Wondering about my P4

[ThatDumbGuy]

I recently bought the following items:
P4 1.3 ghz
128mb pc800 samsung rdram
intel d850gb mobo

The more i've been reading about rambus, the less i like it/them... I was thinking of trading/selling the above items and the case in favor of an athlon system. Any thoughts on whether I should, or what I should buy? I would basically want to spend about the same amount of money i would sell the P4 stuff for, which I am not sure of either. Also, I might be willing to overclock a little bit, but don't want to spend alot of time or money doing it.


As a semi-related question, do you think the nForce chipset is worth waiting for?

 

[Sugadaddy]

You could probably get a good DDR mobo with 256MB PC2100 from Crucial and at least a 1.2ghz Athlon. (that'll OC to 1.4ghz+)

Personally, I'd do the trade...

 

[ledzepp98]

i don't have any personal experience witht he p4's so i'll just comment based on what i have heard/read (and that does not include "p4 sucks..." or "athlon rules...&quot...

the p4 really needs the high clock speed to compete. depending on what you are going to use the computer for, the 1.3ghz p4 will probably perform well for you...however, i will approach for the angle that you are looking for the fastest, or something close to it. the clock-for-clock comparison doesm not really apply anymore, since the p4 and t-bird use much different architectures to perform well. the p4 is meant for high clock speed and it really needs it. i don't know what you can sell the p4/mobo and rambus for, but if you could get enough to buy a 1.2ghz t-bird and 128megs ddr and mobo than you will be much better off, imho. as for rambus, the price is really all there is not to like about it. the p4 does need the high bandwidth that the dual channel rambus provides. as far as the nforce, it seems like it will be very good...but i think it is still a bit too early to tell.

approx. $300 will get you a 1.2ghz t-bird (266mhz fsb) + good hsf, epox 8k7a mobo, and 256megs crucial ddr. i would definately take that over what you have now

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

I think I will do that then... how much money do you think i would pay for a hsf that will o/c a 1.2/266 to 1.4 or so? Any suggestions on specific ones welcome, as I am new to the whole overclocking deal.

 

[Grendel99]

The Taisol CGK760092 is really good. About $35 + shipping.


Plycon

Very quiet with the stock fan too.

 

[Sukhoi]

A 1.3 GHz P4 is not very good...I'd think maybe 1 GHz PIII performance. I'd trade (might have to pay a little too) for a 1.1 or 1.2 GHz Athlon with a DDR mobo.

Edit: Is your 128 MB RDRAM a single RIMM? The i850 chipset requires dual RIMMs AFAIK.

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

no, its 2 slots of 64... i just checked pricewatch, and the latest prices on the tentative new components are...

(including s&h)

Epox ep-8k7a... ~$126
256MB Crucial pc2100 ddr... ~$50 (normally 45 but wont be buying before the 16th...)
amd tbird 1.2/266... ~$110
hsf, still looking into (trying to find a review of the one suggested, although, considering I know crap about cooling, I don't see the point)

But if I went with the Taisol CGK760092, it would cost ~$38...

Thats a total of ~$325, without the case... should I just use my p4 case, or try to sell that with the other stuff? hmm...

 

[dowxp]

2x64 retail probably

 

[BFG10K]

P4 1.3 ghz
128mb pc800 samsung rdram

If you were going to stick with Intel you should have bought a 1 GHz P3 or waited for a Tualatin. Both would have been cheaper and faster than the 1.3 GHz P4.

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

I just found a good deal at www.accessmicro.com, thanks to mark099's computer hardware guide...

epox ep8k7a
athlon tbird 1200/266
kingston 256mb ddr pc 2100 cl2
cooler master ep5-6i11 hsf

$289, and 13.75 s&g where I live... so, Im looking at $303 without the case... any suggestions on a case? A low-priced one, hopefully.

 

[Sukhoi]

Can't really give you a case suggestion (haven't shopped for one lately ), but obviously make sure you get a quality 300 watt power supply if you're running a 1.2 GHz TBird.

 

[N8Magic]

Go for an Enlight 7237 w/300W power supply. The going rate on those is ~$50.00.

Good case, and a quality PSU.

 

[Smapty]

sell the p4 and rdram, get a DDR mboard w/ a duron 950, oc it to 1.2 ghz and go buy yourself a leather jacket & pants.

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

Thanks for the case recommendation, I'll look into it...

What is the big difference between athlon tbirds and durons?

 

[N8Magic]

<< What is the big difference between athlon tbirds and durons? >>



The difference between them is the size of the L2 cache, and the way that the cache works. Tbirds and Palominos have 256KB of 8-way set associative L2 cache, where Durons have 128KB of 4-way set associative L2 cache. (If i'm not mistaken, it may be 16-way and 8-way.)

For most people, there is not the hugest difference. BUT, TBirds are so cheap right now, I couldn't justify the negligable savings that you would get by buying a Duron.