crassus 0 Posted March 27, 2003 I've decided to build a dual Athlon machine, maybe with a Tyan mobo, but am not at all sure from whom I should buy. I've visited sites such as Pricegrabber, and Buy.com, etc. and some of the reviews for the Sellers leave me at a loss as to who to trust (bad customer service, outright lies, etc.) Quite frankly, I trust the advice I get here, so I would like to ask, those of you who've built a computer, whom would you recommend I buy a motherboard from? Thanks in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mister Frag 0 Posted March 27, 2003 Go to 2CPU.com and check out their resources. They have reviews up, as well as a forum section where you can ask questions of people experienced with SMP systems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 27, 2003 Thanks, Mr. Frag. Very helpful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warin 0 Posted March 27, 2003 Take a look at the MSI dual processor mobos. I have had nothing but good luck with MSI, and their boards are usually feature rich and rock solid! Can I ask why you are looking at a dually? I was looking at one, but in the end for what I do (general office work, internet, and gaming) the extra processor was going to do very little. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Othin 0 Posted March 27, 2003 Once you decide upon one, I'd keep an eye on Pricewatch.com. Â That's where I've bought my last several PC components... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 28, 2003 From what I've gathered from the mags (PC Gamer, PC Upgrade, etc.) duallies is the way to go for multitasking. I'm looking at gaming (OFP!!! ) and 3D modelling (OFP!! ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warin 0 Posted March 28, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Crassus @ Mar. 28 2003,01:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">From what I've gathered from the mags (PC Gamer, PC Upgrade, etc.) duallies is the way to go for multitasking. I'm looking at gaming (OFP!!! ) and 3D modelling (OFP!! )<span id='postcolor'> There are almost no games that can take proper advantage of dual processors (note to the hardware geeks..I said proper support! ). However, most modelling programs can use dual processors properly and give a great performance boost! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mister Frag 0 Posted March 28, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ Mar. 27 2003,18:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">(note to the hardware geeks..I said proper support! )<span id='postcolor'> Hey, I heard that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted March 28, 2003 Ok..I don't know if all of these companies make dual mobos, but Epox, Gigabyte, MSI and Asus all make solid Mobos. AOpen used to, but I don't think they are as good anymore. Don't buy just based on price....buy because of features and your possible upgrade path. Only then look at the price. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warin 0 Posted March 28, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Mister Frag @ Mar. 28 2003,05:53)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ Mar. 27 2003,18:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">(note to the hardware geeks..I said proper support! )<span id='postcolor'> Hey, I heard that! Â <span id='postcolor'> LOL! Just pointing out that I know any multi-processor aware OS can allocate power across all of the processor in a half assed way even if the software doesnt support it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dayglow 2 Posted March 28, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Warin @ Mar. 27 2003,19:59)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Crassus @ Mar. 28 2003,01:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">From what I've gathered from the mags (PC Gamer, PC Upgrade, etc.) duallies is the way to go for multitasking. I'm looking at gaming (OFP!!! ) and 3D modelling (OFP!! )<span id='postcolor'> There are almost no games that can take proper advantage of dual processors (note to the hardware geeks..I said proper support! ). Â However, most modelling programs can use dual processors properly and give a great performance boost!<span id='postcolor'> Yes SMP will only help you if you are running a lot of tasks in the background. If you just need to be downloading off of kazaa and talking on im while playing a game then SMP won't be much benifit. But at the same time Intel does carry a lot of weight and they are pushing the HT pretty hard, so more games probably will take advantage of it in the future. The only games that I know of that will use both processors is Quake 3 and Falcon 4. Also keep in mind that most SMP motherboards are built for servers in mind so many features on the motherboard won't be there. Don't expect 333fsb or 2700DDR memory support. Also things like over clocking controls won't be present. So you won't be able to drop in a couple of cheaper Throughbred B cpus then o/c them up. COLINMAN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Thanks gents...More to think about. Perhaps I should just go with a single Athlon xp 2400/2.0GHz, as I will probably do more gaming than 3d work. Besides, it'll be my very first machine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warin 0 Posted March 29, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Crassus @ Mar. 29 2003,02:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Thanks gents...More to think about. Perhaps I should just go with a single Athlon xp 2400/2.0GHz, as I will probably do more gaming than 3d work. Besides, it'll be my very first machine.<span id='postcolor'> If you go with a single processor machine, pick up the MSI K7N2G-ILSR mobo. Firewire, Serial ATA, USB 2.0, AGP 8x, the Soundstorm APU, LAN built in. Basically all you need to add is a good video card (And if you dont want to do that it has a reasonably ok one onboard) and you are ready to rock! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Badgerboy 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Pick yourself up a Athlon 2100XP Throughbred B, and a decent board. (Nforce 2, or KT400). The 2100 is the bees knees for overclocking. Mine is currently running happily at 2.4ghz, at 45c full load. Bear in mind that a 2100 runs at 1.7ghz stock. 700mhz increase! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 29, 2003 Okay, thus far, and Asus A7N8x ($106 USD, pricewatch.com); Athlon XP2400+ / 1.9GHz ($118 USD, pricewatch.com). I can upgrade to the XP3000+ when I win the lotto..... I wont be messing with over-clocking. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Warin 0 Posted March 30, 2003 </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Crassus @ Mar. 30 2003,00:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Okay, thus far, and Asus A7N8x ($106 USD, pricewatch.com); Athlon XP2400+ / 1.9GHz ($118 USD, pricewatch.com). I can upgrade to the XP3000+ when I win the lotto..... I wont be messing with over-clocking.<span id='postcolor'> Not Asus! Spend the extra few dollars on the MSI! You'll be much happier over time, trust me I used to love ASUS, but latelt I and my cohorts who are hardware geeks seem to have nothing but problems with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 30, 2003 Anyone care to second his recommendation for an MSI board over Asus. No offense, Warin, but at this stage in my computer "edumacation" I must take my recommendations from those computer company adverts that list which mobos they're using (Falcon NW has the A7N8X in one of their latest rigs), and my bro, who's built a few. If you're right, I'll kill my bro and thank you.... Now I have to sort through pricewatch.com, pricegrabber.com and pick out the good vendors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dayglow 2 Posted March 30, 2003 I'd go to some hardware sites and read the reviews. For me I'd go with ASUS over MSI because I use a heatsink that uses the suspention lugs around the socket on the mb and ASUS has them while MSI doesn't. Figure out what you want then start reading. Find out what is different in bios, look at the photos to see the layout. Maybe your case would have a problem with IDE connectors or powersupply contectors set at a certain spot vs another. Good luck. COLINMAN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crassus 0 Posted March 30, 2003 Many thanks, gents. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
