Please help me build my first AMD system

[Guest]

Hi
After 7 years of intel supporting, I have changed my mind.
I am considering on building an AMD system.
I have an Intel 815EEA with P3-600 now. (anybody wants it? )

So...
I think I will have a 1200mhz Athlon (266fsb) with 256MB DDR. Which motherboard do You suggest?
ASUS A7A266
MSI K7 Master (unfortunatelly not yet available in hungary)
MSI K7T266 PRO
Or any else at the same price?
Which is the best for overclocking?
Do You suggest any other cpu for overclocking? (1333mhz max. I can buy)
And finally: my tower has only a 230W power supply. Will I need a bigger, or it is enough?

Thank very much,
Daniel Vinko
HUNGARY

 

[dan_gao86]

you'll definitely need a bigger PSU, at least 300W...
if you wanna pack in lotsa cards and all, you'd better get a 350W...
i would grab a K7 Master for OC, since it supports multiplier OC...
i'm not very sure about the K7T266, but the A7A266 could only be OC through the bios or somthing...
go to <A HREF="http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboard/01q2/010509/index.html" target="_new">http://www6.tomshardware.com/mainboard/01q2/010509/index.html</A>

I WoNdEr HoW, I WoNdEr WhY, I WoNdEr WhErE ThEy ArE, ThE AMD... We OvErCloCked ToGeThEr, Oh YeAh...

 

[jlbigguy]

Proper cooling and airflow is a must. Make sure your power supply is AMD approved, and is at least 300w. In an AMD system, the power supply not only must keep itself cool, it must help cool the cpu by exhausting heat produced by the cpu. This is accomplished by the supply having exhaust vents on the bottom of the supply, directly above the cpu. See the link below:

<A HREF="http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon/pdf/cooling_guide.pdf" target="_new">http://www.amd.com/products/cpg/athlon/pdf/cooling_guide.pdf</A>

<font color=blue>This is a Forum, not a playground. Treat it with Respect.</font color=blue>

 

[Guest]

which chipset is better?
via kt266 or amd 760?

 

[FatBurger]

AMD 760

------------------------------
My Athlon can beat your Ferrari off the line.

 

[Stick_e_Mouse]

I'll buy your P3 + mobo for $50 (including shipping)

<font color=blue>Your mouse moved. WINDOWS NT must restart for changes to take affect. Restart Now?[OK]</font color=blue>

 

[Crashman]

BTW if you have the 600E (not the EB), you can overclock it to 800 by modifying the pins. Should make a good second system that way.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Guest]

Hey vDanee
Here's my two cents worth. I bought the A7M266 board. It is a bit more expensive, but rock solid stable and gets good reviews. It's only drawback is that you cannot adjust the multiplier, only the FSB. However, I have been able to drive my Athlon 1333 chip up to 1450, using the FSB adjustment. I strongly agree with those who suggest a power supply with a bottom intake (which will pull hot air off the CPU underneath). I would suggest the Enermax 430watt supply, or Sparkle (I have the 400 watt model AMD approved, but it does not have the bottom intake). I feel that the extra $20 for 400+ watts is well spent, as your future needs are never certain, and even if it is overkill, your voltage is more stable if the supply is not being even the least bit stressed. If you are a hardcore overclocker, the A7M266 may leave you somewhat unsatisfied. I am using the Taisol copperbottom heatsink (I have removed and replaced it 5 times in various experiments and never hurt my CPU, mainly because the heatsink is large and evenly applied pressure with a very good clip system. I also may be very lucky...fate favors the foolish. But the heatsink was attached by my vendor with thermal tape (it looks like a pink square of silly putty, and it was not doing a good job. I tried Radio Shack paste and then Silver Arctic II, and the ASII did only a little better (maybe a degree or two). One time I put too much paste on, and redid it with the good old half a pea of paste evenly smeared on the die, and the prepping of the HS by wiping a thin layer on before putting it on the CPU. I also suggest another improvement. I bought a 80mm to 60mm adaptor which is like a funnel that allows you to use an 80mm fan at lower rpm and still move more air over the heatsink than the excellent Delta fan that is a real screamer. These adaptors are found at Plycon.com, and you would want a good HS with good quality clip to hold this extra bulk in place. BTW, I own a PIII system also, my first bought in 1998, which is a HP8485Z, using a 440BX motherboard by ASUS. It was very stable and I liked it a lot, but decided to try AMD and have not been disappointed. This new system rocks and with a VisionTek GeForce2 Ultra card (oc'd with Coolbits to 275/500 Mhz) it scores 4740 on 3DMark 2001, which makes it no slouch If you really want to rock and roll, the GEForce 3 units are reporting scores in the 6000s, but I have read some reports of strange artifacts and other quirks with the GF3s, so I decided for now on the GF2 Ultra. You'll have a lot of fun making your own system and being free of the shadowed bios training wheels on stock systems has its rewards (and its headaches), but you will learn a lot.

Can't we all just overclock?

 

[Guest]

Thanks for All of You
I think I will go for the Asus A7A266, as A7M266 is not yet available in hungary.
Other problem is the power supply, I think the only valuable is DTK around.
BTW, I have GF2MX
Thanks again, bye