Processor\PS\MB recomendations

[jutah]

Hi all,

Iam looking to get a new processor, power supply, and mother board to set up a Linux web server. I had a few questions.

1. I am thinking of getting an ASUS A7A 266 it says it can handle 1.2+ does this mean if I got Athlon 1.33 would it work? It not or even if it does would you all recomend any other MBs?

2. Would you all get an Athlon 1.33 over a Duron 1.6?

3. What kind of heatsink would you get?

4. I also need a new Power supply is 300W enough and what type should I get. I have heard horror stories of generic brands.

Thanks,

Jutah

[zepper]

MSI KT2 Combo mobo, Duron 1600, Speeze 5F263B1M3G HSF, $7. ($12. shipped on newegg). Will run either SDRAM or DDR memory. Has USB 2.0 etc. Much better than the ALi chipset on the A7A266.
. But if that chipset is what you must have, get the Iwill version (KK266 is the model I think). They did the best job of any with that chipset.
. You can run just fine with a good 250W PSU (e.g. Sparkle FSP-250ATV ) if you use the MSI mobo as it has a P4 power connector to run the CPU. I was running similar with 3 SCSI HDs, 2 Opticals, 512MB DDR etc., slightly OC'd (10%) no problemo.
.bh.

[jutah]

Thanks for the info

if you use the MSI mobo as it has a P4 power connector to run the CPU[QUOTE]

The MSI board will run an AMD processor with the P4 connector?


Thanks,

Jutah

[zepper]

Yes, lots of mobos for AMD now have the P4 power connector and AMD recommends running their CPUs from the 12V rail in its design guide for improved stability. Most nforce based mobos and some of the newer MSI, Soltek and Abit Via based mobos have the P4 conncetor.
. See my review of the MSI KT2 Combo mobo right here on TechIMO.com in the "User Reviews" section.
.bh.

[John Prophet]

thats kind of an old board isnt it?


Why not get something with more upgrade possibilities for the future.

You can get something like a nice Nforce2 board...maybe a biostar board from newegg..they are pretty inexpensive..or something like this biostar M7VIZ,,I built one and they are easyt o work with http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...=BROWSE&depa=1 they can handle up to around an AMD xp 'Barton" 3000 processor

Thas a lot more upgradability than that older asus board.

And nowadays 300w is sorta on the small side....400w is probably better, cuz you might add more hard drives later etc...and fans.


JP

[jutah]

This is just a second pc used to mess around with a Linux web server. I just wanted something cheap, but not too slow.

Thanks,

Jutah

[John Prophet]

well there are some good cheap boards out there and in a year you might wanna upgrade it more etc...I wouldnt recommend something as old as the asus cuz of it saying "1.2g" and above....that means it is olddddddddd, lol.

WHat kind of budget do you have in mind for the board?

[zepper]

Well the MSI KT2 Combo + Duron 1600 from zipzoomfly total $95. shipped and the Speeze HSF is now $13. shipped from newegg (you may be able to get an equal performing HSF for less at zipzoomfly.com). So you get an awful lot of performance for $108.!
Check the recent budget processor review on anandtech.com - you won't believe how well the Duron 1600 performed. Plus it's easily OC'd...
.bh.
I forgot, I also reviewed the Speeze HSF on TechIMO.

[jutah]

Thanks all

My budget is around $100 so that Duron combo may be ok. I always heard that Athlons were so much better then durons, is this so.

Thanks,

Jutah

[John Prophet]

yes Athlons are better than durons. And now with the pricing structure the Athlons are actually almost as cheap as the durons themselves.

I would go with something like this, from www.newegg.com

Biostar M7VIZ motherboard $54

with the cpu's ...I am a little surprised that Newegg doesnt have the "retail" athlons below Xp2000. In other words the first "retail" boxed athlon xp they have is XP2000+ which is $68

so if you went that way youd have a great super fast combo for $122.

If you wanted to stay under or more near your budget you could just go with an "oem" CPU and then buy your own heatsink. The difference is that a "retail" cpu comes WITH the heatsink and also a 3 year warranty. An "oem" cpu is a little cheaper but doesnt come with a heatsink and only has a 30day warranty.

As I say I am surpised they dont hav ethe slower athlons like XP1600s etc in retail boxes.

But you could go with, say, an Athlon tbird 1.33g oem for $40 and then just buy the heatsink.

or they have a duron 1.4g for $36 but for 4 more dollars id get the athlon cuz it has more cache which makes it better. (maybe not by a lot though)


You could get a little cheaper board also, say, if you dont need onboard video..but that M7VIZ can accept up to like an athlon3000 or 3200..so youd have some room for upgradeability for that few extra dollars you are spending.


Decisions decisons.


If you really wanna save some $$$ and just have something nice to play with, you could consider buying some used stuff from either our sale/trade forum or maybe Anandtech sale/trade forum.

That could be a good way to go if you are careful as far as checking peoples references etc.


JP