Need help, advice

[idgamerd]

Ok so I right now have around 300$ maybe even a little more. I was going to buy my self geFORCE 4 Ti4400 but here are my system specs: Unknown Motherboard,P3-700MhZ,384SDRAM,SBLive,geFOCE256. I read that most people with my cpu wont really get much out of geFORCE 4 with my cpu speed. So im thinking maybe i should just build my self a new computer? If you advice yes can u advice me which motherboard (has to support sdram) cpu and case to get. I WOULD really apprishiate this! ( Im not looking for any expensive motherboard the cheaper the better! as long as it works )

P.S. I was a movie on AMD vs Pentium with out a heatsinc and I dont think I want AMD anymore since it will burn if I put on a heatsink wrong or it just stops working for some reason. ANOTHER thing, I never overclock and probobly wont.

 

[Max 86]

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[David]

I would go with AMD - with the Duron heat isn't as much of a problem.

Duron 1000 <- cheap, cool and fast
CPU cooler <- stock cooler will do, any old one
KT133A motherboard <- supports SDRAM
GeForce 2/3 Ti or 4 MX. <- cheap and decent. Even a GeForce 2 MX will do.

 

[CyberFed]

if you decide to go pentium 4 do not get a motherboard that uses sdram beacause its slower and it will be a bottleneck, spend the extra money and purchase RDram instead, as far the video card, today's high end video cards really arent that necessary my roomate runs an old voodoo 3 and it plays quake 3 and rtcw just fine, people are really preoccupied with like 200fps but in reality you wont notice anything over about 90fps. I suggest upgrading your video card after you upgrade your cpu, if you have a killer 3d card but no cpu to back it up nothing is going to happen so use your money and get a nice p4 woody chip with some rdram on a decent mobo then save up later for a video card

 

[idgamerd]

Ok first thanks for all your replys. Now I think i decided to forget geFORCE 4 for now. Another thing is that I dont really want Celeron or Duron. The reason is that I think they are kinda cheap and I want something more dated ( because I probobly wont upgrade my computer again for a wile. ) Now if I decide to go with AMD XP 1700 or 1800 what motherboard / heatsink do you recommend? Also I will need a new case ( this system is Dell and dell uses special motherboard wich basicaly only fit thier case * I heard that from like 5 people who tried it, and I dont want to turn this post into an argument * ). Im kinda scared that if I do get a motherboard and the CPU that they wont fit the case? ( If i get AMD i would still want a motherboard that uses SDRAM is that ok? ) Oh and another thing if I get a new case do I need like some fan for HDD or something? This is my 1st ever building a system. Thank you all again.

 

[David]

Ok first thanks for all your replys. Now I think i decided to forget geFORCE 4 for now. Another thing is that I dont really want Celeron or Duron. The reason is that I think they are kinda cheap and I want something more dated ( because I probobly wont upgrade my computer again for a wile. ) Now if I decide to go with AMD XP 1700 or 1800 what motherboard / heatsink do you recommend? Also I will need a new case ( this system is Dell and dell uses special motherboard wich basicaly only fit thier case * I heard that from like 5 people who tried it, and I dont want to turn this post into an argument * ). Im kinda scared that if I do get a motherboard and the CPU that they wont fit the case? ( If i get AMD i would still want a motherboard that uses SDRAM is that ok? ) Oh and another thing if I get a new case do I need like some fan for HDD or something? This is my 1st ever building a system. Thank you all again.

Most KT133A based motherboards and SiS735 motherboards take AthlonXPs and SDRAM eg:
Asus A7V133
Abit KT7A
Jetway 663AS Ultra
Chaintech 7AJA2/100
ECS K7S5A

As for case I would say at least Midi tower, not Mini. A full tower is better still - more room.

Look for a case with at least a 300W Power Supply. 350W or 400W is strongly recomended.

 

[Max 86]

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[idgamerd]

Ahh ok. What ram do you recommend to use? Like I said i dont have alot of money to spend. What motherboard that suppots XP 1700 or 1800 supports a certain, not very expensive ram? As I understand an case will do? As long as it has 300W or more?

 

[David]

Ahh ok. What ram do you recommend to use? Like I said i dont have alot of money to spend. What motherboard that suppots XP 1700 or 1800 supports a certain, not very expensive ram? As I understand an case will do? As long as it has 300W or more?

The ECS K7S5A is probably the best choice - its a good solid motherboard, its reasonably fast as a chipset, it supports athlonxps and will allow you to use your SDRAM and can also support DDR RAM, if you replace your SDRAM.

 

[idgamerd]

Looks cheap and good I have yet another question about the CPU and heatsink is hard to put on the heatsink? Will the heatsink always work? Easy to set it up/connect. Can i try to see if it works without putting in a proccesor? Thanks

2 DDR DIMM sockets and 2 DIMM sockets support (can not be used simultaneously)
Two 184-pin DDR SDRAM (DDR200, DDR266) I got that from ECS K7S5A website. What does it mean cannnot be used simultaneously? Also I went to pricewatch and didnt find any DDR200, DDR266 ram what ram is it? Thanks again for answearing my newbie and dumb questions

 

[David]

Looks cheap and good I have yet another question about the CPU and heatsink is hard to put on the heatsink? Will the heatsink always work? Easy to set it up/connect. Can i try to see if it works without putting in a proccesor? Thanks

Nearly all heatsinks are installed simply by clipping them on to the sides of the socket with a clip. They are usually easy to set up, bu some clips can be quite tight. Don't force it on tonight and make sure you spread the pressure on it evenly or you may crush the core. This is easily avoided by being careful.

You can try and boot the system without the CPU in, but it will not boot.

 

[idgamerd]

But if I hook up the heatsink will it start working? Or by boot u mean it wont start at all? Because im afraide that if i put it on wrong or something and start my computer and it wont work it will fry my cpu.

 

[David]

But if I hook up the heatsink will it start working? Or by boot u mean it wont start at all? Because im afraide that if i put it on wrong or something and start my computer and it wont work it will fry my cpu.

The fans may spin up etc, but the computer will not start.

Just be careful when installing the heatsink - at the very worst it could just overheat a wee bit. If the HS is loose it is unlikely that it will immediately fry.

And lets face it, if I can fit a heatsink successfully (I am a really clumsy git. I dropped a screwdriver on by case fan and killed it today lol ) then how hard can it be

Don't worry. There are loads of guides out there on fitting heatsinks, and you always have a friendly community of overclockers here to help

 

[idgamerd]

Hehe. Well you kinda scared me. You said the heatsink can fry if its loose? Do you mean loose like inside loose or loose like im holding it in my hand?

 

[David]

Hehe. Well you kinda scared me. You said the heatsink can fry if its loose? Do you mean loose like inside loose or loose like im holding it in my hand?

Loose as in not on
Loose as in not touching the CPU.
Unless you take the heatsink fully off, it will provide cooling for the CPU, but the better it fits the better it cools.

 

[idgamerd]

Can you recommend a heatsink? Also what is this thermal compund or something I see it alot what is it used for? And last but not les when installing a HDD is there like a fan or something needed for it or no? If yes does the fan come with the case?