Mobo + RAM Question

[Brassman101]

I am planning on buying a new computer from parts i am getting over the net and i have everything figured out execpt for the RAM and the Motherboard... i dont know what kind mobo can use DDR-RAM.... so i can order this stuff..... i was wondering if i posted the mobo and ram type if someone could help me out or if there is a way to tell explain it to me... or even better maybe there is a site that you can go to and it lists the different kinds of ram and mobo combos and what they can use and what they cant use

Thanks much,

Brassman

[mike breck]

Hi Brassman101,

DDR is becoming the standard at the moment.

But are you considering an Intel (Pentium 4) or AMD (Athlon XP) CPU?

The type of CPU will determine which models of motherboard you can get and the motherboard will determine the type of Ram you can use.

That's the easiest way to look at it, to begin with.

So do you want to go Intel or AMD?

[Brassman101]

I'm getting the amd athlon xp 2600 333mhz .... if this can not handle the PC3500 DDR-RAM then i will have to ask for a list of mobo's that can if ya know off hand... thanks much

Brassman

[mike breck]

There you go - the best of the best.

http://www17.tomshardware.com/mainbo...007/index.html

I think that PC 2700 would be more than sufficient for these mobos, for the reasons explained in the article.

Even that doesn't give much of a performance boost unless your overclocking.

The bottleneck is still the Athlon XP's 133 (266 double-pumped) FSB.

HTH

[Brassman101]

let me ask you something then... i am building this thing from scratch and i dont mind spending around 250-350$ on mobo+processor...... a: what would you choose for a mobo+processor... (i'm shopping online here for the lower prices) b: and would it be worth it to even get 3500 DDR-RAM with a 2.2ish Gig processor? c: if you need all the computer info on the other parts then let me know and i will post it all at once

Thanks a million by the way

Brassman

[reboot]

For 250-350 US$, I would go for a P4, something about 2ghz, and an Asus board.

[Markoman01027]

Here are some of the motherboards that can support PC3500 DDR RAM:

EPOX EP-8RGA+ with the Nvidia Chipset
MSI K7N2 MS-6570 with the Nvidia Chipset
MSI KT4V MS-6712 with the VIA Chipset

Those are some of the motherboards that do support your RAM. Keep in mind, you won't notice the performance of PC3500 unless you overclock your system.

Buy PC2100, or even PC2400. Not much of a difference, atleast you won't really notice the difference.

Buy PC2100 if you want to save some money. I use PC2100 and it's great.

Buy a motherboard that suits your needs. Meets CPU requirements, etc.

Good luck!

[glc]

Asus A7N8X. PC2700 is plenty unless you plan on overclocking, then get PC3200.

[Brassman101]

well with that information in hand...

buying 3500 ddr-ram would only show up in benchmarks then eh?
so i think i will stick with the 2700 that someone mentioned. Now that that is settled here's the finished product order:

XA3051 Altec Lansing Speakers
Seagate Barracuda ATA IV 80.0GB EIDE Hard Drive, 7200 RPM
Acer 19 CRT Monitor
Athlon XP 2600 , 333mhz, cpu + fan
ATX Aluminum + 500W Mid Tower Case. All Silver. 7bays, 4x5.25, 2x3.5, 1x3.5. All Silver
48X24X48X Internal EIDE/ATAPI CD-RW Drive. 1Yr Warranty.
1.44MB, 3.5Inch Floppy Disk Drive - 1 YEAR WARRANTY
HP Multimedia Internet PS/2 Keyboard, Grey OEM First wheel mouse M-S61. 3-button PS/2
New ATI Radeon 9700 PRO Chipset 128MB DDR AGP 8X Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI OEM
Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer, 3D audio
Network Interface Card
2x 2700 DDR-RAM

there are really no spec's on the mobo+processor combo would that be able to handle 2700? and also the 500w Power Supply should be enough right? is the mobo you guys suggested apg 8x? and will the ati9700 pro be 8x compatible?

Thanks more

Brassman

Not really hooking anything else up to suck power off like a printer or scanner fyi, and if you recomend P4's over AMD's then tell me why and maybe i'll switch to a P4 2.6ghz processor.... i just confused about this (Pentium 4 Socket 478 400FSB & 533FSB CPUs) which FSB speed is it lol? they make this so hard to order online those Sob's

[Brassman101]

t.t.t

[glc]

What motherboard did you choose?

500 watts is extreme overkill.

[Brassman101]

glc i am getting the Pentium® 4 2.66GHz (Not just 2.6GHz) 533MHz FSB 512K Cache - Northwood B P4 - Socket 478 for the processor.... i would like a mobo with apg(or agp) 8x if possible and something that handles 2700 DDR-RAM and for a reasonable price...... if anyone knows any that fit this then i'm sold.... thanks everyone again

i am mainly using pricewatch.com for my prices and when i'm looking for from what i have seen they have the best prices and options..... if anyone suggests something please put a site or if you know of a cheaper site/dealer fill me in thx

and 500w is a bit much so i'm thinking about 400 or 450

Almost Final:

XA3051 Altec Lansing Speakers
Seagate Barracuda ATA IV 80.0GB EIDE Hard Drive, 7200 RPM
Acer 19 CRT Monitor
Pentium® 4 2.66GHz (Not just 2.6GHz) 533MHz FSB 512K Cache - Northwood B P4 - Socket 478
ATX Aluminum + 500W Mid Tower Case. All Silver. 7bays, 4x5.25, 2x3.5, 1x3.5. All Silver
48X24X48X Internal EIDE/ATAPI CD-RW Drive. 1Yr Warranty.
1.44MB, 3.5Inch Floppy Disk Drive - 1 YEAR WARRANTY
HP Multimedia Internet PS/2 Keyboard, Grey OEM First wheel mouse M-S61. 3-button PS/2
New ATI Radeon 9700 PRO Chipset 128MB DDR AGP 8X Video Card w/TV-Out & DVI OEM
Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer, 3D audio
Network Interface Card
2x 2700 DDR-RAM

But i'm still unsure about the mobo...... thanks for ur help guys

Brassman

[glc]

If you want an 8x AGP board for an Intel processor, wait just a bit longer for the Intel E7205 (Granite Bay) chipset boards to be released. The SiS boards seem to be having some problems. The Asus P4G8X should be on the streets any day. If you need something now and AGP4X is good enough, look at the Asus P4PE.

Pricewatch is not a vendor, all they sell is listing space to vendors, everywhere from quality companies to fly by night artists. Take your want list to Newegg and Mwave and see what you come up with. Watch shipping charges carefully. Consider a Western Digital "JB" series hard drive, it's got 8mb cache and still has a 3 year warranty, that Seagate is 1 year. Buy monitor locally to save shipping. Most good boards these days have onboard NIC, you won't need a separate NIC. All you need for Intel is a quality 300 watt power supply.

[Brassman101]

Intel E7205 .... wont that be WAY over priced when it comes out like all products made from intel =) lol..... and you mentioned about the asus P4G8X is that another with 8x AGP? and i will try those sites out and see how the prices differ... well i'm holding off til after Xmas now so i will have enough cash and wait for those 2 mobo's you mentioned to come out so i can check em out..... if i get a 300w PS or a 500w PS for the same price does it really matter? or is more watts bad... i've never found it to be bad but i dont know everything so i'm asking

And thanks again glc

Brassman

[piasabird]

Looking at just price can be a mistake. What about the reputation of the drive manufacturer. Acer and Seagate arent exactly top notch brands.

If you buy an 80 Gig Drive pay attention to the cache size; more = faster. I would consider buying the monitor at best buy where you can see a bunch of monitors running side by side. If nothing else just going there to look at monitors can be worth the trip.

Asus and a few others are making some 8X motherboards with what they call Dual DDR. You have to buy the RAM in pairs because it is installed in pairs on the "Granite Bay Chipset" which is at this webpage: http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboa...125/index.html
Intel chipset E7205

Asus P4G8X
Gigabyte GA-8INXP

There may be a few more of these on sale somewhere but I think they will be pricey. A better deal might be an Asus P4PE. I saw one for $130.00 at www.newegg.com

I really recommend you check the prices at www.newegg.com before you buy your equipment and use it as a comparison. Buying all your equipment at the same store has its advantages when it comes to shipping costs. I was able to beat the price for RAM at www.newegg.com on Micron memory compared to the website www.crucial.com which sells only Micron memory.

Look and ask for Free Shipping.