YAY money

I've found upon myself $300. Yay. Naturally, I'm throwing this at my computer:

Asus P4S800
2.5 Celeron Northwood
512 PC2100 Kingston ValueRam; 256 Samsung PC2100 Generic
6600 GT AGP
400 watt Rosewill PSU

I recently put that together, and it sorely dissapointed me. But with this $300 gift from above, I want to purchase a new CPU, motherboard, and memory. I'd like to stick with Intel. I ask you to recommend the best way to spend these 300 dollars.

A pentium 4 2.4 socket 478 Northwood goes for about $160 retail
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-157&depa=1

Geil CAS 2.5 2x256 PC3200 for $80
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-299&depa=1

Here is a good mobo I think.
Abit IS7-E2 for $70
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-174&depa=0

You can get a much better computer than the one listed above by going AMD64, and i mean MUCH better.

Consider this:

AMD64 2800+ s754 retail : $121
Epox 8K3ADJ mobo : $76 (included shipping)
Kingmax 2x256mb pc4000 : $93

That'll out perform any intel in the same price range, and even higher. Trust me, go with the setup above, you're getting a much better system that way.

I'll pass on that Epox mobo. Besides, he said Intel and this is the Intel section.

P-4 2.8E 800 bus with 1M cache and Hyperthreading $174
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-174&depa=1

REFURBISHED: Albatron Motherboard Model PX865PE PRO $54
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-170-109R&type=Refurbished

pqi TURBO Series Dual Channel 2X256MB 2-2-2-5 (TCCD) $81
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-141-163&depa=1

Of all the CPUs out there why would you choose a Celeron.....

mata2974 said:

Of all the CPUs out there why would you choose a Celeron.....

Click to expand...

first off it is cheap for what it does and I would recomend them to people for e-mail and web surfing and possibly some really light gaming.

Overclocked Celeron D's do pretty well too.... those 2.4 Celerons at 3.8-4.0 gigs are a match for my processor at 3.4 gigs..... and they're quite a bit cheaper than the 2.4C's if I remember right.

1. Damien's suggestion is definitely worth looking into. As he wisely stated, a system similar to that will give you the most performance within that price range. I know you mentioned your desire to stay Intel, but I'd look into that setup, too. I highly doubt that it would dissappoint you.

2. Batboy's alternative was fair as well. My only gripe with it is the refurbished Albatron. Oh, and I'm not very fond of a s478 Prescott, either. Prescott's aren't bad, but one would be better off on the LGA 775 socket to handle those power and heat issues. Also, keep in mind that it typically costs more to get a good P4 motherboard compared to that of an AMD.

3. The thought of an insanely-clocked Celeron D is nice, too. Unfortunately, such high clocks are in no way guarunteed, so you might find yourself dissappointed yet again.

deception``

The same Albatron brand new is only something like $65.

I might as well throw out the Celeron D option too. The LGA775 Celly D are all E0 stepping, which is the newest and seem to O/C the best of all the Prescotts. Match up a 2.4 Celeron D LGA775 with an Abit AS7, then you might be able to get 2X512 RAM while staying close to budget. I have a buddy that recently got a Celly D LGA775 and AS7. He's doing 3.5-3.6 gig on stock cooling and default vcore.

I don't have a Celeron by choice. It came from my POS Emachines.

I might actually give AMD a roll. Problem is, I have a socket 478 cooler. So, I'd be nice if you could recommend one. What are the pro's and con's of Intel/AMD?

DamienKC said:

You can get a much better computer than the one listed above by going AMD64, and i mean MUCH better.

Consider this:

AMD64 2800+ s754 retail : $121
Epox 8K3ADJ mobo : $76 (included shipping)
Kingmax 2x256mb pc4000 : $93

That'll out perform any intel in the same price range, and even higher. Trust me, go with the setup above, you're getting a much better system that way.

Click to expand...

what he said .you definitaly wont be dissapointed with the performance .and when it comes to amd coolers ask batboy i dont know squat about that .

mybrainisawaffl said:

I don't have a Celeron by choice. It came from my POS Emachines.

I might actually give AMD a roll. Problem is, I have a socket 478 cooler. So, I'd be nice if you could recommend one. What are the pro's and con's of Intel/AMD?

Click to expand...

If you're looking at a good cooler, either pick up the Thermalright XP-90 (for 92mm fans) or the Thermalright XP-120 (for 120mm fans). These are some of the best coolers around, and the best news is that they are compatible with both A64 and Intel systems.

deception``

Zalman's are nice too. I've been very impressed with the Zalman CPNS7000A-Cu. They have a 120mm version also CPNS7700A-Cu - just make sure it fits your board.

My current XP-90 is pretty good also. I just like the design (no dead spot).

mybrainisawaffl said:

I don't have a Celeron by choice. It came from my POS Emachines.

I might actually give AMD a roll. Problem is, I have a socket 478 cooler. So, I'd be nice if you could recommend one. What are the pro's and con's of Intel/AMD?

Click to expand...

If you get the AMD A64 2800+ Retail version, it comes with a cooler so you wouldn't need to worry about a cooler immediately.

Basically from what I've inferred, A64's do much better in 3D gaming than an Intel. Also AMD can be had for a bit cheaper than Intel so better bang for your buck right there. Intel's perform better for encoding so it is a trade off.

I'd recommend AMD myself. Good luck.

If you're going to go AMD, DO NOT BUY THE PROC IN THAT LINK, that is not a guaranteed NewCastle, and might be a castrated clawhammer. The CPU you want is this: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-452&depa=1 it is also $1 cheaper

I might be able to break the bank and squeeze out $400 or so. I'm interested in the AMD option, but I've little to none experience with them. How do they compare heatwise? Lets make this an AMD vs. Intel showdown; post the best system you can for $400, and make the best arguements you can. The winner gets the satisfaction that my system will be that.

I see your point, we are just tired of the AMD/Intel staff, go to the AMD section and post a thread there and see what they say, also read the stickies in that section too.....numerous such threads over there or even here

All the Intel vs. AMD threads should be in the general CPU section.

The big question here is this... what will this computer be used for?

If it's mainly a gaming system and you are hardcore into the newer 3D games, then by all means put an A64 system together. If this is a general all around usage system that will see a fair amount of multitasking and/or video encoding, then you want a P-4.

Either way, you are better off with a $400 budget because now you can get decent components with either AMD or Intel. For that cash, you can build a nice system regardless of which brand you choose.

Ok, so you need mobo, CPU, and RAM. You already have a decent AGP vid card, so that eliminates the i915/i925 chipset mobos. Your current power supply is a little wimpy for overclocking either a Prescott or A64, but would be fine for a Northwood.

Albatron PX865PE Pro $68.50.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-164&depa=1

Mushkin 2X512 PC3200 $137.25 (or other RAM of your choice).
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-299&depa=1

P-4 Northwood 3.0C 800 bus $205.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-170-109&depa=1

Or get a new power supply and only 2X256 meg of RAM and get an A64 system or the following:

P-4 Prescott 3.0E 800 bus $181 (weekend blow out sale with free shipping at newegg.com).
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-171&depa=1

Either the Northwood or Prescott will probably hit close to 3.8 gig, although you will need better cooling with the Prescott and better PSU. You will also need a better PSU with the A64 too.

Thanks, Batboy. My current cooler is the Zalman AlCu flowerbed. Would that be sufficient for an OC'd prescott? How much would a decent PSU run me?

I would think so, if you wanted better cooling out of it, replace the fan off of it with a more powerful 92mm fan. I wouldn't recommend the tornado if your looking for silence. I have my 7000CU modded with a 80mm Thermaltake or Thermalrock Volcano 12 fan (comes with a cpu cooler) heres a pic: