Which chipset for A64?NOT AS STUPID AS IT LOOKS!

[ad_rach]

Right.First off this is kind of hypothetical.I know that this thread seems really stupid but please hear me out !I have been thinking about buying an A64 (socket 754) but I was planning to wait at least another couple of months until the chipsets matured a little and I could see how Prescott was shaping up.However, now a friend has offered me a good price for my current pc but the problem is that he wants it now.I can't do without a pc for any time at all, so if I accept his offer then I have to buy straight away(I know a few places where I can indeed get hold of an A64 3200+ now if I so choose).
So, if I were to buy an A64 (s754) now, what chipset should I get?I have read many reviews but they all seem mixed.
Nforce 3 would have been the obvious choice for me but THG talks of AGP issues.It is also lacking native SATA and GBLan (though I am not really fussed about GBLan).Does anyone know when the updated chipset with these two will come out?
So...then there's VIA (I am not considering ALI).The K8T800 has all the features I could want.However, Anandtech notes that it does not have a working PCI lock as yet, although they do say that VIA have assured them that the chipset does support one and it is just that the mobo makers need to update their bioses.Basically, I need a PCI lock as I will definitely overclock.Can I trust VIA's claim?The other thing that puts me off VIA is...well...that it's VIA.I have an nforce 2 based system at the moment and the chipset is much more stable than any VIA chipset I have used.
So...what should I do, bearing in mind that if I wait a month or so I will not be able to sell my current pc for nearly as much?
The main motherboard options are:
<A HREF="http://www.asus.com/products/mb/socket754/k8v-d/overview.htm" target="_new">-Asus K8V Deluxe</A> (VIA Based)
<A HREF="http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_GA-K8VT800 Pro.htm" target="_new">-Gigabyte GA-K8VT800 Pro</A> (VIA Based)
<A HREF="http://tw.giga-byte.com/MotherBoard/Products/Products_GA-K8N Pro.htm" target="_new">-Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro</A> (Nforce 3 Based)

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ad_rach on 09/27/03 10:09 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pIII_Man]

I think crashman migh kill me, but if you must buy now, then i would recomend the via chipset, or maybe look into any offerings by sis? But i must caution you that if you buy a socket 754 you will have very little upgrade potential as in the future not many athlons will be released on that socket. I just want to warn ya that.

What makes me chuckle is that pci locks can be implimented in 2 ways, by the chipset, or buy the clock generator, i still fail to relise why it is implimented by the chipset, it is so easy to impliment it using the PLL (aka clock generator), with the chipset it just seems so much harder.


Proud owner of DOS 3.3

 

[Spitfire_x86]

Since A64 has on-die memory controller, I don't think VIA chipset will not cause much problem.

If you must buy now, then VIA K8T800 is the best buy.

----------------
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[pIII_Man]

wooo dangy, i's love dis hillbilla' talk!


Proud owner of DOS 3.3

 

[Crashman]

DFI says the ALi chipset is the best! w00t!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[ad_rach]

Only problem is that I can't see myself being able to get hold of one of the ALI based boards anytime soon.Will VIA suffice?

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[ad_rach]

But i must caution you that if you buy a socket 754 you will have very little upgrade potential as in the future not many athlons will be released on that socket. I just want to warn ya that.

What kind of lifespan are we talking for the socket?I thought AMD intended to keep this one going for a while at least.Are they planning to put all their eggs in the socket 939 basket when that comes along?

As for the PCI lock, if I go for a VIA board, can I expect one to materialise?It really is very important to me to be able to overclock and I won't get anywhere without one, as Anandtech showed.

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by ad_rach on 09/28/03 07:23 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[ad_rach]

If buying VIA,would you go for the Asus or the Gigabyte listed?

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[Incitatus]

Who told you 754 doesn't have a future?
As far as I know that's going to be AMD's mainstream socket for some time to come.

 

[pIII_Man]

Since the 754 does not have dual channel support it seems pretty clear to me that as the a64 matures the socket 754 will get dumped. I would not buy a 754 mobo period and wait for the socket 940's to come out.


Proud owner of DOS 3.3

 

[ad_rach]

The problem is that AMD don't look like they will release the FX-53 until Q2 04, so the FX-51, even when it arrives in its socket 939 incarnation, will remain prohibitively expensive for most people.I expect that when FX-53 arrives the FX-51 will slot into the $400 region but that's a long time to wait for an even vaguely affordable processor in the FX line.For this reason, I do see a future for socket 754,at least until the shift to the 0.9 process, which will not really be fully in place until well into Q3 or Q4 04.This may not seem like a 'future' to most people but I am one of those fools who likes to upgrade far too often !

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[Crashman]

You're asking the wrong person for a VIA recommendation.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[pIII_Man]

if you upgrade often then, no problem.

I am a little hesitant to recomend via too, i have never owned a via chipset, but have had good luck with sis, don't know much about ali. Since it seems that via is the only one who has released a somewhat refined chipset i guess they are your only choice.


If it isn't a P6 then it isn't a procesor
110% BX fanboy

 

[ad_rach]

I'm looking for more of a pardon really !

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[ad_rach]

Do you think I should go for the NF3 instead and just wait for the AGP issues to be cleared up by a bios update?I suppose native SATA doesn't make all that much difference and I doubt the VIA Vinyl audio is so much better than that on the NF3 boards.I dunno.Maybe I should just skip the whole can of worms and accept getting less for my pc in a month or so and see whether the boards have improved by then(though I may not be able to really afford the upgrade then!).Problem is that I have to decide by the end of tomorrow because the friend who wants to buy my pc wants it asap and he wants me to build him one (which I will have to do for free because I have already done it for so many other friends for free!) if I won't sell him mine.
Dagnabit!This decision is too hard!

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[pIII_Man]

Flip a coin?

Both chipsets seem to have good features, just find a board in your price range that has the features you want without looking at the chipset. I am positive that in future bioses the agp problems will be resolved with the nforce3.

It is just too early for me to tell you which one is better.


If it isn't a P6 then it isn't a procesor
110% BX fanboy

 

[TKH]

Since you are upgrading oftenly, why not try to use a Pentium IV for a while (they are so damn cheap now) and wait untill Socket 754/939/940 become more available and see what Presscott offer. You don't have to go for fastest CPU in every upgrade, do you? Overclocking a P4 is fun too

Me fail English? That's Unpossible!
<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=22996" target="_new">My System Rig</A>

 

[pIII_Man]

wouldnt socket 478 be even more of a dead end than 754? I mean if you have the money to spend, spend it on the faster cpu, and it seems that the a64 3200 wins most benchies.


If it isn't a P6 then it isn't a procesor
110% BX fanboy

 

[ad_rach]

Right.I have to decide by the end of today.I am in the UK so it's already after 8am here.So...any more input would be much appreciated.Just say yay,nay or wait (and risk being unable to afford the upgrade!).
Thanks all .

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[ad_rach]

Decision made!I think i took the sensible option.I decided to keep my current pc for at least another month or so and see what happens in the chipset game in that time.Suffice to say I am going to be watching the motherboards and chipsets forum very closely in the coming weeks !I just hope I can still afford to upgrade after the wait, since I know I won't get as much money for my cpu/mb/ram as I could have now .

no matter how hard you try, you can't polish a turd. :]

 

[infiltrator]

No-one seems to mention the MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R - is this not a good board? I've been looking at it's specs and features. I also origionally wanted to go Nforce3, but they have problems with their AGP, so it's a sad thing. I've had a few VIA mobos from MSI and they've been pretty supportive when there is a problem, so I'm pretty happy with them. I also have a MSI GF4Ti4200 which needs replacing - so normally MSI VidCard goes well with MSI Mobo.

 

[pIII_Man]

I think you made the right decission.

infiltrator, i am not saying that the via chipset is bad, and i am not saying it is good, it has nice features but it is just too early to tell how many of via's little quircks need to be ironed out, and how soon they will be fixed.

I personally would not buy an a64 mobo for another month or two just to let prices settle and more info to come out.



If it isn't a P6 then it isn't a procesor
110% BX fanboy

 

[piasabird]

Yeah like they need a new chipset with integrated Delta Chrome S3 Graphics.

when you see smoke is that a good sign?