Crimson 0 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 (edited) Well, my AMD now has a fried motherboard. So, heres what im going to get, motherboard wise: Asus Motherboard for AMD Athlon/XP/Duron Processors, Model# A7N8X (New Version, now support AMD Barton 400Mhz) Retail Specifications: CPU Supported: Socket A AMD Athlon/XP/Duron (600MHz - 2.8.GHz up to XP2800)Throughbred core CPU ready Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 SPP FSB: 400/333/266/200MHz IDE: 2x channel ATA133 RAM: 3x 184-pin DIMM Sockets(PC3200/PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 non-ECC DDR Ram) Slots: 1x AGP (Pro/8X), 5x PCI Ports: 2xPS2, 4xUSB, 1xCOM,1xLPT, and Audio Ports Onboard Audio:Realtek® ALC650 6CH Onboard LAN: MCP integrated NVIDIA® MAC + Realtek® 8201BL PHY ATX Form Factor Now, I may also buy a CPU. Can somsone tell me what an AMD Barton does thats special? I know it has a 333Mhz FSB, but so does this AMD 2600+ im looking at. Heres the CPU im looking at: AMD ATHLON XP 2500 "Barton" 333 FSB PROCESSOR CPU- RETAIL Specifications: CPU: 1.83 GHz Type: XP 2500 Barton Core Cache: 512K L2, 128K L1, Total 640KB BUS: 333MHz Socket A Retail Box (Heatsink and Fan included) Will this motherboard be compatible with this CPU? Just making sure... Edited May 27, 2003 by Crimson Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RooK 0 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Barton adds an additional 256kb of l2 cache. This gives some nifty game performance enhancements. Yes they are compatible, but have you checked out the Epox 8RDA or 8RDA+ yet? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
300Mag 0 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 What Rook said is the greatest benefit. The extra L2 does help. I'm running a 2500 Barton now in my Shuttle XPC and have standard Athlons in a couple other rigs. Another thing is that they tend to run cooler. If you overclock, they handle that well, too. Also, I'll second the Epox 8RDA series. The Asus you spec out is a good bord. The 8RDA may be just a tad faster and will be cheaper. Good luck and have fun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HardRock 0 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Yes the Barton are very good.. But look at the MSI Mother board too.... Asus have some great boards but I always have problems with there support. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dark Ranger 0 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Just curious Crimson, how'd your motherboard get fried? I really do not have anything more to add - I have used ASUS for 3 of the rigs I've built. They run very stable and are one of the best manufacturers in the industry IMO. Epox boards are highly esteemed, and offer excellent performance. You won't go wrong with either. About MSI: Most of their products are superb, however, I personally know 3 friends that have MSI boards(2 have nForce2s), and had problems. One of them had to send his back for a replacement. (IIRC, Jester has an MSI nForce2 that had problems locating his HDD during the install process.) It's up to you. RooK and 300Mag are right about the Barton though. Don't buy a 2600+ just because of the 2.08GHz. True, the 2500+ is lower in "Gigahertz" at 1.83, but having the extra 256K of Cache helps move data around much quicker. JMO Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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