 is a little quicker in some respects. In 2001se the AI7 gets about the same at 250 1/1 as the max3 did at 247, but I gained 100 points in 3d03 and shaved a second off spi to 38s. Personally, I'd go with the AI7 and would pay the extra for the lvl 2