Looking to upgrade-question for those who might know... (1 Viewer)

[Chris Bardon]

Looking to upgrade my P3-450, and was a little bummed to find out that I can't take my memory with me (the new boards all use DDR ram instead of SDRAM). I'm looking at a P4 1.8 Ghz and probably 512 DDRAM, but my real question is about getting rid of what I've got. Just out of curiosity, what do you think a P3-450 CPU and Asus MB with 384 Mb of SDRAM would be worth? I was thinking about either trying to get rid of the parts alone, and if that didn't work put a system together (need to add a case + HD etc), but I don't think that it would really be worth my while. Any thoughts?

Also, any recommendations for/against the P4 CPUs or any of the boards? Haven't bought one in almost 2.5 yrs, so a little out of date.

 

[Rob Lutter]

For the same price/less you could get an AMD Athlon 2000+ (1.7 gHz) (which rests inside my case) that will perform above/better than a 2.2 gHz Intel. Just make sure to get a HUGE copper heatsink/fan, thems Athlons is HOT!

 

[KyleS]

For the same price/less you could get an AMD Athlon 2000+ (1.7 gHz) (which rests inside my case) that will perform above/better than a 2.2 gHz Intel.

Rob I would love to know where you got this info from. 1.7 vs 2.2 and outpeforming. What, in real world applications? CPU clock cycles? Certainly for performance vs price they are a great deal and yes you do need to spend more on cooling to get better performance. Both are good chip manufactures and AMD has certainly brought a lot to the table with competition to bring down price but IMHO I still would pay the extra money and get a P4.

KyleS

 

[JasenP]

Chris

If I were you I would save my Processor, Mobo, and RAM and build a second system. Maybe one for the kids or a dedicated MP3 jukebox etc..

 

[Masood Ali]

384MB RAM is worth around $60; but it depends on several factors, such as the number and size of each stick of memory, and the brand and speed rating.

Your P3 is worth about $20-$30.

And your motherboard, depending on the specific model, is worth from $30-$40.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Thanks-I actually might have a friend who wants em, but you're right-might as well save the board. Might actually try to make an arcade cabinet at some point (when I have the space and money).

 

[Rob Lutter]

Kyle, I rated my computer with Sandra and it came out equivalent to a 2.2 gHz Intel P4 (it was actually a smidge higher). I am also running PC2700 RAM (DDR 333), so that may make a difference. I am not overclocking at all.

 

[Drew Wimmer]

yeah, here's another vote for amd's
they run hotter, but you get a much better bang for the buck (despite the clock speed difference, amd cpu's do more with each clock cycle than p4's, therein lies their advantage)
for an amd mobo, check out the aopen ak77-333, rock-solid and only $110 shipped (if you wanna go a little cheaper check out the latest offering form epox, 8kha+ i think...)

 

[DaveF]

You can also upgrade to a P3 1GHz for about $200.

 

[Brad_V]

For boards, the Elitegroups/ECS K7s5a could use either sdram or ddr. Maybe they changed it now, but it always used to be able to. It is as cheap as boards come, and when it came out last year was as fast as just about anything at any price. If it can still use sdram, might be worth a look.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

Yes the k7s5a can be had for $60 shipped (newegg.com) and could use the memory (if it is pc133, dont bother if it is pc100). 256mb ddr can be had for $45 shipped. Geforce GTS-V can be had for $45 shipped. AMD xp1800 can be had for $110 or so shipped. You need a decent HS fan for it, I have and would certainly recommend ( I use it for all the comps I build for clients) a gc-68 with the base fan from svc compucycle: http://svcompucycle.com/newsvcgc3280.html. about 13 shipped. Athlon cpus DO outperform Intel chips and are 30% cheaper. The only exception is the newer Intel chips that are VERY expensive. I have a side business building comps and am a network/system admin by trade and ALWAYS recommend AMD for performance and value.