Any advice?

[Guest]

I planning an upgrade to my current system and I wanted to double check with you guys to see if anybody had any comments.
Soyo K7V-Dragon+
Athlon XP 1700
Crucial PC2100 512MB
A good case (recommendations?)

First of all, I was thinking of getting the 1700 because it's only a little more expensive than the 1600, but I plan to o/c it like I do with my current PIII 450 - is there any reason NOT to get the fastest processor I can? i.e. will I get more speed out of a 1700 than a 1600 when overclocking, or would they probably both go just as high?
Second question: Should I get 2 256MB sticks or 1 512MB stick - I figure I can upgrade easier with 1 stick, but I don't know if it will keep me from overclocking as easily. i.e. Are larger sticks generally slower than smaller sticks?
Last question - what are some other good cases? I keep hearing about Lian Li, and while I do like the features A LOT and the fact that it's like a big heat sink (and the aesthetics are great too ;^)
Well, thanks for reading and any comments.

 

[Guest]

Oh yeah, and I was thinking of using the onboard NIC and audio - keeping my SBLive! Value card in my old PC. I read a review that commented on these components being good - anybody have experience with them? I usually look at onboard sound as not being an option for use, but this time I'm thinking I'll use it to cut down on PCI cards :^)

 

[texas_techie]

The differences between the 1500,1600,1700 are minimal. Your getting a little more with each chip, but not much. The core is pushed to its limits (come on k8!). Dragon is OK, havnt read of any probs. If you get one stick of ddr, get the best clas (anything lower than 2.5?) and brand since ya wanna OC.
The lian Li is good (and expensive). I personally could care less about the case as long as the Power supply is quality. I would try case modding web sites, they tend to stock some of the better cases.
On board sound is MUCH better these days, but the old LIVE will get the job done too. If ya got the live, may as well use it.
What graphics card are you using? If your a gamer, thats the biggest thing of all.

 

[Guest]

I have an ASUS GeForce 2 MX with 32MB SDR. I got it well over a year ago - I don't do much gaming these days, although I was considering getting a new card - maybe a new nVidia Titanium chip with 64MB DDR to play some new games. Any suggestions?

 

[Jehdin]

For the case I'd recommend a Antec SX840, or if you want something bigger, for $10 more at newegg.com get the SX1040, they both come with 400Watt Power supplies and 2 built-in case fans. As for the video card, if you aren't playing many of the newer games that card should be fine, however if you are looking to buy some newer games later on you should look into the Geforce 3 TI200 series, especially the Gainward one, which many people have been able to overclock past TI500 speeds with stock cooling! Also if you plan on overclocking your Athlon, go with the 1600+ as the 1600 and 1700 should both overclock to about the same level, and you prolly won't o/c to the limit (or will you? lol). I suggest getting a Volcano 7 HSF for your processor since you are overclocking, and some arctic silver II.

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