Mobo W/ Good Graphics and Audio

I have a 733MHz that has been acting really pissy for some time and is clearly overloaded. I dont have much cash to throw around but I figure the best place to start upgrading is the mobo. So I figured for the time being buying a mobo with good graphics and audio, i hear some have audio comprable to audigy 2 but i haven't hear much about onboard graphics, would be cheapest. I figure I can buy a graphics card later if required. Mostly for now I want it to be upgradable and good enough to play games like Battlefield 1942 on its own.
I am open to intel and amd boards for I will make a choice on cpu after I find a good board, so obviously any cheap but good board, RAM and cpu combo suggestions would be nice.
I will OC this to maximise my dollar value because as I say I dont want to spend much. Thanks in advance for any advice. BTW if onboard graphics just dont cut it tell me that too

I too am trying to decide on the best set up.

I am trying to decide whether to buy the Epox EP-8RGA+ ($99.00) AND no video card or the EP-8RDA+ ($85) AND the transcend ATI Radeon 9100 64MB ($65).

As far as moderate gaming is concerned, is there be a great difference between the above two setups?

I still have not decided on the CPU. I am considering the following:
AMD Athlon XP 1700+ Thoroughbred ($44) Retail.
AMD Athlon XP 2000+/266 FSB Processor CPU - Retail 2000+/($67).

I already have an antec case -300 watts, and Crucial 512MB, 184-pin DDR DIMM 2700 ($48.70 x 2)

Any comments/suggestions are most welcome. Thanks

I assume you are going to overclock your new rig, if so I said go for 1700+ but make sure you got the JIUHB stepping. Many people can oc this baby to the magic 200MHz or beyond. And some said this 1700+ is actually 2400+ in disguise. Believe it or not?

It is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=22996" target="_new">My System Rig</A>

Pardon my ignorance, but what is JIUHB stepping? If I order from NewEgg, how can I tell that the AMD Athlon XP 1700+ Thoroughbred I buy has it? The one I am considering is Model#: AXDA1700 (N82E16819103351)

If I do overclock, what heatsink and fan would you recommend?

Occasionally, but rarely, I also see individuals stating that shims are necessary. Any opinions about shims? about thermal paste? Thanks.

Most Thoroughbred-B Athlon XP have either AIUHB and JIUHB stepping version, you can only tell them by looking at the chip. Under the OPN AXDA1700 there is the stepping number. If it's JIUHB then you are good to go but if not don't lose heart yet, it may be still a good oc'er, but JIUHB has better reputation.
If you do oc, I would say Thermalright SLK800A or 900 are screaming monster, use them.
And just dump those shim. It does nothing but sit there and reduce your thermal conductivity. If you go to artic silver website, they actually tell you to remove the shim if it's present.


It is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=22996" target="_new">My System Rig</A>

Epox 8RGA+ is all ya need...great audio, and the video performs alot better than you would expect

<A HREF="http://dnadesignz.kicks-ass.net" target="_new"><b><font color=green>MY SYSTEM</b></font color=green></A>

the epox 8RGA+ also has the integrated soundstorm audio along with the integrated graphics unlike the asus deluxe and with this it is a cheaper solution for a low end user

<A HREF="http://dnadesignz.kicks-ass.net" target="_new"><b><font color=green>MY SYSTEM</b></font color=green></A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by civilized on 06/23/03 11:33 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

Sorry I was confused and thought the Asus Deluxe had video. So only the Asus A7N8X-VM has video, but no soundstorm, whereas the Epox has video and soundstorm thus doing three jobs. Are there any other mobos matching the 8RGA+ with video and sound capabilities, if not sounds like a good board to me.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Badger86 on 06/24/03 00:57 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

The Asus with the onboard video has integrated sound, but it isn't the 6 channel sound. If you feel that you need 6 channel sound for your PC, then you will probably want to get a good video card anyway. My personal opinion: Asus A7N8X non deluxe with the Athlon XP 1700+ and in the future get an MSI Ti4200 8x AGP. My MSI is the 4x AGP but it comes with a suite to test the components and then overclock the VGA CPU based on the performance tests. Then you overclock the memory on your own (still within the utility, but not automatic). I gained like 2500 points in 3DMark2001 by overclocking my VGA. Also, my friend bought the XP1700+ (1.47GHz) and with air cooling overclocked to 2.34GHz true clock speed. The CPU you want is the Thoroughbred B CPU. That is my two cents.

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