Help: Building Intel PentiumD 945, which MB to use??

[kawa_ninja]

Hello everyone.. sorry i am new here

i have a few questions here and i hope someone can guide me through..

I am about to get PentiumD 945 CPU + Dell BTX MB for really cheap price
in order for me to use this setup i will have to get a new case, PS, DDR2 Rams and PCI-E Video card which i can't afford.

My current pc is a ATX case with AMD XP 2800+, 1GB Dual channel PC3700 Ram, ATI agp 9800Pro Video card.

I would like to know if is possible to get a MB for this CPU but made for ATX case and possible to reuse the DDR rams i have..
I dont' mind upgarding to DDR2 and PCI-E Videocard if necessary
but i just want to know what my options are

if someone can help me out here that would be Awesome!!!

Thank you

 

[jeff_2087]

Look for the Asrock 775DUAL-VSTA. It'll let you use your DDR RAM and it supports DDR2 also so you can upgrade. It supports both AGP and PCI-E (x16 operational at only x4) so you can upgrade to a PCI-E card later too. And, it supports your Pentium D 945 as well as a Core 2 CPU which you can upgrade to in the future, because Core 2s are WAY better than Pentium D.

Which brings me to the point, what is this "really cheap price"? Because unless it's actually incredibly cheap, you might be best off just getting a Core 2 or AMD X2 CPU from the start.

 

[jamesgoddard]

get this - http://www.asrock.com/product/4CoreDual-VSTA.htm - and use the CPU with ALL your current componants.

$59.99 from the egg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157107

 

[jamesgoddard]

Look for the Asrock 775DUAL-VSTA.

That's the old model, the one I posted replaced it and is better for the same cash

 

[jamesgoddard]

Unless you are getting the CPU for less than $40 or so, I would skip it and save the cash. Your current run is not that bad.

 

[jeff_2087]

Cool thanks, I didn't know they'd replaced it. I rather like the concept of that board, makes piece by piece upgrades so easy.

 

[kawa_ninja]

Unless you are getting the CPU for less than $40 or so, I would skip it and save the cash. Your current run is not that bad.

less than $40?? 8O
no.. i am getting the combo PD 945+ Dell MB for 100 bux
is it too much?
i checked on ebay and just the CPU alone cost about 2bills
what should i do??

the Dell MB was from Dimension 5150 so i am thinking selling the board and get a new one that fits my ATX case

 

[kawa_ninja]

Unless you are getting the CPU for less than $40 or so, I would skip it and save the cash. Your current run is not that bad.

my current setup overheats a lot... maybe is due to the video card.. so i am thinking of slowly upgrading everything..

 

[rodney_ws]

I just hope the OP knows that it's not about GHz any more... because that Pentium D 945 operating at 3.4 GHz is going to get demolished by an X2 or C2D running at a considerably slower clock speed. In addition to being at a performance disadvantage, it'll put out more heat and consume more electricity. I just can't think of any reason to buy a Pentium D at this point (the 805 being a possible exception)

Caveat emptor!

 

[bga]

less than $40?? 8O
no.. i am getting the combo PD 945+ Dell MB for 100 bux
is it too much?
the Dell MB was from Dimension 5150 so i am thinking selling the board and get a new one that fits my ATX case

A second hand BTX board is worth close to nothing, and 100USD for a the 945 Netburst CPU is debatable. Come april 22 and you can get the Core2 E4300 for about 120 USD. It will perform about the same or a bit better than the Pentium D 945, and will run a lot cooler. If you overclock it will run rings around the 945. Alternativly you can wait until Q3 and get the new Core2 based "Pentiums" which are going to retail in the 50-80 USD space.

 

[m25]

less than $40?? 8O
no.. i am getting the combo PD 945+ Dell MB for 100 bux
is it too much?
i checked on ebay and just the CPU alone cost about 2bills
what should i do??

Man, maybe it's not too much in price but so little in performance; Add something more and get an E4300 or an AM2 board with a X2 3600+ (less then $100). Only these two options you get for 100% a motherboard that is a lot future proof, to support future, much better chips because within this year, dual cores are going to be history performance wise[/quote].

 

[Fedor]

Agreed, at 100 bucks you're far better off with an AMD that will perform just as well whilst not doing it at 70 degrees C, and you could upgrade it later on.

 

[kawa_ninja]

Ok ok~~ thanks for all the replies guys
i will wait till summer..

Thank you so much for the help
you guys are awesome!!!!!