>>the thing that troubles me here is money. so i did a little math here. i am not going to unlock anything coz i can't afford a new cpu if i fry one. so fsb is the only thing i am going to touch. let say i managed to oc a XP1800 (1.53mhz) to XP2000 (1.67mhz). the price difference between the XP1800 and XP2000 is $100. and the price for branded rams + 3 fans + 50w extra psu power is almost $200.
These are good questions to ask before diving in.... here's another perspective that may be helpful; when we invest money into a system that we're going to live with for awhile, it also becomes relevant as to what level of quality we want in the gear that's going to serve us... someday soon, it will all be getting old, and start to become obsolete- but we get to choose whether we'll own an old Cadillac, or an old piece of junk someday. High quality parts with extended capabilities tend to provide longer lasting performance before fading into obsolesence, have better upgradability, and make for more stable, reliable machines.
The option to purchase top quality components with the money that we could have blown paying for the leading edge in cpu's, that will cost half as much in 4 months, is smart use of money, spent with forethought and integrity.
A solid, beautifully designed case from a company like Antec, with plenty of fans already in it and a top quality 400 watt power supply (sx840 or sx1040), will run about $75 more than a generic, cheeze-whiz unit...
Excellent quality ram (like Samsung) with a lifetime warranty, can be had for only $20 or so more than generic junk..
A Thermalright AX-7 heatsink is only $30, and will do an awesome job even with a generic $1.75 case fan stuck on it- and cool any Socket A cpu we're going to ever see built..
A top quality motherboard (like Asus, or Abit, and a few others) will run $50 more than a generic one... and still be cranking out rock solid performance and getting excellent bios updates long after the $50 was piddled away on something you can't even remember...
And most of this can be paid for simply by buying a cpu that has only a bit less multiplier coded into it..!
Of all the components in your system, the cpu is the one thing which will drop in price and become obsolete faster than anything else.. perhaps the really smart money would go to the best of components with a cheap, fast new Duron plugged into it until the T-breds are debugged, and the research has been paid for with hyperinflated prices. Have we forgotten how fast 1.3 gig really is..?... for only $60!!
As far as overclocking goes.. there's a difference between mild to moderate overclocking that can be done with almost any components, and extreme overclocking. Taking an 1800+ to 2000+ speeds is only a matter of increasing the fsb to 145mhz- a relatively mild bump that requires practically nothing in the way of component upgrades, save a decent heatsink/fan- even the cheesiest of memory will usually handle it with the right timings..
Increasing the fsb speed of your system will produce performance increases that cannot be duplicated by simply running a faster mhz cpu.. for an extra $30, the upper ends of this realm can be entered by anyone- unlocked, guaranteed cpu's are available here:
http://www.pretestedcpus.com/
I have a 14 year old graphic arts wizard who is being served well with a system almost 2 years old now, because I bought a 650Duron instead of a 1gig Athlon, and put the money I saved into great components.
Those great components will support the XP1600+, that runs at 1800+, and is coming out of my 16 year old hardcore geek's system when he gets a new Thoroughbred later this year- paid for, mostly, with the money we saved by not buying an 1800+ at the time...
that's how it works for us anyway.....
Best wishes on your new system, whatever you choose.. and enjoy
