Working on an upgrade and need help since I've been out of the loop for quite a while

[AMDGuy]

Working on an upgrade and need help since I've been out of the loop for quite a while

I'm an old timer that has managed to mod, tweak, and force a system to keep up with my needs until recently. I'm currently running an Abit KT7A-RAID (old VIAKT133A chipset!!) system with a hacked BIOS to allow me to run a Thoroughbred processor. Until recently there wasn't anythign on the market that really made me feel the need to upgrade. I used to be heavily into the OC scene and had this current system water cooled using my custom built unit, but as the hardware began to slow down and not make the leaps and bounds gains I was used to I quit upgrading and just kept this system going. It's now about 3 or 4 years old where I used to upgrade every 6 months. I'm VERY much out of the loop so I need some help from you current guys. My current system is a dinosaur, I mean it's running PC133 RAM for Pete's sake.

I've decided on an AMD 64 Venice 3000+ processor. I'm going with 1GB of PC3200 memory, most likely Crucial XMS unless there's something else that's recommended. I'll be using SATA HDDs. I'm currently using a ATI AIW 9000 AGP video card that I'm perfectly happy with and would like to continue using, but will upgrade to a PCI-E if that's required to keep from being obsoleted overnight. I DO NOT GAME, so I have no interest in anything related to gaming hardware. I will more than likely get that ATI AIW X600 Pro, but I only chose that card because it's the cheapest ATI AIW PCI-E I saw at NewEgg, but I'd rather keep my AGP for now since I see no reason to buy a new video card.

I mainly use my system for video encoding and again I DO NOT GAME. I emphasize that because everytime I ask for assistance someone tells me what works for X game, which means nothing to me.

Finally my question. What motherboard? The local "good" computer shop is recommending an Abit AV8, but I would like some overclocking features since the 3000+ Venice seems to do really well. I'll be using a XP-120 heatsink with 120x120x38mm FAN.

I've seen a lot of people raving about the DFI lanparty boards but there seems to be several models.

Will I gain anything using the DFI over the Abit AV8 or should I wait for future ULI boards? I'm willing to wait 6 weeks if necessary, but not much more than that.

In summary:

I do not game.

I need a motherboard that will allow decent overclocking of a Venice 3000+

I'd like to keep using my AGP ATI AIW 9000 card, but will get a PCI-E if absolutely necessary (ATI AIW X600 Pro PCI-E)

Should I wait (up to 6 weeks but no longer) for new dual boards allowing AGP and PCI-E?

Finally, I expect my new system to last 2 years minimum


Thanks in advance,

 

[rseven]

The local store is trying to sell you what they have in stock. The Abit board is fine but not for overclocking. The AGP Nvidia NF3 boards are on the quirky side. You do not want to get either a MSI or a DFI in NF3. I would say the best NF3 board is the Epox. It's most serious limitation is the 2.8 volts of vdimm. Otherwise it's a good overclocking board.
IMO you are better off either stepping up to pci-e and the NF4 chipset or the new ULI 1695 boards. In the NF4 the DFI is the king of the hill with the Epox and Abit next in line. The DFI is very well equipped with every bios option known to man. This cuts both ways as it's complicated to use because of the myriad of options. There are a lot of users who can guide you though both here and at DFI Street. The Epox is simpler to use and overclocks almost as well. It does not have the vdimm limitations of their nf3 board.
Lastly, there's the ULI chipset. The ASRock is the only one available right now. It is a super bargain and the folks that have t5hem here in the forum seem to be quite happy with them. They are a bit short on bios options but OC well. There will be other board makers jumping into this chipset in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Considering you are not ready to upgrade your video card, this may be the best route to go. Good luck with whatever board you pick.

 

[AMDGuy]

Thanks for the good info rseven. I didn't know the NF3 chipsets had problems so that's good to know.

It's too bad there's not an NF4 with AGP.

The ULI may be the way for me to go and allow the most upgrade options. I'll check into those. I just can't wait too long. My water pump died and my excellent Tbred-b 2100+ fried as a result. So now I'm running a XP-M t-bred A 1800+, but it'll only run at 1000Mhz so I'm hurtin.

I had an Epox board eons ago, and it was just "ok". One of the mosfets went on it and caused a voltage spike on the AMD-400 K62 that was in the zif socket which burned it up so I have a bad taste in my mouth from Epox, but it did last 3 years before that happened and I upgraded through several processors in that board.

You've given me some direction and that's really what I needed, so thanks a million.

If anyone else has suggestions I'm all ears. I'll be waiting a few weeks to see what the ULI boards look like before purchasing anything, but with a 1000Mhz system it's gonna be a long wait.

 

[rseven]

You are welcome AMDGuy. I should add that many people, myself included use the NF3 chipset, and it works well, but there is no question that the NF4 have far fewer problems. I would never get another NF3 with the NF4's and the ULI's around. Good luck.