Mobo & CPU plus Options Advice please

[Brangwen]

My Fellow Members:

I am leaning towards putting together a new motherboard, CPU and perhaps memory combo. In addition I am considering switching over to SATA interfaced hard drives (at least one).

I utilize my computer in my Home/Law office including the use of Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice-recognition software, and all that maintaining a home office entails. I also engage in some desktop publishing (such as making cards, brochures, editing and printing photos captured by digital equipment); burning DVDs, and other fairly benign activities. I am not a gamer, unless occasionally indulging in some "Arnold Palmer" computer golfing is now considered "heavy-duty gaming!"

My questions, therefore, are as follows:

Motherboard: I am presently using a IWill XP-333-R. At the outset let me write that I have never used the RAID feature on this board, and it is a fantastic board for as far as it goes. Presently it is holding a XP 1900 + processor and is somewhat limited to the extent that I might want to upgrade to a more powerful processor with a larger cache. In addition, it does not have integrated USB 2.0: I must rely on a PCI card which is not a bad thing in and of itself, but I do not like filling PCI slots unnecessarily. Also this board cannot utilize a SATA hard drive without the installation of an appropriate adapter card, e.g., PCI (?). Finally, the chip set fan is dying and I am presently looking around for a replacement part. This is not a big deal but I have been kicking around the prospect of upgrading my system and now may be a good time.

CPU: Approximately 1.4GHz is nothing to sneeze at! Though, admittedly there are much more powerful processors on the market. The question I am asking relative to upgrading my processor is very simple, to wit: is it worth it in light of the reasons for which I use a computer? One of my concerns revolves around my voice-recognition software. Presently this latest version of Dragon (7) Professional works fairly decently: I cannot deny that, but can it work better? In addition I engage in multitasking as I understand that term (I perform many different tasks on this computer, often contemporaneously). I recall seeing a sale on a XP 2400 or 2600+, and immediately checked for a BIOS upgrade at IWill's tech page. Such a BIOS existed, but flashing my ROM would not have allowed me to utilize the processor with the larger cache. So you can see my present CPU does not have all the cache (nor speed) that is presently available in processors currently on the market and for reasonable dollars. My interest in a more powerful processor causes me to reevaluate the capabilities of my present motherboard.

SATA interface: Is this interface worth the bother? I have been seeing motherboards with this feature on the market and hard drives to match. What's all the excitement about? If I were to upgrade my motherboard, is this a feature that I should consider important?

Presently I am running (under - my favorite - Windows2000Pro) 1GB of PC 2700 DDR SDRAM; a Parhelia (128?) graphics card; a Pioneer-DVD burner (still in the box); a Audigy 24-bit sound card; a Plextor 16/10/40 CD-RW; a Linksys ethernet card; a faxmodem; a scanner; a couple of printers and one or two other devices.

So: has anyone a suggestion (as usual always keeping room for upgrade in mind) in addition to my other concerns listed above for (1) an appropriate motherboard? (2) an appropriate AMD CPU? (3) SATA? Integrated USB 2.0? And/or other features that one would deem appropriate for a stable motherboard with appropriate features? I am presently running a 375 PSU (I cannot think of the brand offhand), in a full-size Inwin Tower with four (120 mm) and two (80 mm) Panasonic (Whisper Fans). I'm not interested in oc'ing. (I mean it this time!)

I know there is a lot of information above regarding my system needs. I appreciate any and all suggestions. The knowledgeable members at TechIMO have never let me down in the past when I have attempted to balance "intelligently meeting my specific needs" versus "the impulsive and impetuous purchasing that accompanies such an upgrade!"

Thanks!

Brangwen

[John Prophet]

well, as far as I see, the sata doesnt really do a lot for real performance...I mean, people argue me down if I tell em they need ata133 so.....

As far as cpu's.....somethign like a Barton 2400 or 3000 would be a pretty good boost from what you have....you could probably make Arnold gain 10 yards on his drives!!

Shalom, JP

[Gettinbye]

Agreed. What you'd gain with SATA, you'll probably never see for the applications you run. With extreme gaming or video editing, sure, but I'm certain Arnold doesn't require it ...
If you're looking for a very stable board with integrated USB 2.0, I'd recommend the Gigabyte Ga-7VRXP. It has dual BIOS, RAID, 8x AGP, and firewire capability as well, which may be handy to you at some point. It would support your current chipset/memory combo, as well as leaving substantial room for growth(up to barton 3000+/PC3200 DDR).

[Starfury_2260]

not quite sure of what you want to know but i would suggest a Abit NF7 or NF7-S (or Asus A7N8X or A7N8X deluxe) and a 2500+ barton

[John Prophet]

Id be nervous with A7N8X...just wayyyyyyyyyy to many posts where peeps are having trubs..why risk it. Do a search for a7n8x on techimo, youll see what I mean, lol.

[Brangwen]

Originally posted by John Prophet well, as far as I see, the sata doesnt really do a lot for real performance...I mean, people argue me down if I tell em they need ata133 so..... As far as cpu's.....somethign like a Barton 2400 or 3000 would be a pretty good boost from what you have....you could probably make Arnold gain 10 yards on his drives!! Shalom, JP

The IWill actually is ATA133 on the IDEs. I suppose my question can be distilled to "what stable" board and CPU combo will provide a overall boost in performance given my needs? My question regarding integrated USB 2.0 was to make another PCI slot available, & my reason for the SATA question specifically was included as I don't want (say in 6 months) to witness the IDE going the way of the ISA because of the SATA ... whew ... alphabet goop

Originally posted by GettinbyeIf you're looking for a very stable board with integrated USB 2.0, I'd recommend the Gigabyte Ga-7VRXP. It has dual BIOS, RAID, 8x AGP, and firewire capability as well, which may be handy to you at some point. It would support your current chipset/memory combo, as well as leaving substantial room for growth(up to barton 3000+/PC3200 DDR).

Hmm. Interesting. I have read Gigabyte makes a good motherboard, though I've no desire for RAID... I'll have to look at this mobo closely, and see the alternatives. Where does the Barton reside on the "tech" food chain? Admittedly I've been "out of the loop" for awhile ... my last three builds have been on IWill boards exclusively as they have impressed me with their innovation, stability and attention to detail. I feel it's time to try something different.

Originally posted by Starfury_2260 ... and a 2500+ barton

I'm going to have to do some homework. What makes the Barton so special?

Thx! ... Shalom too!

Brangwen

[Starfury_2260]

it has more cache and faster fsb. also with the right cooling you can take a 2500+ up to 3200+ speed. i've got my 2600+ barton at 3200+ speed on an NF7-S with no problems.

[John Prophet]

Barton is just the next model after Thoroughbred...tbred has 256k of L2 cache whereas the Barton doubles that to 512k.

Obviously more cache is better.

As far as motherboards..go ahead and get one that will handle a 400fsb..that way you have the most room for upgrades.

As far as sata..I only said that about sata in case you were thinking you NEED to get it to keep from getting "left behind", lol. if you are getting a new board then certainly get one with sata on it whether you use it now or not.

Although I cant see IDE going anywhere ANYTIME soon, lol.

I really liked Iwill back in the KT133a days etc....I dont hear quite as much from them as from other makers lately.

Shalom, JP

[Brangwen]

Fellow Members:

Any feedback on this board from those reading this?
There are many chipsets I am not familiar with, like the one on this motherboard!

Product Name: GIGABYTE GA-7NNXP NVIDIA nFORCE2 ULTRA 400 CHIPSET ULTRA ATA133 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(8X)/5xPCI/4xDDR W/SATA,RAID,DUAL LAN,1394,DPS,USB 2.0 & AUDIO:

I have seen some very (relatively) high-priced CPUs . . . The XP 3200 at one end of the price spectrum and the XP 2800 at the other, yet both offer fairly powerful features. One has to figure, with history as our teacher, that all prices drop: is it "wise" to shell out in excess of $300 now when under $200 will provide pretty much the same performance? (As far as I could tell!) Any suggestions (in the light of what I have written) of an appropriate CPU for the above Gigabyte motherboard?

> Would you suggest 400MHz memory modules? The prices are not so disparate.

Finally: has anyone a suggestion for a more stable motherboard / sensible (ooh!) than the Gigabyte listed at the beginning of this post? Nothing boring, just reasonable ...

Finally Number Two: any opinions on this NVidia chipset? I have never used it in my computing career!

Thank you very much!

Brangwen

[John Prophet]

Id personally NEVER buy the top processor model. Cuz it is always so much more than the next one down yet only 1-2% better speed etc.