Should I wait?

[Guest]

Thanks to a rather large insurance payment I think I can see a new PC on the horizon, and I've got a hankering for a nForce based system.

The thing is now ddr333 are going to be available soon should I wait for the boards that support that or will the nForces dual memory controllers be just as good?

Your nice new PC might be faster then my 286, but my 286 makes a better door stop

 

[Guest]

nForce.. why would you want an nForce (honest question, not flaming) ?

It performs very well, sure.. about on par with a KT266A, but it doesnt really trash it. and the second memory channel isnt really made us of by current 266 fsb Athlons.

For the integrated video ? Not if you are a gamer.. its about as "fast" as a geforce300 (between GF200 and GF400). Better than any other integrated video, but slower than just about any 3D card you can buy today.

For the sound ? Well.. maybe.. though they should fix EAX first. And even then, I dont see a whole lot that an Audigy cant do.

Since you'r 'worried' about DDR333, I presume performance is the main reason.. well, until AMD releasede Athlons with a higher FSB, I dont see DDR333 or dual DDR266 making much difference. Current Athlons can only handle 266 mhz anyway.

You can always wait for the next new thing.. buy the time DDR333 becomes an option, you'll want to wait for Barton.. by then, you'll want to wait for Hammer.. there is always a good reason to wait. I wouldnt wait. current Athlon platforms are mature and fast. The Athlon XP is an incredible value and a top performer. I dont see anything on the horizon that would make a current AXP outdated in 3 to 6 months (unless Northwood really surprises me). Go get one, and be happy with it.

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

 

[Matisaro]

The nforce's sound is awesome, and the savings form having not to buy a 100 dollar sound card MORE than make up for the additional cost of the mobo. Plus you get on board lan, and a free gf2 mx as well, no reason NOT to get the nforce.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[bront]

The only reason not to get one is if you aren't going to use the extra built in features, unless you want the built in ones for backups.

I may get one as a low cost solution to upgrade my home server. It needs a CPU, MB, Sound, Vid, and Network. Unfortunately, it will also need new ram.

I was reading on the THG news about the differences between the 2 asus boards. Is there that much of a difference in the sound card between those two? I'm tyring to see if there is a big reason one is $20-30 more.

Chesnuts roasting on an open CPU
Bill Gates nipping at your wallet

 

[Guest]

Yeah what I liked about nForce was that I it saves PCI slots by having the netcard and sound etc. This works out a lot easier for me and probabley cheaper, besides it saves me a few PCI slots so I'm not complaining.

Your nice new PC might be faster then my 286, but my 286 makes a better door stop

 

[Guest]

Maybe I wasnt clear. Im not saying its a bad board. Im saying its not worth waiting for either an nForce or a DDR333 board.. Not if its performance that matters to you, because I dont expect any performance increase over existing chips.

>no reason NOT to get the nforce.

AFAIK its a completely unproven chipset from a newbie chipsetmaker. I find that a good reason not to buy the rev 0.1. It might be good (I hope it will be), but I'd wait for some real world user reports. Every new VIA chipset also always looks good, performs good.. reviewers dont mention any trouble with them, until you buy one yourself. Even the SiS735 board, you know all too well.. better not be the first kid on the block.

= The views stated herein are my personal views, and not necessarily the views of my wife. =

 

[o1die]

Nothing wrong with the n-force board. Most people would be very happy with it. I happen to like the shuttle ak31 version 3.1 ($80 newegg) with 4 ddram slots, 6 pci slots, built in sound, and plenty of overclocking options in the bios. With the money you save, I would go for the radeon 8500 oem or even refurbished ($179 newegg). A much faster combo than the n-force.