Author Topic: HELP ME SPEND $$$$ PLEASE!!! (Read 817 times)

RDSaustinTX · « **on:** November 14, 2001, 06:05:00 PM »

Man there's a ton of expertise on configuration issues and video cards here.

I'm new to AH, played AW for years (but still suck).
Right now I'm driving a 933 PIII W98 with ATI Rage LT Pro. I get about 15 fps tops.

We do good business, but our accounting is primitive. I need to spend $2.5-3K on a new CPU/monitor before 12/31. We have been buying lots of equipment from systemax, support has been OK, but just.

Using their configuration CGI, looking at:

2 GHz P4 - 512megs pc800 RDRAM
nVidia GeForce 3 w/ "nfiniteFX engine" - 64 megs DDR
Soundblaster 5.1 Live
Cyber Acoustics spkrs/subwoof
2x60gig 7200 rpm drives
DVD/CDRW
XP Pro but no crappy bundled MS package
19" Trinitron
yada yada

This thing gonna work good for AH?
Any recommendations / alternates?

I assume video will be the limiting factor. Picked the GeForce 3 only cause I think I read somebody raving in here. (?)
For a vid board, the thing is pricey (+$300).

Any recommendations appreciated. I gotta use this thing for work too ya know (pesky IRS).

Thanks in advance,
Russell

RDSaustinTX · « **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2001, 06:19:00 PM »

Oops. this machine uses
850 Chipset Socket 423 P4 ATX Motherboard

(no idea what that means, bet ya'll do)

Russell (lost in Austin)

Camel · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2001, 06:57:00 PM »

Welcome to AH!

Yup the 423 is bad, very bad

Look for the 478 P4, the 423 is a dead chip. Also DO NOT stick the 478 P4 on an SDRAM motherboard, thats also bad, very bad. stick with rambus(pc800) or DDR.(PC2100 PC2400 PC2700).

You will get plenty of suggestions, these are just a few with regards to the P4.

bloom25 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2001, 08:41:00 PM »

Why a P4? There are faster and cheaper solutions available. If you are dead set on a P4 for whatever reason DO NOT get one with the i845 chipset. It will perform terribly. You should also not buy a socket 423 P4, as that socket is no longer supported by the future P4 speeds. (In other words the processor couldn't be upgraded.)

I strongly recommend you look at www.anandtech.com and www.tomshardware.com for P4 vs Athlon XP benchmarks.

jpeg · « **Reply #4 on:** November 14, 2001, 09:38:00 PM »

The Athlon xp 2k is going to be comming out in a couple of weeks. with the money you save getting that you can get a 21" monitor instead :-)

Raubvogel · « **Reply #5 on:** November 15, 2001, 02:14:00 AM »

Pssstt...get an Athlon

mrsid2 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 15, 2001, 04:25:00 AM »

Don't listen to Bloom, he's right!

(reverse psychology..?)

RDSaustinTX · « **Reply #7 on:** November 15, 2001, 09:58:00 AM »

Well sorta stuck on the Pentium, cause we run big CAD stuff and some esoteric hydrology modeling software. The technical s/w guys all pretty much seem to hate AMD setups.

What about the vid board? Should i find a GeForce Ti 500 instead?

Thanks,
Russell, Lost in Austin

Reschke · « **Reply #8 on:** November 15, 2001, 10:13:00 AM »

If you have to spend the money then yes get the GeForce Ti500. But I have seen CAD programs running on the newer AMD chips with no problems at all. The only thing with that is my guess no one wants to support AMD other than us gamers.

Karnak · « **Reply #9 on:** November 15, 2001, 10:56:00 AM »

Athlons are faster for CAD work due to their much stronger FPU.

RDSaustinTX · « **Reply #10 on:** November 15, 2001, 11:01:00 AM »

I dunno, but I read lots of tech s/w problems that get attributed to AMD, real esoteric math/vid processor stuff.

Hmmm. Man, I'm learning alot (that will be useless in what, 6 months?)...

I doubt I'll go upgrading this chip, so socket 423 might be ok, I read and agree about i850 better than i845 chipsets, same for ddr vs sdram.

Wife (watching all this) thinks mebbe I should buy a box for the company, then build a stripped hot rod for gaming. I don't relish the idea.

Sigh,
Russell

RDSaustinTX · « **Reply #11 on:** November 15, 2001, 12:56:00 PM »

Just to smear the topic...

Read about Alienware on another thread. Turns out their 'ultimate gaming' P4 machine is about $400 less than the comparable systemax. Prolly order this tomorrow.

Now for monitors, reading that NEC has faster refresh than sony.

Vrooom

Russell (lost in Austin)

iceydee · « **Reply #12 on:** November 15, 2001, 01:48:00 PM »

(not trying to convince you to get AMD but..)

check the benchmarks and compare the prices... you get more for the $$'s...

and, the Athlon's got more cache, or am I wrong? well, if it does then it would help in both the CAD stuff and while gaming...

btw. if you're not limited by money, consider getting an Intel Itanium 64-bit processor.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #13 on:** November 15, 2001, 02:25:00 PM »

One thing is a given.. that system is more than fast enough to run anything out on the market today.

So quit bragging

AKDejaVu

Raubvogel · « **Reply #14 on:** November 15, 2001, 04:17:00 PM »

Quote

HELP ME SPEND $$$$ PLEASE!!!

Send check or money order to:

Raubvogel
c/o LuftJagerKorps Inc.
PO Box 190A8
Knightlandia