939 MB / CPU Suggestions

[Acert93]

Short version: I already have a system and just want to replace the MB/CPU. Quiet is primary, but the 90nm AMD64s seem to OC well. Since I want to keep my current RAM:

1.) What CPU? 3200+ would seem to be a safer bet. Set the RAM at 166MHz, then do a 20% OC to get the RAM back to 200MHz and the CPU up to a 2.4GHz. Any suggestions/comments between a 3200+ and 3000+?

2.) Any MB recommendations? I need AGP, SATA, ATA100 or 133, USB 2.0 (8 or more), Gb-LAN. Firewire would be nice, as would 4 DIMM (so I can add 2 more DDR400 chips in the future). Sound is not necessary. I want something that has a lot of quality for a good price. OC friendly (at least for what I want to do--nothing extreme). Solid brand/support is also a plus. Keeping it under $150 would be ideal (although nothing wrong with a sub-$100 price tag if it has everything I need!)

3.) What is a proper temp range, and max, for a AMD64 90nm at load?

Thanks for your time!


----(Long Version)----
Ok, here is my situation. I am currently running a P4 2.533GHz. It is OCed to 2.85GHz. To do this I underclocked my RAM to DDR355 (177.5MHz; I have an Asus P4PE MB) and then OCed the FSB from 133MHz to 150MHz (~12.8% boost). This brought my RAM to 200MHz and my CPU top 2.85GHz.

But now I am looking to move on. I built my brother's AMD64 3200+ and it is very snappy and quiet. In comparison my P4 is a vacuum. I have on occassion mistaken my P4 for a vacuum (I am not joking... love the system, but the noise is too much).

I decided since I have a 6800GT AGP and it looks like the X800XL will take a while to hit $300 there is no point trying to go the long way of selling my 6800GT to get a X800XL to get a PCIe MB. The 6800GT should do fine for a few years if no other quality AGP GPUs come to market in the future.

So I am looking to get on the AMD64 / 939 platform and since I am sticking to AGP I am hoping this can be a reasonably priced upgrade. My goal is quiet with stock cooling and overclockable. 2.4GHz with a 90nm AMD64 would be my base goal. I already have 1GB of solid RAM, so I am not looking to upgrade my RAM for the overclock--I would like to do something similar to what I did with my P4. Set the RAM at a lower setting and the OC the system.

So, the questions:

1) What CPU? 3000+ (1.8GHz) or 3200+ (2.0GHz)? There is about $50 between these two. Getting from 1.8GHz to 2.4GHz is a bit more than 2.0GHz to 2.4GHz and I am not totally sure how the memory plays into this. Assuming that the AMD64 with HT works like the P4, a 3000+ would take a 150MHz RAM setting and a 33% OC for the CPU/RAM to get a 2.4GHz/200MHz. The 3200+ would be setting the RAM at 166MHz (DDR333, pretty standard) and then a 20% OC to get a 2.4GHz/200MHz CPU/RAM setup. So if I went with a 3000+ it would appear that I would need a MB with quite a few settings to accomadate what I am doing because 133MHz (DDR2100) is too big of an OC (50%) and 166MHz (DDR333) would be only a 20% OC when bringing the RAM up to 200MHz. Am I confusing the P4 with the AMD64 too much? What CPU would you guys suggest?

2) What MB? At least 8 USB 2.0, SATA (at least 2), ATA100/133, Gb-LAN. Firewire would be nice, as would 4 DIMM slots. Sound is not necessary. Something that allows the AGP slot to be locked for speed is a must. I want something that is OC friendly but reliable with solid drivers. Some flexibility with the memory settings will most likely be necessary.

3) What is a proper temp range on a AMD64 90nm at load?

Remember: Quiet, Stable, Stock Cooling, and Stock RAM (DDR400 Corsair Value Select). Affordable is also important, but a total of $350 for MB/Processor would be a good investment. I am also looking to get a quiet fan.

Also a link to a nice concise AMD64 OC guide would be nice Sorry this was so long, just wanted to give all the relevant info.

Ps- Current System is as follows. Note that I am only looking to replace the CPU/MB.

CPU: P4 2.533GHz (OCed 2.85GHz) with loud Areoflow fan
MB: Asus P4PE
RAM: 1GB (2x512MB) DDR400 Corsair Value Select
VID: eVGA 6800GT
Sound: SB Aud 2 ZS
2x HDD: 74GB Raptor SATA and 80GB Maxtor ATA100
DVDRW & DVD_CDRW
FDD
WinXP SP2

 

[stnick80]

Short answer

A64 3000+ Winchester
DFI NF4 Ultra Lanparty

 

[RaMz121]

stnick
is that overclock that u have stable

 

[Acert93]

Very nice Motherboard. Unfortunately I need AGP because I have a $400 6800GT video card... unless somsone has a X800XL PCIe they want to swap I will need to stick with AGP.

 

[Angelous]

Either the MSI K8N Neo 2 if you want to do alot of overclocking, this board does have some stability issues. Or you could go with the Asus A8V Deluxe which might not overclock aswell but would probibly offer more stability. For the Temp at load that really depends on cooling but i have a 3200+ thats 33c at idle and 37c at load with a zalman 7000B. Also i dont think a zalman heatsink will fit the MSI board (not listed on thier compatibility chart) if that matters at all.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

DFI NF3 Lanparty
Asus A8V deluxe rev.2
MSI NF3 neo plat.
Abit AV8 thirdeye

Any of these will do you well.

And the 3000+ is the best overclocker, and definately the best value

 

[Acert93]

How is the Zalman 7000B for OCing? The reviews I quickly read said it was very quiet (a BIG plus), but does it keep cool?

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: Acert93
How is the Zalman 7000B for OCing? The reviews I quickly read said it was very quiet (a BIG plus), but does it keep cool?

It gets the job done. I'll throw in a vote for the Epox 9NDA3+ (or 9NDA3J).

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
DFI NF3 Lanparty
Asus A8V deluxe rev.2
MSI NF3 neo plat.
Abit AV8 thirdeye

Any of these will do you well.

And the 3000+ is the best overclocker, and definately the best value

DFI NF3 is S754

 

[thegimp03]

Don't be worried about the 3000+ overclock. I got a new system with one of these 2 weeks ago and I oc-ed it to exactly 2.4 ghz with almost no effort at all and this thing flies. Temps idle are 29-30, under load are 39-43c or so with stock cooling. I'm also running on an Asus A8V. Very nice mobo with great features.

 

[Acert93]

Originally posted by: thegimp03
Don't be worried about the 3000+ overclock. I got a new system with one of these 2 weeks ago and I oc-ed it to exactly 2.4 ghz with almost no effort at all and this thing flies. Temps idle are 29-30, under load are 39-43c or so with stock cooling. I'm also running on an Asus A8V. Very nice mobo with great features.

What did you do with the memory? I have 2x512MB DDR400 that I am sure wont OC much. I have never OCed an AMD64, so how does this exactly work? What settings did you use? DId you have to change the memory:fsb ration with an underclock or what? As you can see, I probably could use a link and some help on this The P4 I have was easy. Underclocked the memory to 177MHz, and then upped the FSB until the memory hit 200MHz and all was happy

Thanks for your time.

 

[zakee00]

Originally posted by: Acert93

Originally posted by: thegimp03
Don't be worried about the 3000+ overclock. I got a new system with one of these 2 weeks ago and I oc-ed it to exactly 2.4 ghz with almost no effort at all and this thing flies. Temps idle are 29-30, under load are 39-43c or so with stock cooling. I'm also running on an Asus A8V. Very nice mobo with great features.

What did you do with the memory? I have 2x512MB DDR400 that I am sure wont OC much. I have never OCed an AMD64, so how does this exactly work? What settings did you use? DId you have to change the memory:fsb ration with an underclock or what? As you can see, I probably could use a link and some help on this The P4 I have was easy. Underclocked the memory to 177MHz, and then upped the FSB until the memory hit 200MHz and all was happy

Thanks for your time.

link

 

[Acert93]

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for!

So in general, 3000+ come from the same bin as the 3200+ chips, just with a different multiplier? Is that correct?

Decisions Decisions... 3200+ with stock cooling or 3000+ with a nice Quiet HSF.

 

[Angelous]

the 3200+ would probibly be easier to OC with the 10x multi instead of 9x. You wont have to go at such a high FSB to achieve the same OC with the 3200. The stock heatsink is enough to get a descent OC.

 

[Acert93]

Originally posted by: Angelous
the 3200+ would probibly be easier to OC with the 10x multi instead of 9x. You wont have to go at such a high FSB to achieve the same OC with the 3200. The stock heatsink is enough to get a descent OC.

I have heard the 10x multiplier on the 3200+ does make the job a little easier, that is why I am asking opinions

My brother has the stock HSF and it is pretty quiet (and with Cool N' Quiet it actually goes off at times...). Noise is a significant reason I am looking at this upgrade. How does the Zalman 7000 you recommended compare in noise to the stock HSF? I know it is quiet, but worth $40 compared to the $10-$15 the stock one costs?

 

[zakee00]

if you overclock you cant enable CN'C withought stability problems. as far as cooling performance goes, stock is all you need. i dont know about noise though, because i cant even really hear it in my system. if i were you i'd get the 3000+ with this: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-185-115&depa=0
despite how ugly it is, its cheap and it performs great. also near silent.

 

[Spikesoldier]

i suggest getting some quiet cooling for your video card. out of everything in my system, the 6600GT i have screams in comparison to everything else. it is the single loudest component in the computer. if i stop the fan on the stock CPU heatsink, i cant tell if its running or not, it is not audible.

 

[stnick80]

Originally posted by: RaMz121
stnick
is that overclock that u have stable

Yes. Prime95 overnight. Aquamark stable. CS:S stable. and superPI no errors. working flawlessly

 

[stnick80]

i would get the 3000+ and the MSI K8N Neo2 if you're limited to using an AGP video card.

You really cant tell what kind of an OC you will get with a 3000+,3200+, or 3500+.

Just get the 3000+. as for the 10x multiplier it may help if you want to run 1:1 and your memory isn't all that great but that is what the dividers are for. 9x at 2500MHz will be faster than 10x at 2500X anyway, because of higher FSB.

Cross your fingers and hope you get a good one. Even if you don't get a 2.6 or 2.7, odds are pretty high you still will probably hit 2500MHz on any of the winchesters.

 

[Staz]

I am getting this on this cooled by this with this.

Not everything was bought from Newegg though, and this will be overclocked, hopefully around 2.4-2.5GHz

 

[customcoms]

Oh, it should EASILY do that. I took my setup, basically the same as yours with a zalman 7000 and the + version of that board, to 2.7ghz. Right now I am at 2.5, 280x9, ram at 230ghz (166 in the bios or cpu/11). Thats with some value ram. Since my ram is capable of the modest overclock, for day to day activities it is better than running at 2.7ghz but with ram underclocked to 192. Now, if only I could afford some nice OCZ to run at 1:1! Anyway, have fun with the new comp!

Sam

 

[richardrds]

Originally posted by: Staz
I am getting this on this cooled by this with this.

Not everything was bought from Newegg though, and this will be overclocked, hopefully around 2.4-2.5GHz

LMFAO,

would i click on one link - probably
2 links - maybe
3 links - WTF
4 links - Send me some of the drugs you are taking!!!!

A nice text summary would be appreciated!!!!

 

[superkdogg]

Grab a 3000+ and basically any S939 motherboard that has been mentioned. I'd all but guarantee that any of those motherboards and 90% of 3000 Winnies hit 2.4 within 10 minutes of being put together (provided they're in good hands). You really can't go wrong and as Zebo proved, just use a divider if you're worried about ram-it's not a crippling factor like P4 or AXP. GL2U

 

[DaFOBulous1]

How are the Gigabyte nForce3 ultra boards? Good as the MSI Platinum?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Posted by Starz:
I am getting this on this cooled by this with this.



Good choice! I think thats what Zebo's got in his sig