I need options for an A64 system with AGP

[Matrix78]

just looking to get into the A64 side of things but i don't want to upgrade everything right now.

really all i want to get is the chip and mobo but i just cant figure out the right combination of performance and price....

i'll really only be using this for a few months untill i get enough together to build a brand new system, then i'll hand this one down to replace my girls old system

so the Mobo needs to have AGP so i can use my current Video card and between the Chip and Mobo i'd really only liek to spend around $150

what i think i found (at newegg) that looks decent is

Board - $50.95
JetWay 939AGP-P Socket 939 VIA K8T800 Pro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813153029
Model #: 939AGP-P
Item #: N82E16813153029

Chip - $86.00
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103535
ADA3200BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3200BPBOX
Item #: N82E16819103535

or

$97.00
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Venice 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103533
ADA3500BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3500BPBOX
Item #: N82E16819103533


-the board i've never heard of but its low cost and has AGP and the reviews weren't very bad at new egg
-the chips i dont know is it worth the $10 diff to go from 3200 to 3500

so i'm open to options and opinions
just try to keep in on the cheap

Thanx in advance for any and all help!

 

[smokie mcpott]

i would recommend the asrock dual sata2 for your board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157081
then you could always upgrade the vid card at a later date if you wish
its a pretty solid board, my wifes machine has one in it runnin a 3700+ oc'd to 2.695

 

[Matrix78]

hey thanx for that board, only a few bux more and looks alot better

 

[Super Nade]

Matrix, try this ASUS board (If you are looking for mATX) , (or the A8V Deluxe for a regular case, if you can find it).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131558
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...VIA+K8M800+Micro+ATX+AMD+Motherboard+-+Retail

I see a lot of Panasonic caps, which means you are less likely to have problems with voltages.

 

[MadMan007]

Can you sell your girl's old comp to give yourself a little bigger budget? If so do it, buying a new system with AGP at this point isn't the best idea.

 

[rdrash]

I agree with supernade....

Especially since I can help you out (and you can help me out)...I have an ASUS A8V Deluxe that I am selling http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=469170 in the classifieds....I have the backplate (I/O plate), as well as the black plastic thingy that goes around the cpu for holding down your HSF (it is not pictured but I have). I can even throw in a Zalman HSF for free if you buy an OEM cpu to save costs.

 

[Matrix78]

Can you sell your girl's old comp to give yourself a little bigger budget? If so do it, buying a new system with AGP at this point isn't the best idea.

got any sort of recommendations?

Chip 3200 or 3500 still around $100

Board <fill in the blank> around $50ish

Cheap PCI-E x16 <fill in> around 50$ ish

so maybe a budget of $200.... i'm not a gamer so the grafix card really doesnt matter

 

[MadMan007]

For the CPU the price difference is small so go with the x2 no question.

For a new graphics card at that price point you're looking at older or lower-performing stuff GF5xxx series or low-end Radeon 9xxx neither of which is very good. Best bet would be find a deal on a used 6600GT or maybe a 9800pro.

For the motherboard, other people have already posted better informed opinions.

 

[Matrix78]

For the CPU the price difference is small so go with the x2 no question.

For a new graphics card at that price point you're looking at older or lower-performing stuff GF5xxx series or low-end Radeon 9xxx neither of which is very good. Best bet would be find a deal on a used 6600GT or maybe a 9800pro.

For the motherboard, other people have already posted better informed opinions.

what about the Geforce 7300LE ? ~$60

 

[MadMan007]

Does that come in AGP? I'll be honest I didn't look all that hard I just scanned Newegg. A 6600GT would probably still outperform it.

Read your OP again, if the system parts are only going to be used for a few months then I guess just about any AGP card will do You might have to back off on any gaming in the meantime but if your girlfriend doesn't game then it's ok. There are some Radeon9800SEs for about that price also.

 

[hallen]

Take a look at the LANPARTY UT nF3 ULTRA-D

AGP
Supports AGP 8x up to 2132MB/sec. and AGP 4x up to 1066MB/sec. bandwidth
for 3D graphics applications

 

[Matrix78]

Does that come in AGP? I'll be honest I didn't look all that hard I just scanned Newegg. A 6600GT would probably still outperform it.

Read your OP again, if the system parts are only going to be used for a few months then I guess just about any AGP card will do You might have to back off on any gaming in the meantime but if your girlfriend doesn't game then it's ok. There are some Radeon9800SEs for about that price also.

ahh see i thoght when you said that AGP wasnt a good idea and to try a lil bit bigger budget you were meaning to try to get a PCI-E card, because i dont need to buy a new AGP card i have a Radeon 9600 right now in the rig that i want to replace the Mobo and CPU in.... but it looks like you meant get more budget and get an X2 instead of just a single core is that right?

so cheap board
spend more and get an X2
and use the AGP card i already have

is that what you were trying to get at?

 

[MadMan007]

Nah what I meant was that buying a new motherboard with AGP seems like a waste at this point since AGP is dying. Somehow I missed that you would just reuse your graphics card I may have been tired the first time I read the post. I think I was getting confused between threads too

Ok so now that I reread it, the real question is what does your girlfriend use her computer for - Is it something that an x2 would help significantly (CPU intensive) or would your XP be good enough (web browsing and basic office-type stuff)? If it's something the x2 would help then go ahead with the s939 x2 and a low-cost but decent motherboard. Otherwise the s939 CPU and mobo seem like a waste if you're truly only going to use it for a few months. When you do your own system build I assume you'll go with AM2 or Core2 which requires new motherboard, new memory, and a PCI-E graphics card and you can put the $150 toward that instead.

But if you're really intent on doing something now definitely go with an x2 over a regular Athlon64 and one of the mobos recommended by others.

 

[ColtIce]

if your just looking for temp upgrade and are going to build a new rig from the ground up in a couple of months anyway http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103010 here is a skt 754 3400+(2.4gig) and motherboard for $99.you would still need a heatsink/fan but I'm sure those can be found cheap enough.

 

[beau_safken]

Matrix, try this ASUS board (If you are looking for mATX) , (or the A8V Deluxe for a regular case, if you can find it).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131558
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...VIA+K8M800+Micro+ATX+AMD+Motherboard+-+Retail

I see a lot of Panasonic caps, which means you are less likely to have problems with voltages.

IF you buy this board remember the following.

You need a floppy drive because you will need to make a driver disk if you use SATA drives. The raid controller is a little stupid. Its the 6420 RAID controller...There I just saved you 3 hours.

 

[Super Nade]

Take a look at the LANPARTY UT nF3 ULTRA-D

Mate, he's going to have a hellish time with that board. It wasn't exactly Nvidia or DFI's moment of glory. If you wish to understand what you would be getting into, have a chat with Gautam.

 

[TeaBoy]

Mate, he's going to have a hellish time with that board. It wasn't exactly Nvidia or DFI's moment of glory. If you wish to understand what you would be getting into, have a chat with Gautam.

Tell me! I've got that board and was going to recommend it, (although I think it has problems with 133 memory dividers).

Also, whichever AGP motherboard you buy, make sure it supports both 0.8/1.5v graphics cards or you may be undone. There where at least 3 different revisions of the AGP slot over the years.

 

[Matrix78]

Nah what I meant was that buying a new motherboard with AGP seems like a waste at this point since AGP is dying. Somehow I missed that you would just reuse your graphics card I may have been tired the first time I read the post. I think I was getting confused between threads too

Ok so now that I reread it, the real question is what does your girlfriend use her computer for - Is it something that an x2 would help significantly (CPU intensive) or would your XP be good enough (web browsing and basic office-type stuff)? If it's something the x2 would help then go ahead with the s939 x2 and a low-cost but decent motherboard. Otherwise the s939 CPU and mobo seem like a waste if you're truly only going to use it for a few months. When you do your own system build I assume you'll go with AM2 or Core2 which requires new motherboard, new memory, and a PCI-E graphics card and you can put the $150 toward that instead.

But if you're really intent on doing something now definitely go with an x2 over a regular Athlon64 and one of the mobos recommended by others.

she like to play The Sims alot, and then shes online alot, she has an Athlon XP 1900+ right now, and shes always complaining about the speed....

so i think i'll go with the cheapest A64 x2 plust that AsRock (newegg open box for $42) -- that should put me at about $200 and then i'll have a 64 bit system to mess with for a while and when i do build a new system from ground up i can pass this set up along and if need be she can always get a PCI-E to put in instead of the AGP, but we both have extra AGP cards so theres jsut no point spendign the extra cash for a PCI-E since she's not a "hard core" gamer

but still open to any more options that may come through the weekend will probably order aroudn Monday... we'll see

thanx again to all so far

 

[Matrix78]

if your just looking for temp upgrade and are going to build a new rig from the ground up in a couple of months anyway http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103010 here is a skt 754 3400+(2.4gig) and motherboard for $99.you would still need a heatsink/fan but I'm sure those can be found cheap enough.

hey thanx i was looking at that a few time and almost got it but after reading those Biostar reviews i decided to pass

 

[MadMan007]

She must have something else going on, unless the Sims is that taxing of a game? lol Have you ever done some Windows maintenance on that system like registry cleaning, minimizing the number of background processes running, or best of all a fresh install? I bet her Windows install is a resource killer. She might even just have a slow hard drive, hard drive speed can make a huge impact on the 'feel' of a system's speed.

The s754 option in general is a pretty good one, I don't know if you can find a hybrid board like that ASRock though. Also note there's nothing special about a '64-bit system' unless you use a 64bit OS beyond the CPU being better at 32bit as well.