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 Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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 Boards and cpus question 
#1817294 - 08/15/03 02:32 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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I want to build a new computer sometime in the near future, but I'm a little unknowledgable about all the different boards and cpus that I can buy these days. The price range is so big for what seems like similar equipment. So here's a few questions that I hope you guys that know your shit can help me with.
1.) What's the deal with celeron vs. pentium? Pentiums are soooo much more expensive. Is it worth it? What really is the difference, besides the mhz? I'm running a pentium III 500mhz right now and love it. Should I save my money and stick with a pentium, or buy the cheapo 1.5 ghz celeron?
2.)What's the difference between all of these different mother boards out there? Most of them tote similar specs, but the prices range from like 50 bucks to 175 bucks. WTF? Is there any moderately priced board or brand that everyone seems to generally think is a good deal?
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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 Le_Canard
The Duk Abides
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1817369 - 08/15/03 02:57 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Well the Celeron is a Pentium, just a different model, as it were. The main difference is that the Celeron has a smaller L2 (Level 2) cache. L2 cache is a kind of memory buffer between the CPU and the RAM. A smaller L2 cache can affect application speed.
The advantages of a Celeron is that it's almost as fast as a P4, and is much less expensive.
Of course, the main question here is "What are your computing needs"?
If you just want to browse the web, and do some word processing, you may want to consider a Celeron or keep your P3. If you're into gaming or other high end graphic use, you may want to consider upgrading your CPU
As to MoBo's..where do I begin? Its a real buyers market out there, and I've heard of some great deals! A lot of times, they sell MoBo's with a CPU MUCH cheaper than if you bought the two separately.
the thing to look out for in MoBo's is expansibility....find one with lots of PCI slots and an AGP slot (for your graphics card). Onboard USB is also a plus! Also, I highly recommend a MoBo that supports Double Density RAM (DDR).
It takes a bit of research, but, thanks to the web, you can find what you're looking for in a few hours.
Well, I hope that answers some of your questions..good luck! 
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Earth_Droid
Stranger
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 5,240
Last seen: 17 years, 8 months
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Re: Boards and cpus question *DELETED* [Re: Le_Canard]
#1817371 - 08/15/03 02:59 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Post deleted by Earth_Droid
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Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Earth_Droid]
#1817395 - 08/15/03 03:09 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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I now my 500 mhz pentium is old. That's why I'm planning on upgrading.
Thanks for the help ToiletDuk. I'm still confused about the motherboards though. I've seen ones with DDR, 5 pci slots, AGP, onboard sound, and all the other up to date bells and whistles sell for like 60 bucks, and what apears to be a board with all the same specs, but made by a different brand sell for like 160 bucks. Is the cheap board gonna crap out on me or something? Is there any brand that is known for kicking ass, and not being too expensive?
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1817436 - 08/15/03 03:20 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Ah..Im sorry you were looking for brands..But first, I must ask: have you considered going over to AMD CPU's? I've had nothing but for about 7 years, and I've been very pleased with both performance and price (They're MUCH cheaper than Pentiums and perform as well, if not better)
Yes, sometimes the "el cheapo" brands can crap out on you..I can't think of any brands to avoid, but a quick web search can answer that question.
As to MoBo's for the mid-level brands, I've had a Gigabyte brand MoBo which I was well pleased with. I am currently using an EliteGroup Mainboard which has all the "bells and whistles" for a reasonable cost.
A higher end board manufacturer, which I've heard good things about is Asus, but they are pricey..
Well...I know I have a few holes in my knowledge here, but I hope that helps!
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Earth_Droid
Stranger
Registered: 04/19/02
Posts: 5,240
Last seen: 17 years, 8 months
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Le_Canard]
#1817438 - 08/15/03 03:21 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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oop, sorry, I didn't read it properly.
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Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Earth_Droid]
#1817485 - 08/15/03 03:36 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Thanks. I've heard good things about AMD cpus, but I've owned two AMDs and two pentiums in my lifetime and I've just been more satisfied with the pentiums. It may just by superstition, but I'm comfortable with Intel and will probably stick with them.
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1817497 - 08/15/03 03:39 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=589980&sku=A455-1030
Actually this sounds pretty nice:http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=589980&sku=A455-1030
I'll put it at the top of my list for now.
Thanks for the advice. Anyone else have any suggestions?
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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 Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1817760 - 08/15/03 04:46 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Wow..that is a sweet deal! Damn..I wish I was upgrading now! It's a great time to buy!
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SHiZNO
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Registered: 03/14/03
Posts: 1,467
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Le_Canard]
#1817945 - 08/15/03 06:23 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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some mobos will support normal SDRAM and DDR SDRAM (DOUBLE DATA RATE!). (like mine)
youll have to make sure you have the right form factor mobo to go with the case (ATX) will do nicely.
go for about 5 PCI slots, maybe a riser , usb 2.0 support agp 4-8x ofcourse (graphics!)
youll want a ethernet port too, some mobos will have onboard which is nice, or you can buy a pci card for about ~$20
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SHiZNO
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Registered: 03/14/03
Posts: 1,467
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: SHiZNO]
#1817952 - 08/15/03 06:26 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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also, go with AMD, they are overclock friendly, and will clock until they explode! unlike the pentium.
the athlon xp series is nice, and you can buy an old cheap athlon xp cpu and overclock it to an expensive current day cpu. (2000+ will give you 1.6ghz i believe, and then you overclock it a bit more  )
if you are building a whole computer, make sure you get a GOOD power supply, its technically the most important part! dont skimp on power, since youll want to upgrade new boards one day, and add new hdd's etc
remember, FORM FACTOR is important so that the motherboard aligns with the case correcly, altho im sure nowadays its not so bad, just try stick with ATX
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Autonomous
MysteriousStranger
Registered: 05/10/02
Posts: 901
Loc: U.S.S.A.
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1818266 - 08/15/03 08:52 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Try checking newegg.com, they have very good prices and their shipping is a LOT lower than TigerDirect
Here's that Asus motherboard at newegg
Can can also read the user ratings for various products - very helpful.
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"In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination."
-- Mark Twain
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wingnutx
Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: SHiZNO]
#1821206 - 08/16/03 09:14 PM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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even if you have to put an ATX board into an AT case, just use the reset button as the power switch. That's what I do 
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Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: wingnutx]
#1821673 - 08/17/03 12:44 AM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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I know all about cases, and AGP ports, and USB, and RAM, and PCI slots. I've been repairing and upgrading computers for sometime now. I was just confused with all the brands and different prices for very similar boards. I guess there must not be much of a difference beyond your basic specs, but does anyone know any manufacturers that a known for being top quality or ones that were known for crapping out? I just want to make sure I get good equipment.
Thanks for the advice on the power supply. I've already been through two of them on my current computer. The generic, low-watt ones crap out in like a years time. It always pisses me off.
Does an overclocked AMD really compare to a Pentium? Can anyone attest to this from personal experience. I've heard it said a lot but I always thought is was like someone saying "My ford mustang can beat your lexus in a race," when anyone would much rather own the Lexus. It would be nice to save the extra bucks though.
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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Le_Canard
The Duk Abides
Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1821966 - 08/17/03 02:59 AM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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Eek! Sorry, dude if you thought I was talking down to you! I had no idea you serviced and repaired them! 
Anyway, I've had good luck with Antec PS'. The one in my old 'puter, which I sold to a friend, is still going good after 5 years.
As far as AMDs go, I must tell you that whilst they may be cheaper than Pentiums, they aren't cheaply made by any means! And they perform as well as Pentium. But hey, go with what you like!.
I don't overclock, but I have heard that AMD's are "overclock friendly". But I must warn you, overclocking can adversly effect system stability. This is the reason, along with the fact that OC'ing also makes the chip run much hotter, that I don't overclock. It just doesn't seem to be worth it to squeeze a few more Mhz out of it...
Hope that helps!
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wingnutx
Registered: 09/24/00
Posts: 2,287
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1822154 - 08/17/03 05:26 AM (20 years, 8 months ago) |
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check out tomshardware.com for very complete reviews and testing of damn near every motherboard in existence, and lots of overclocking advice as well.
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Demiurge
creator ofworlds
Registered: 04/11/03
Posts: 693
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 13 years, 28 days
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: wingnutx]
#1823612 - 08/17/03 05:37 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Thanks for all the help. I should just get off my lazy ass and read some reviews.
Those are my same feelings on overclocking. I never overclocked my AMDs when I had owned them in the past. But it seems like everyone's been telling me to get an AMD and overclock it lately. It's like a new fad or something.
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Just another animal embeded in a technological coral reef extruded psychic objects...
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riffic
Registered: 09/12/02
Posts: 99
Last seen: 10 years, 1 month
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Demiurge]
#1824190 - 08/17/03 08:49 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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my next major computer upgrade will be an athlon 64/opteron based system.
the athlon 64 comes out in mid september and I bet you that prices will fall across the board on of their entire product line.
besides, 64 bit is sexay
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Cubieman420
Sharing in thegroove
Registered: 03/20/02
Posts: 2,693
Loc: Midwest
Last seen: 10 years, 4 months
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: riffic]
#1824566 - 08/17/03 10:57 PM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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Get an ASUS A7N8X (deluxe if ya wanna be a pimp) mobo. with dual DDR 400 memory, 300Mhz fsb, 8X AGP, then buy an AMD XP 2700-3000...fuck intel..overpriced, AMD is more gamer friendly in lots of people's opinions. Buy 2 sticks(to enable dual DDR) of corsair XMS 3200 RAM....512...1024MB if you're gonna go all the way. that'd be a killer system..400W Power supply. peace.
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"...now waters run free, no more fish in the sea..."
1983-2004
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GreyGoose25
La Fuerza DelDios
Registered: 06/17/02
Posts: 29
Loc: Ft. Fun, Colorado
Last seen: 18 years, 6 months
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Re: Boards and cpus question [Re: Cubieman420]
#1824751 - 08/18/03 12:08 AM (20 years, 7 months ago) |
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It doesn't seem like too many people have answered your questions about the price differences in the mobos. If you have decided to use the P4 then intel has made the components for many of the parts that go on the motherboard that will take full advantage for what the P4 has to offer. The company that makes the mobo has to buy those parts from intel which come with a price so that is one reason some mobos will appear more expensive than others. If the mobo manufactorer chooses to produce their own parts they may be cheaper but may not be able to go as quickly or have the same ability. In general the mobo is one component that you don't want to go cheap on because it incorperates all parts of the computer together. extremetech.com has a lot of comparison articles and charts and i have found them a lot more updated that tomshardware.com and as someone said above, asus takes the cake as the best mobo manufactorer.
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Why is it that when the batteries are almost out on your remote, you think pressing the buttons harder will make it work?
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