I'm slowly but surely getting my parts list together for my first Home build and I have a question about Heatsink/fan for the P4 3.0 For starters,,here's what I have picked out.
Here's my question. I was going to buy the P4 with the heatsink and fan (retail package) Is the stock heatsink/fan sufficient or are there better options I should consider? Obviously efficiency is a main concern but noise is another factor. Are there heatsink fans that are quieter than others? and if so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I'm new to this build-it-yourslef thing so please excuse my ignorance.....
Motherboard?,,well still leaning towards the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP for a couple of reasons. but still open for discussion.
1) 6 dimms vs 4 dimms...1gb sticks are a bit pricy no?
2) Gigabyte has something called DPS2 ? ever heard of it?
here's a quote from the specs. Does ASUS have this and what difference does it make anyways?
""
GIGABYTE Patented Technology ¡V Dual Power System 2 (DPS 2)
Featuring new VRM 10.0 specification with that supply a total of 6 phase power circuit design, delivers a high durable power design for the new generation Intel® platform""
hehe the 6 Dual miracle eh? yeah its a pretty good setup, the DPS 2 is a redundant power slot built into the motherboard that you can add an extra power supply on, it can be used as either a backup or along with the PSU to provide more stable operation and power...
I wont knock the gigabyte board its pretty good but i still prefer the asus, they are second to no one.
Anandtech says the Abit IS7 is the best. Unless you want added features, in which case the Asus P4P800 is the best. I see no meantion of the P4C800 even being in the running!
<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>
Toms Hardware said the following in a june 4th article in the motherboards and ram section.
One Tough Cookie:
10 Boards with Intel i875P Chipsets - Part I
Toms Hardware has this to say about the Asus p4c800.
The title said "Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Minimalist Top Candidate"
Quote:
In the performance category, the Asus P4C800 Deluxe easily takes first place - the manufacturer is still the leader in this area - even without the small extra in FSB timing, and In a nutshell: Asus remains very expensive and, in view of the meager features (no CSA-LAN interface, no ICH5-RAID and hardly any accessories), only interesting for overclockers and die-hard fans of the brand. Anyone looking for better value would be better off with the established competition.
-end quote-
now granted the reviews werent as good as they could have been as toms didnt like some of the intergraded stuff like the SATA and GLAN because Asus decided to cut some corners in this area, however they didnt say that the hardware was bad it works just fine, but as far as im concerned there is no substitute for raw power and the p4c800 has got it in spades.
Toms Hardware had this to say about the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP.
its pretty clear to see from the title "Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Maximum Features on Board" and in conclusion they had this to say.
Quote:
In a nutshell: it's the features king, running at least 400 euros; but then again, it comes with all the bells and whistles. The performance is adequate and also provides a good basis for overclocking. The lack of fan monitoring (Northbridge, voltage regulator DPSII) and control could be improved. All in all, a good buy.
-end quote-
In the same article Toms Hardware Said in the title about the Abit IC7-G. "Abit IC7-G: Below Expectations" in summary they said.
Quote:
In a nutshell: overclockers will definitely be disappointed by this board, as the performance is clearly below expectations. You can't run a RAM module with maximum timings. Otherwise, it's a very generous setup at a sensible price.
-end quote-
its cousin the Is7 is an i865PE series board, and isnt even in the same catagory, as we were talking about i875 chipset boards, the Gigabyte GA-8KNXP vs. the Asus P4c800.
I can make a couple remarks about your setup.....the first thing I noticed is that the power supply is not the best in the world.....sure its rated at 400w but it only supplies 18V to the +12V rail....that is very low for a high end setup....
An Enermax 365AX-VE (FMA) 350w psu will easily overpower that power supply (which I recommend)...
A good read on choosing the right power supply:
<A HREF="http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/" target="_new">http://firingsquad.gamers.com/guides/power_supply/</A>]
And back to your original question....the best heatsink fan combo for the p4 would be the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink with a panasonic panaflo 80*80*25 cpu fan...
Oh, you're still going by ancient reviews on unfinished boards then! Everything has changed since then! Take a look at <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1831" target="_new">This Review</A>, which shows the Abit IS7 as the best performer!
Quote :
After many hours of testing we have decided that the best value Pentium 4 motherboard is ABIT's IS7 based on the 865PE chipset. The IS7's assortment of onboard features such as IEEE 1394 FireWire, Serial ATA RAID, 10/100 LAN, and AC'97 alone make it a great buy at just over $105. However what separates the ABIT IS7 from other motherboard's is its excellent overclocking ability and superb performance that rival the most expensive motherboards on the market, including those based on Intel's 875P chipset.
Abit released their boards before the BIOS was completely debugged and polished. Since then these boards have gotten to be amoung the best. Specifically, the IS7 beats ALL other P4 boards in a majority of tests, even if only by a slim margin. Read the review and find out.
I feel kind of out of place posting Anandtech reviews in a THG forum, but you have to face the fact that THG is no longer relevant when it comes to such news, always a day late and a dollar short, never following through with updates.
<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>
For the life of me I couldn't find that review and that was what I was partially basing my decision on. Thanks so much for posting it. Now bookmarked.
I do have another question concerning CPU's. Is there a new Intel processor out and if so is it socket 478 and will it be compatible with the latest motherboards? I think I read that the ASUS had support for the new Prescott?
Kinda confused on that subject so any clarification would be greatly appreciated
The first Prescott will be on Socket 478. Soon afterwards they will switch to "Socket T". People think this spells quick doom for your Socket 478 board, but Intel has a habbit of releasing new CPU's on multiple platforms (such as the Slot 1 PIII Coppermine), and other companies try to make converters.
<font color=blue>Watts mean squat if you don't have quality!</font color=blue>
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