I dont't know what to buy!

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 12, 2004

Hi
I want to buy a new motherboard but I really don't know anything about that part of my computer. I know how to install it but I just don't know which one to buy. I would need your help to help me to choose a motherboard with the other propreties that I have. I already have:

Pentium 4 processor 1.50GHz (400MHz front side bus, 256 Level-2 cache) - Includes heat sink wtih attached cooling fan

256MB, 133MHz SDRAM DIMM memory(I would like to put an other 512 MB of that kind of memory soon)

Power supply 300 watts

40GB Ultra DMA hard drive - 5400RPM, 3.5-inch form factor ( I would like to change that hard drive soon for a Western Digital 120GB, 8MB cache, 7200RPM)

DVD-ROM, DVD burner, floppy drive, SoundBlaster Live 5.1 and Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 440

I think I didn't forget anything and I really need your help to help me to find a new motherboard because I have no idea what kind and what marks to choose. I'm ready to pay 150$ max. Thank you for your help.

KoRn

Vive le métal!!!

mrmonsoon · Jun 12, 2004

We need to know some more information before we can help. How much money is available for the m/b purchase. Do you plan on overclocking? Do you plan on moving to Double data rate ram or stick with sd ram? If you plan on keeping the sd ram, you will be very limited on m/b choice.

jammydodger · Jun 12, 2004

The 1.5Ghz P4 uses an older core (begins with W bout i cant spell it so I wont try) this core uses a different number of pins to the newer northwood core and so you will have to upgrade you CPU if you get a new motherboard.

No new motherboards support you RAM or your CPU, both are obsolete. So just save your money and get a whole new system.

You will prob need a more powerfull PSU aswell, and if u wana play games you will def need a new graphics card.

P4c 2.6@3.25
512Mb PC4000
2x120Gb 7200.7 in RAID0
Waterchill KT12-L30
Abit AI7
Radeon 9800Pro

Crashman · Jun 12, 2004

Williamette cores were available in both Socket 423 and Socket 478 versions.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

Crashman · Jun 12, 2004

Wow, uh...

To begin with we don't even know if your CPU is Socket 423 or Socket 478. Then again, many newer boards don't even support the higher vCore needed by your CPU.

SDRAM was so bad for the P4 that your system is probably slower than an old PIII 800EB. The 1.5 with RDRAM was only a hint faster than the PIII 1000EB, and using PC133 could cause a 30% performance drop.

Basically, if you want a new board, you'll also want a new CPU and new RAM. I'd consider selling your system the way it is and starting over.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 12, 2004

Hi
Well I didn't expect to have so much bad news but I think that I will fallow your recommandations. Yes my computer was very slow(for a P4) and I never really known why but now I want to smash with a hammer every parts of my computer. When I bought that [-peep-](my computer), all set up by Compaq(I want to kick their ass), I was young and I didn't know much about computers. By the way, I have a Socket 478. thanks for the help
bye

Vive le métal!!!

Zeekfu · Jun 12, 2004

Well he could re-use these parts:
DVD-ROM, DVD burner, floppy drive, SoundBlaster Live 5.1 and Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 440 ...which would probably cost more to buy than he could sell the computer for. So mobo/chip/memory/..what about that mobile barton 2500/abit nf7/nf7-s version 2 that you guys recommend, some bargain ram ? he could set that up for about $250ish couldn't he? and use the 5400 rpm drives and possibly the power supply for a while longer too ... assuming of course all the common components don't have proprietary connections on them

Then just take the parts you don't use and donate them to a community college or something.

jammydodger · Jun 12, 2004

I thought P4's with socket 478 were introduced at 1.6Ghz and above? Im prob wrong, seems so long ago now.

P4c 2.6@3.25
512Mb PC4000
2x120Gb 7200.7 in RAID0
Waterchill KT12-L30
Abit AI7
Radeon 9800Pro

jammydodger · Jun 12, 2004

I wouldnt bother with the mobile barton if he is not going to overclock. Just get a nice 2500+ and Nforce2 motherboard, slap in 256MB of PC3200. That will be a good system and it will be cheap as chips.

P4c 2.6@3.25
512Mb PC4000
2x120Gb 7200.7 in RAID0
Waterchill KT12-L30
Abit AI7
Radeon 9800Pro

Crashman · Jun 12, 2004

OK, ok, there are SOME new boards that still support the Socket 478 Williamette, but they all use DDR SDRAM. So at minimum you'd want a board and RAM. Now, you'd only need PC2100, which is cheap, but since that would be useless for any future CPU upgrade you'd be better off with PC3200 (unless someone is willing to give you some old PC2100 for free).

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

Crashman · Jun 12, 2004

Nah, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9GHz Socket 478 were all Willy cored. I believe Intel produced these in order to assist in OEM's conversion to Socket 478 shortly before the Woody was released.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 13, 2004

hi
I don't understand why my P4 Willamette is very slow with SDRAM. What kind of memory would be very fast with my processor?

So I could only change my mobo and my Ram. Which mobo would be compatible with my P4 Willamette(overclocked) and would be good if I want a memory Ram(I don't know wich one) that is very fast and upgrade to 512MB. I would like the perfect match with my P4, my mobo and my Ram so I could overclock. But if I have to buy a cheap mobo and cheap Ram only for a question of compatibility with my P4, then I will buy a new processor, mobo and Ram because I want a mobo that I can upgrade easily in the futur without all these problems. thanks

Vive le métal!!!Edited by KoRn_Quebecois on 06/13/04 04:20 PM.

jammydodger · Jun 14, 2004

SDRAM sends data once every clock cycle and is 64bits wide 64/8 = 8 which gives you 8bytes per clock cycle this equates to a theorectical maximum bandwidth of 1024Mega bytes per second.
DDR RAM (Which is the new standard for RAM and has been for the last few years) sends data on the rising and falling edges of each cycle, thereby doubling the therorectical bandwidth. So 133Mhz DDR RAM (commonly know as DDR266 or PC 2100) gives a maximum bandwidth of 2128Mega bytes per second. Now most DDR now is PC3200, which gives more than 3 times the bandwidth of your current RAM. (New boards also support dual channel mode which gives 6400 Megabytes per second...6times faster than your RAM).

Since the P4 is very bandwidth hungry this gives a huge performance increase. If you can find a board that supports your CPU and DDR RAM then it will give a performance increase, but I really would recommend saving your money and upgrading everything.

P4c 2.6@3.25
512Mb PC4000
2x120Gb 7200.7 in RAID0
Waterchill KT12-L30
Abit AI7
Radeon 9800Pro

Crashman · Jun 14, 2004

I think the Abit IS7 will support your 1.5GHz Williamette, but I'll refer you to the forum's IS7 expert, Hardwareboss, for confirmation. That board supports Dual Channel DDR (and works in single channel mode if you don't have memory pairs). PC3200 is the standard stuff now and supports the latest P4 processors, it would also work with your Willy (but at a slower speed).

dodger is right, the problem with the P4 and SDRAM was that the P4 needs memory bandwidth apleanty, something SDRAM couldn't provide. PC800 (the original RAM for that CPU) offered 3200MB/s bandwidth on Intel's 850 chipset (the original chipset for that CPU). You got a later, cheaper chipset on a later, cheaper board made for earlier, cheap memory. Your CPU bus (the thing that links the CPU to the memory controller) is Quad Data Rate (4 transfers per clock cycle) at a 100MHz bus clcok, that's 4x100=400MHz data rate, while your RAM is 133MHz data rate. So your CPU wants 3200MB/s and only gets 1066MB/s.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

Crashman · Jun 14, 2004

PC133 is 1066MB/s, 133.33333333 (continuous) times 8. On bus speeds 33 and 66 are both fractions of 100, 1/3 and 2/3 respectively.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

Ned_Flanders · Jun 14, 2004

hey crash. When you get your new title?

Not the Official Sicko of THG.

Crashman · Jun 15, 2004

I don't know, I wasn't paying attention.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 15, 2004

Hi
The Abit IS7 would be easy to upgrade(like changing my P4 processor for an Athlon64)? Is it a good mobo? How much speed would I lost if I would do that(putting an old P4 willmatte or an Athlon)? Putting 1GB DDR400 would be possible? thanks

Metal Music Is My Religion And I Am Not A Terrorist.

HardWareBoss · Jun 15, 2004

So that's what one is called that has 30,000+ posts.

HardWareBoss · Jun 15, 2004

Your buying a new Mobo Abit IS7? Why not change your Cpu and Ram?

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 15, 2004

forget that
I will change everything! I will buy an Athlon64 3200+, 512 Gb of ram(i dont know which one) and a new mobo(the best I can find for my the maximum speed of my athlon and for my memory) but I dont know which mobo.

30 000 posts is a lot!!
bye

Metal Music Is My Religion And I Am Not A Terrorist.

jammydodger · Jun 15, 2004

Ok im not totally sure what your trying to say here, but yes the IS7 is a good board.

putting an old P4 willmatte or an Athlon

I dont think you could put your willy in it (no pun intended) because I think the chipset it uses only supports 533 or 800Mhz FSB CPU's and yours is 400Mhz. I dont no what you mean by putting an athlon in it, because athlon CPU's are made by AMD not intel. Therefore they need a board that supports Athlon CPU's not pentium 4's.

Yes putting 1GB of DDR400 would be possible, you could even use it in dual channel mode if you had 2x512.

P4c 2.6@3.25
512Mb PC4000
2x120Gb 7200.7 in RAID0
Waterchill KT12-L30
Abit AI7
Radeon 9800Pro

KoRn_quebecois · Jun 15, 2004

I wont put my old p4, I will buy an athlon 3200+
I don't want my p4 anymore, I'll upgrade my computer all the way.

Metal Music Is My Religion And I Am Not A Terrorist.

Crashman · Jun 15, 2004

No, the 865/875 supports 400 bus, the reason Willies don't work on some boards is that some boards don't support the higher vCore required by them.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

Crashman · Jun 15, 2004

I'd like to suggest an A64 3200+ with 1MB cache and an MSI K8N Neo Platinum motherboard. Unless you're waiting for the new Socket 939 boards.

Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!
Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!

I dont't know what to buy!

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