My Friends Cpu

[Keikan]

ya I know it's like an old man smile

[adamp2p]

It is pretty hard deciding what to get with other people's money, isn't it?

I think a good place to look for this information would be:

Anandtech's weekly buyer's guides

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@26 March 2004 - 02:37
I might be building a new computer for my friend...they have UP TO $2,200 to spend on it. Hellll yeah haha
...........
Should I even go 64bit at this stage or just keep it really cheap for him and his family?
..........
How long should I wait, like when will BTX, new graphics cards, and PCI Express be out? And should I wait for all of that for just a family computer?

When going the AMD64bit route, get a board that supports the 'Cool & quiet' feature.

And find out where they will use the PC.
When they want to use it in the livingroom, they will be happier with a silent rig than with a noisy fast rig.

Just a thought................

[bigdawgfoxx]

Originally posted by FlyingDutchman+26 March 2004 - 04:36--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (FlyingDutchman &#064; 26 March 2004 - 04:36)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-bigdawgfoxx@26 March 2004 - 02:37
I might be building a new computer for my friend...they have UP TO &#036;2,200 to spend on it. Hellll yeah haha
...........
Should I even go 64bit at this stage or just keep it really cheap for him and his family?
..........
How long should I wait, like when will BTX, new graphics cards, and PCI Express be out? And should I wait for all of that for just a family computer?

When going the AMD64bit route, get a board that supports the &#39;Cool & quiet&#39; feature.

And find out where they will use the PC.
When they want to use it in the livingroom, they will be happier with a silent rig than with a noisy fast rig.

Just a thought................ [/b][/quote]
Good thinking...maybe just 1 or 2 case fans....

On the cutting edge guide on ANandtech, it recomends a ViaKT800 board instead of a nForce 3....is that ok you think?

[FlyingDutchman]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx@26 March 2004 - 13:03

On the cutting edge guide on ANandtech, it recomends a ViaKT800 board instead of a nForce 3....is that ok you think?

I am slowly building an AMD64 system myself, so I&#39;ve done some reading on the subject.

The AMD64 comes in a few flavors:
*- Socket 754 (cheaper CPUs, cheaper memory, available now, no double bandwidth)
*- Socket 939 (probably more expensive CPUs, cheaper memory, not yet available, double bandwidth)
*- Socket 940 (more expensive CPUs, expensive ECC-memory, available now, double bandwidth)
Unless something unexpected happens soon I&#39;m going for the socket 754 as it is the most mature socket of the 3, and cheapest.
Upgrading to a different board and CPU doesn&#39;t hurt as much as board+CPU can be had for &#036;450

VIA seems to have a good chipset again with K8T800. Quite a few revieuwers (if not most) prefer boards with that chipset.
I&#39;m inclined to buy the MSI K8T Neo FIS2R based on the good reviews, although ASUS gets good reviews too.

When the PC ends up in the livingroom, then make sure you have a look at the Black Knight Case, and make sure you see the detail pictures too. I think it is a stylish case, and pretty cheap ( &#036;62 at NewEgg )
The case comes without PSU but that can be easily cured with this outstanding Nexus 350 Watts PSU

Edit:

The Athlon 64 Motherboard Shootout , a recent roundup of socket 754 boards (jan 04).

[adamp2p]

Originally posted by bigdawgfoxx+26 March 2004 - 05:03--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (bigdawgfoxx @ 26 March 2004 - 05:03)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Originally posted by FlyingDutchman@26 March 2004 - 04:36
<!--QuoteBegin-bigdawgfoxx

@26 March 2004 - 02:37
I might be building a new computer for my friend...they have UP TO &#036;2,200 to spend on it. Hellll yeah haha
...........
Should I even go 64bit at this stage or just keep it really cheap for him and his family?
..........
How long should I wait, like when will BTX, new graphics cards, and PCI Express be out? And should I wait for all of that for just a family computer?

When going the AMD64bit route, get a board that supports the &#39;Cool & quiet&#39; feature.

And find out where they will use the PC.
When they want to use it in the livingroom, they will be happier with a silent rig than with a noisy fast rig.

Just a thought................

Good thinking...maybe just 1 or 2 case fans....

On the cutting edge guide on ANandtech, it recomends a ViaKT800 board instead of a nForce 3....is that ok you think? [/b][/quote]
Yes, I have read several testimonies that VIA is the way to go with Athlon 64 so far. Read around a bit.

[Mad Cat]

I went for an SK8N (nForce 3) over VIA because I heard of some AGP lock problems with the Asus&#39; VIA alternative, the SK8V. Only a couple of FPS in games whatever happens.