Building new comp need some help :)

hey im new here and i like to say these are excellent forums see ppl help each other out and i would ask if some of u could help me.

Well i have a p3 733mhz, 256ra, ti4200,20gb hd and etc old system runs good but isnt good for games.

Im getting a amd barton 2500+ i heard its a great CPU for the money and i also heard its very good and overclockable.
i just want to upgrade my CPU,mobo and ram

i want to get the barton 2500
a soltek mobo : You can see it Here
but i cant make my mind up either that mobo or the Asus A7N8X.
i plan on getting some Samsung 512ddr ram at pc 3200.
I want to overclock this sytem once i get it but i never overlocked before and i dont know how it works quite well. im also planning on getting a new PSU but im not sure how many watts will be good and also buying a new hd afterwards
So what i need to ask u guys is:
What mobo should i get?
Is that ram good for overlocking?
And what PSU should i get with how many watts? And will i need any extra cooling in the computer?
I got two pictures of my case which i plan to put that stuff in.
Case: Side
Front

So can someone please advise me and thank u in advance and i got told and read that u just like change things like 200x11 or something like that but i dont want to ruin the CPU when i get it. thx a gain

The 2500+ is a good choice. I personaly have an A7N8X Deluxe and I couldnt be happier. It hits 220fsb fine. The ram is pretty good, its rated at 200fsb. 200 is higher than most go. Also, to overclock a 2500+, you will need at least 400w psu. My 350 tops out at 2.3ghz. Also, as for cooling, you should look for the slk series, or If you want to spend less, the sk series. www.newegg.com has everything you could ever need.

Welcome to the forums!

Those are both two very excellent motherboard choices. Either one would be great. Might I complicate your choices further by suggesting an Abit NF7-S? The general consensus is that the Abit is the best nForce2 motherboard, however the Soltek and Asus are very good also.

The Samsung stuff is okay, but I'd suggest either Buffalo with Winbond chips, or Twinmos, if available to you. You will also need good cooling. Get a Thermalright SK7 and Thermaltake Smartfan II to cool your processor. For a power supply, I would suggest either a 300W or 350W Fortron. Either one should provide more than enough power. This thread should help answer many of your questions in regards to overclocking. Don't be afraid to ask if you need further assisstance.

/\/\/\/\/\

What he said.

While most feel Corsair is the best ram for AMD based boards. Buffalo and Twinmos use the same chips, but Corsair has the best customer service. But a good Buffalo chip will work awesome.

ok well ill get a 400 watt PSU then just to make sure and ill think ill go with the asus a7n8x mobo and ill take a look in the buffalo ram and ill see about the cooling i dont want to pay alot for it

The brand and quality of the power supply is far more important than its wattage rating. I wouldn't buy anything other than a Heroichi, Fortron, Antec, or if you're wealthy, PC Power and Cooling.

i checked up on the fans and i found the themalright its not a lot its only like 38$ Canadian. and im not sure which one is better the sk-7 or the slk-700. also the smart fan 2 is that by thermalright as well or is it by antec?

The SmartFan II is made by Thermaltake and is a very nice fan (a bit loud but it comes with a controller )

PSU-wise make sure it has a 20A or better on the +12v because alot of the new stuff is sucking power from +12v rather than the +5v. Antec TruePower 430watt is a great PSU and you can find them at www.newegg.com

As far as RAM goes I would get 2x256 Twinmos ch-5 PC3200 if you're willing to spend some cash. Last time i checked (about 3 days ago) the price was $113 (US) for 2 256 sticks Here.


Hope that helps.... WELCOME TO THE FORUMS



PS the Newbie Overclocking Guide that Gautam linked to is an AWSOME source of information for OC-ing...it will tell you anything your heart desires about OC-ing

The SK7 is better. I argue that you don't need 20A or even close, especially with only a Geforce4, but it seems like no one agrees with me, despite my system running perfectly with a 300W fortron rated at only 15A. 20A would be good to have if you want to future-proof your system, so it may be a good buy in this case. Any Antec or Fortron should serve you very well.

we all agree with you Gautam... we just dont like to say it

ok u guys make my choices harder and harder bad idea i came here lol

hey guys i was looking at the barton 2500 and i want to know what do u guys mean by stepping and what stepping is this one and is it good? http://www.ncix.com/productdetail.php?sku=9132

IM getting an a7n8x with an slk-900-u a 92mm tornado and 2 chips of 512mb giel ram what do you think?

hmmm, well the asus is good, but look into the NF7-S, after asking around i decided to go with that one myself. Great HSF choice....make sure your computer is tied down so it doesn't fly away though....be warned that will be LOUD! Also I don't like geil, I would go with buffalo it's cheaper and from reading around I;ve found that it's just as good if not better than geil.
You got a great list of components either way, it's almost personal preferance more than choosing a "better" component