Fastest Socket A motherboard/CPU Combo

[FrictionBoy87]

Hey all! Okay so either my motherboard or CPU is dying. Either way I don't care because I want to upgrade a little anyways. My question is whats the fastest Socket A motherboard/CPU combo? This has probly been asked a million times so i appologize if this is annoying. But I couldn't find the answer to this on google=/ I just want to get to the 2.somethingGHz range here so I was wondering if Socket A could do it. Okay thanks a lot peace!
~Matthew

[digitalfreedom64]

The fastest socket A you can get is the Athlon XP 3200+, it runs at 2.2ghz.

[FrictionBoy87]

Sweet thanks a lot. Thats what I thought=p

[FrictionBoy87]

Oh one more thing! I read that you can OC the 3200+ to 2.5GHz with great stability. If I was to get it and OC it does that take down the life of the CPU? It seems like it would but I'm just checking. I just got a new Antec Performance Plus case with 5 Antec 2500RPM fans, Thermaltake 480W Silent PurePower PSU, and a GIANT heat sink/fan so I think I have enough to keep it cool. Any input would be helpful! Thanks a lot!
~Matthew

[digitalfreedom64]

You could do that or you could get an Athlon XP 2500+ M and save a few bucks. I've got mine at 2.2ghz right now and with the right hardware you can do about 2.5 or 2.6ghz. PM Panama Red or Tin Canary. Those 2 know quite a bit more about overclocking than I. I'm still learning from those 2.

[FrictionBoy87]

Wow! Thats amazing! One question though...is that running at 400MHz FSB?

[digitalfreedom64]

It has a 400mhz(200x2). Now i'm gonna try to explain this without confusing you. the Athlon XP M 2500+ come stock with a 266mhz(133x2) fsb. the beauty of these cpu is that unlike their desktop counterparts, they have an unlocked clock multiplier. So by setting your multiplier to 11 you can easily set the fsb to 200. 200x11 = 2.2ghz/3200+. With the right ram and board, you can push the bus even higher.

[FrictionBoy87]

Sweet. Nah you didnt confuse me=p I am fairly computer savvy cause I work on them a lot and am studying for A+. I just don't have any experience with OCing so im trying to learn whatever I can and no better way to learn then risking my own hardware=p So if I understand correctly...

AMD Athlon XP 2500+, 266 FSB, 512K Cache overclocked to 2.5GHz with 400MHz FSB IF i have 400MHz FSB on my motherboard and memory as well

Right?

Oh and when I look up the 2500+ to buy I find a green one and a brown one. The brown one seems to be more expensive. Any real difference there?

[Tin]

youll need a new motherboard and new RAM as well as a mobile CPU. this is a good time, since RAM prices are very low right now. if youre going to get a new motherboard, get an nForce2 based board. they allow you to lock the AGP/PCI host clock so you can push your FSB higher. as for the PCB of the CPU...green or brown should make no difference as to the overclockability. when you get your new CPU, dont expect it to make it to 2500MHz+....overclocking is luck more than anything.

[digitalfreedom64]

The 400mhz bus will allow you to get to 2.2ghz which would be the same speed as that 3200+ you were wanting to buy. To go past 2.2ghz you will have to move the fsb past 400mhz. Tin is right, there is a lot of luck involved. I believe you shouldn't have any problems reaching 400mhz, but after that it all depends on the chip you bought and how lucky you are. Now for a mother board, look for a dfi lanparty motherboard with an nforce 2 chipset and maybe some patriot ram.

[FrictionBoy87]

Well I'm kind of really wanting to get to that 2.5GHz range so I might be willing to spend more to get the 3200+ if I can get it there. 2.5GHz just seems so much faster than 2.2GHz! Maybe I'm wrong...would it be worth it to spend the extra money for a 3200+ or will the performance not be enough to notice between the overclocked 2500+ and the stock 3200+? I just want to make sure I make the right purchase here so thanks for putting up with me! Oh and thanks for all the help so far guys! i appreciate it!
~Matthew

[Tin]

a 2500+ XP-M is a much better chip for overclocking, since they have a lower default voltage and unlocked multipliers. desktop socket A chips have a locked multiplier, which limits your overclocking. a 2400+ through 2600+ XP-M should suit you well. youll also need a good cooling solution, look to the Thermalright SI-97....its the best Socket A heatsink currently on the market, and wont break the wallet.

[FrictionBoy87]

Dang that LanParty board is a bit pricey=/ Anything more cost efficient that could do the same job?
~Matthew

[Tin]

check out the Abit NF7-S (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-166&depa=0), its one of the best OCing Socket A boards you can get...and doesnt break the bank at $82.50.

[FrictionBoy87]

Tin...I love you...lol. Nah man but thanks for the recommendation. Okay so I just need to know one more thing and we can close this thread! What kind of memory do you recommend if I'm running...

ABIT NF7-S nForce2
AMD Athlon XP 2500+

Whats the most compatible/overclockable memory for that motherboard/cpu? Again thanks so much!!
~Matthew

[Tin]

Memory http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-218-062&depa=0
CPU http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-401&depa=0
Heatsink http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2520&cat=47&page=1
Fan http://www.jab-tech.com/customer/product.php?productid=2001&cat=80&page=1

also, if you can...instead of the Abit NF7-S try and locate a DFI nForce2 Ultra Infinity (board in my sig) as it has much higher memory voltage adjustments than the NF7-S. the memory linked to above would be MUCH happier on a DFI Infinity. that board should cost around the same as an NF7-S.

[FrictionBoy87]

Tin your the best! Thanks!! A ton!!

[FrictionBoy87]

Looks like I have to do some more saving=/ But I shall get it sometime!

[digitalfreedom64]

Looks like Tin fixed you right up. That's the reason I said talk to tin. Tin's like this overclocking genious or something.