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View Full Version : Picking new CPU & Mobo: (Intel or AMD?)


icypunk
11-06-2004, 02:43 PM
Okay, so right now, I'm using an AMD T-bird 800mhz with Asus A7V mobo that i bought four years ago.

Yes, i know what everyone is thinking, it's a dinosaur. But to tell you the truth, i'm still very happy with it, with 768 mb of memory, it runs smoothly.

The thing is, I can't play any of the new games although I have ATI Radeon 9600se. It's time for me to get a new processor.

Okay, I don't need a superfast-over-the-top computer, and my budget is tight, so please keep that in mind.


For CPU: Intel vs AMD?

I was thinking of getting P4 2.8 HT-ready, but I also hear AMD XP performs as well as p4 if not better. But AMD's temperature is also a concern, because i want to keep my electricity bill low. I usually leave my computer on for days, so I don't want the computer to get really hot and burn itself up. But since price is also a concern, if AMD performs as well as Intel, then i dont' want to leave out AMD as an option. I will not be overclocking mine, and if Intel is stable and there isnt' much price difference, then Intel sounds good too. What are the pros and cons for each? What's an AMD processor equivalent to P4 2.8? Something less than $200 i hope.

Mobo: Asus

I just trust Asus more than any other brand, and I've been using Asus for all these years, so I prefer Asus over any other ones. But is there any Mobo that i can use SDRAM along with DDR Ram? I have 512mb of Kingston SDRAM, and i really don't want to stash it somewhere and not use it. Plus I can probably save money from not having to buy more memory. I don't need a top-market mobo, but just a very solid, stable mobo that will fit well with CPU and RAM.

I usually use my comp to surf the net, watch movies, and play games. For the games, I'll be playing mostly The Sims 2. (That's the only reason i bought the new graphics card and doing this new upgrades)

Can anyone please make a suggestion for me to pick a good CPU&Mobo combo?

Evileagle
11-06-2004, 04:18 PM
For the amd side:
If you want to use your sdram but be able to upgrade to ddr in the future, your really limited to a km266 chipset based mobo with both types of ram slots. Unfortunately, the km266 mobo's only go up to 266 mhz fsb, limiting you to anything faster than an athlon xp 2400+. These types of mobos are also hard to find, let alone an asus one if they ever made on in the first place.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241051

For the intel side:
The same as above applies but you would be limited to a 400/533fsb processor. Not sure about chipsets for p4's though.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=240318

Newegg used to sell sd/ddr mobos but they must've recently stopped.