BX chipset with coppermines?

[Guest]

Hey,
Does anyone know if there is a performance hit using P3 Coppermines with a BX chipset(as compared with other chipsets)? I recall this being a better solution a year ago, but haven't been able to find out if the situation has changed any.

Basically, I'm using an Abit BE-6II and want to upgrade my Celeron 366@550 to a P3 800EB. My board can support the new CPU(@133 FSB), but I'm curious as to whether or not I will lose any performance from the CPU. I'm using PC133 RAM, so that is not an issue.

I'm really just looking for a decent increase in system performance without spending over $200. My current CPU is perfectly good for what I spend most of my time doing, but I also want better performance for the occasional 3D game as well as video editing in Adobe Premiere. I know Durons offer similar performance for a lot less money, but then I'd have to buy a new motherboard(~$110-140?). Seems like I'd end up paying more for the Duron system in the end. Anyways, advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[NickM]

Prove me wrong that i440BX is still the fastest and one of "wide-memory-upgradable" motherboard. It lacks newest features (more or less important), but some of them possible to compensate or upgrade.
Where to get news on performance hit using P3 Coppermines with a BX chipset(as compared with other chipsets)? Just combine them from different sources, new and old.
I think it will be enough to compare last year Tomshardware reviews where i440BX motherboards are included, with the latest articles.
As for your “3D game as well as video editing in Adobe Premiere”, a question arises. A video card that supports AGP4x probably is the most important part in your upgrade. But i440BX-based motherboards don’t support this feature.
I recommend before upgrade to start analysis on game graphics and video implementation on different platforms. Double check for AGP2x vs. AGP4x limitations/advantages on your existing hardware and possible upgrade to newer Motherboard-VideoCard solutions. And take in account what can you get for your money when buying an AMD bare system upgrade with a good up-to date video card.
Again, everything's fine with your possible upgrade, but "3D game as well as video editing in Adobe Premiere" are the concern. But you have to compare.
(In my company we upgraded all BX’s only with memory (we replaced 128MB PC-133 with larger DIMM's on newer workstations) and left them on clerk work. We use only newest workstations with graphics, video, CDRW from economical point of view.
But it’s just my 2 cents, and it might be <b>impractical on home computers</b>.)
Also revise Upgrade Mania from the article:
http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q1/010319/pentium_scaling-02.html
and all video performance charts from latest comparison reviews on motherboards and video cards. In your case you don’t have to look at all at other benchmarks, such as SYSmark 2000.
Good luck.

 

[beans]

Basilisk:


I don't think the 440BX chipset supports a 133 MHz FSB:

http://developer.intel.com/design/chipsets/440bx/


The ABIT BE6II specs (100 MHz FSB) are consistent with that:

http://www.motherboardx.com/specs/specsheet.cfm?ProductID=732&CategoryID=19


Coppermine PIII's run at 133 FSB:

http://www4.tomshardware.com/cpu/99q4/991025/coppermine-01.html



beans

 

[Guest]

Hi beans,
Abit's latest BIOS updates for this motherboard allow for a 133MHz FSB with certain CPU's. According to a variety of sources(Tom's Hardware included), 440BX can handle that FSB speed even though it was never "officially" supported by Intel. So hopefully Abit isn't full of it; I'm banking on their updates working as listed. I flashed my BIOS a while back, and the updates are there.

NickM,
Thanks for the input. I'm still pondering whether or not a new video card is worth the hassle and expense. If I don't get a new video card, then there's no real need for a new motherboard that supports AGP 4X. I play 3D games only occasionally, and even Unreal Tournament runs well enough on my current card(ATI All-In-Wonder 128). As far as the video editing goes, does AGP speed really matter? I thought that CPU and hard drive speeds were the most important in this area.

 

[beans]

Basilisk -


Well, good for Abit and the 440BX!

I found nothing in a quick check of the Abit site but did find the article about the chipset on Tom's. I hope this can be done on the original BE6 too, because I've got two middle-aged machines built on this board.


Thanks for the info -


beans

 

[Crashman]

The BX slightly outperforms the newer chipsets, but at the cost of no AGP 4x and the need to overclock the AGP port to get to 133. This is not a problem for many of the newer video cards.

Suicide is painless...........