AMD fans plz help me :)

[Clondike7]

www.amdmb.com
thats all you need

[t-man152]

well for people tight on money that want to a good work machine and an ocasional game I recomend the nforce 2 chipset it has a geforce 4 mx with up to 128 mb (shared memory) and 5.1 sound card right in it so thats pretty good also a site that I have found is great is www.newegg.com it has all the latest hardware at good prices.

of course somebody is going to say the oposite and say that newegg sucks but this is my personal opinion. I say just check it out you have nothing to lose and from personal experience they ship and deliver really fast.

[Strang]

@clondike7, thanks man, I will use this
@t-man152, Is that for a SFF machine?? I have looked at the shuttle ones, they seem to be the good ones. And as far as newegg.com. I use it all the time, all my builds have been from them, 5 stars everytime. I have build $1000 machines all the time from them.

I was also wondering if some could post their setups? if they would change something or not, what the do and dont like about it? These would be invalueable to me...
thanks again guys

-Strang

[t-man152]

I dont know what an SFF machine is :shrug: if its like the shuttle machines well yes some can be shuttle sized. personaly I use an ATX mobo. here is my config
mobo: K7N2G (from MSI)
CPU : Athlon XP 1600+ (I know Im gona get a new one soon)
RAM: 768 mb of DDR 2100
hd: some seagate 40 gb hd(works fine for me)
video card (new):geforcefx 5200 ( works great for the price I play ut 2k3 everything maxed out in 1028 by 768 with 55 fps)

I would just change the hd and the cpu get some 2400+ or something

[Thalaxis]

www.sfftech.com

While I would definitely recommend the nForce2 or nForce2Ultra-
400 chipsets for Athlon solutions, keep in mind that not every
flavor includes integrated video.

It's not yet possible to do the 64-bit x86 thing in an SFF box. I'm
pretty sure that there will be such solutions, but I don't know
whether or not there will be any for Opteron, or just for Athlon64.

But in the mean time, Athlons are not exactly sluggards :)

[Strang]

@Thalaxis, I have seen that site, thanks though. sorry I said SFF, I personally am NOT looking for a SFF machine, nor would I look at the opteron for a SFF machine. I just mentioned that I didnt really want to hear advice about the Opteron, cause I personally would not need it. Even when all the software goes 64bit it wouldn't bother me, cause my school would stay up to date.
I stated SFF cause of the research I was doing for my cost concious college customers :)

[Strang]

Oops pushed enter before i was finished...

Cont...

So forget I said SFF,
Looking for AMD solutions or workstation. Any and all advice would be appreciated, I am ready to learn.

thanks again

-Strang

[Thalaxis]

I only mentioned SFF tech because the SFF form factor is a good
way to go for situations like college dorms, especially due to the
excellent feature set of the nForce platform... which translates to
lower cost.

Sorry I misunderstood the part about Opteron. :)

Good resources for AMD solutions in general:
www.amdzone.com
www.amdmb.com

And good stores:
www.newegg.com
www.googlegear.com

That list is probably partially redundant, and it's definitely not
complete, but it should help you get started.

[Strang]

@Thalaxis, Absolutely thanks man. and yes the SFF machines have been peaking my customers interests. thanks for the sites

-Strang

[Thalaxis]

No problem!

:beer:

The nForce2 SFF machines make great economy home theater
PC's :)

[Clondike7]

this is my config:
mobo: NF7-S (Abit) nForce2
CPU: AMD XP 3000+ (333MHz, overclocked to 400FSB)
Video: GeForce4 Ti 4600 (overclocked to 320mhz GPU and memory 675mhz)
RAM: 1GB Corsair PC3200 (dual channel)
HD: 1 x WD 80GB Special Edition, 1 x WD 60GB Caviar

Good config, super stable, nForce2 all the way.

[Strang]

@Clondike7, thanks for posting your setup. From the research I have done today, starting at about 8am eastern. I liked the ABIT NF7-S and the Gigabyte GA-7N400 the most, as far as value goes. thanks again

I hope to hear some more configurations from board members thanks

-Strang

[ZrO-1]

If you're into SFF PCs Tom's Hardware has a few reviews. Here's the links to those: article 1 (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030722/index.html)
article 2 (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030505/index.html)

As far as the AMD vs. Intel debate goes, here's a good rule of thumb. (this is assuming you are buying a current top-speed cpu)

Focusing on CPU performance, if you are getting a single-CPU system, Pentium 4 is the way to go; if you are getting a dual-CPU system AMD is the way to go.

Focusing on motherboard-level features (memory supported, USB/firewire, PCI slots, IDE types, RAID, etc...). The only AMD board worth considering at all is one with the nVidia nForce 2 chipset. Otherwise go P4, especially if you want to have plenty of future-upgradeability options (SATA hard drives, CPU over 3.2 GHz).

Extreme Tech has two great "roundups" of AMD and P4 motherboards. Here's the links:
AMD motherboard super guide (http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,674347,00.asp)
P4 motherboard super guide (http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,518027,00.asp)

Hope that helps.

[t-man152]

Originally posted by ZrO-1
If you're into SFF PCs Tom's Hardware has a few reviews. Here's the links to those: article 1 (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030722/index.html)
article 2 (http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030505/index.html)

As far as the AMD vs. Intel debate goes, here's a good rule of thumb. (this is assuming you are buying a current top-speed cpu)

Focusing on CPU performance, if you are getting a single-CPU system, Pentium 4 is the way to go; if you are getting a dual-CPU system AMD is the way to go.

Focusing on motherboard-level features (memory supported, USB/firewire, PCI slots, IDE types, RAID, etc...). The only AMD board worth considering at all is one with the nVidia nForce 2 chipset. Otherwise go P4, especially if you want to have plenty of future-upgradeability options (SATA hard drives, CPU over 3.2 GHz).

Extreme Tech has two great "roundups" of AMD and P4 motherboards. Here's the links:
AMD motherboard super guide (http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,674347,00.asp)
P4 motherboard super guide (http://www.extremetech.com/category2/0,3971,518027,00.asp)

Hope that helps.

thats for the top leveled cpu's. the great part about AMD is you can get good performance without the huge price the intel line

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by ZrO-1
Otherwise go P4, especially if you want to have plenty of future-upgradeability options (SATA hard drives, CPU over 3.2 GHz).


1) Avoid Tom's. Their reviews have diminished in quality over the
years.

2) Be careful about upgradability issues with P4's -- the platform
has been getting constant upgrades (faster FSB's, faster
interconnects, etc), and on top of that even the Springdale and
Canterwood boards out now are not guaranteed to support the
Prescott due to power requirements. Since there are no more
Northwood speed grades on the roadmaps, if you get a 3.2 GHz
P4 now, and you don't have an FMB 1.5 compliant motherboard,
you're at your limit of upgradability already.

So before you buy a P4 platform, make sure it's Prescott ready,
don't assume it.

[Strang]

Thanks for the info guys. I have learned a lot just today, from websites i was giving and following links..etc etc

off topic, they currently make prescott ready boards?? or you just saying that future tense?

thanks

-Strang

[Thalaxis]

Originally posted by Strang
Thanks for the info guys. I have learned a lot just today, from websites i was giving and following links..etc etc

off topic, they currently make prescott ready boards?? or you just saying that future tense?

thanks

-Strang

The Springdale and Canterwood chipsets were designed with the
Prescott in mind. They're supposed to support the Pentium4
family up to but probably not including Tejas (the next generation
P4 core, which is what Grantsdale is for).

Basically, what happened is that the TDP (Thermal Design Power)
fo the Prescott turned out to be considerably higher (103 watts
rather than 89) than expected, which requires that motherboard
makers refit their boards with higher-spec power supplies, and
voltage regulator modules. Of course, they will also require better
cooling solutions.

It's just a matter of verifying that the board in question conforms
to the right specs; there are already a few that do that are
available right now (Abit's IC-7 MAX is one I think), and most of
the board vendors plan to have Prescott-ready boards out in
August.

[Emberghost]

Originally posted by Strang
From the research I have done today, starting at about 8am eastern. I liked the ABIT NF7-S and the Gigabyte GA-7N400 the most, as far as value goes.


I have the Ga-7n400 and it runs great for me so far paired with my excellent amd 2700. Also this mobo supports up to 400 MHz fsb so you will be able to upgrade off this. Has 4 ram slots dual channel up to 3 gig etc..the goods :D

Upgrades on P4's are not certain where as AMD is a little more predictable. Im not sure if you are looking for a dual amd setup but that will deffinatly knock your socks off hehe. I used to run P4's back when i new no better, but their prices are way to high for a *15 year old student.* AMD's deliver excellent performance and I can afford them!!!

Besides that read around, check out reviews, prices, whats going on in the future etc.

My system:

amd athlon xp 2700
Gigabyte ga-7n400
1x 512mb 2100 :annoyed:
MSI Ti-4200 128 mb. 8x
Generic old 80 gig HD
400 watt sparkle PSU

Basically the bottleneck on my system is the low speed ram, everything else runs great. IMO the ti-4200 is a AWESOME budget card!

Hope all this helped ya ~Adam~

[Strang]

@Thalaxis, Cool I did not know that prescott was supposed to be supported by current springdale and canterwood boards. I am heading to Intel's sight for their info on that, then to a few tech sites to see if they have anything related.

@emberghost, glad to hear that, it is the cheaper of the 2 i think,(abit and giga). Did you get the Pro or the "L" its only 85 bucks for the L and the only difference i see was name brand LAN and firewire. I may have over looked things. ooh yeah thanks for posting your system.

If anyone else would like to post your setups, I would greatly appreciate it

thanks everyone

-Strang

[Thalaxis]

Tech sites:
www.techreport.com
www.xbitlabs.com
www.hardocp.com
www.anandtech.com

(Note the intentional omission of Tom's -- that is due to having
integrity and a desire to give you GOOD advice.)

My current config:
Athlon XP2000+ (1.67 GHz)
1 GB PC-2100 (Crucial)
Gainward GeForce FX5600/128 MB
19" KDS monitor, 17" CTX (Trinitron)

My mobile:
Sony VAIO
1.3 GHz Centrino
512 MB ram
ATI Radeon Mobility
(Just about as quick as the Athlon!)

The one that I'm building:
Springdale SFF box (either American Media, Biostar, or Shuttle)Pentium4 3.0 GHz, unless I find a good price on a 3.2
1 GB Corsair XMS DDR400 memory
ATI Radeon 9800Pro/128 MB

[Strang]

@Thalaxis, thanks for those sites, and I am aware of tom's hardware ;) thanks for the config post... I must ask you, does the XP 2000+ treat you well? even now? see I am an animation student, also my customers are art students. so graphics and stability are what is needed. how does YOUR system handle Photoshop, painter,Illustrator, 3dsmax, maya, LW, C4D, XSI or any other package that applies to you? I also want to hear about the SFF machine, maybe here or in another thread. I think a lil background or tutorial on your build would be appreciated and accepted in this forum.

thanks again

-Strang

[Thalaxis]

LightWave, Messiah, Photoshop, Cinema and MotionBuilder have
been running quite well on it.

The OS is XP Home, both for the Athlon and the for the laptop; the
P4 is going to have XP Pro, by the way.

Stability's been a problem from time to time, but for the most part,
both machines so far have been very dependable, in addition to
being very fast.

[zempher]

i'd recomend

for 3d

dual amd
1700XP (cheap and good for overclocking) or
2500XP barton (512kb, good for 3d, good for overclocking)

normal good ram (at least 1gb)

if you have lots of money ecc ram (more stable)

geforce3 128 mb ram (crack it to quadro with "softquadro")
or
quadroFX 500 (cheap and FX)


mobo:
boxx uses tyan (i don't know why)
msi has really good tests on its amd dual board

[Strang]

Thanks Thalaxis (I am done thanking you, consider yourself very helpful) and Zempher. Looked at some prices for the AMD 2700s and below...

WOW great prices I think I am going to buy one now just for curiousity and price. and newegg has the barton 2500 for like $95
well thanks everyone, you all have been a great help. you got one tunnel visioned kid to see the whole road. laters

-Strang

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