Best A64 3000+ from NewEgg for Overclocking / Upgrade Results!

[Soldur]

For all those that asked for a follow up to the "best 3000+ for oc'ing on NewEgg" thread, here it is.

What I Had:

Aspire X-Dreamer II w/350 watt included PS
Pentium 4 2.53 ghz
MSI mobo
2 x 512 mb crucial PC2100
Hercules 9800 pro (agp4X 420/268)
WD 120gb 8 mb cache
Audigy 2
48x CD Optical
2.4x DVD+R Optical
1.44 FDD

Here is what is in my pseudo-new PC, I have included the prices on what I ordered from NewEgg:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (The one that says CG core in reviews) $175
Chaintech VNF3-250 mobo $83
2 x Corsair Value Select CL2.5 512mb $154
ThermalTake PurePower 420 Watt PS $ 42
LiteOn 8x DVD +R/-R Dual Layer $ 75
Aspire X-Dreamer II (Kept from old comp)
Hercules 9800 pro (agp 8X 420/268) (Kept from old comp)
WD 120gb 8 mb cache (Kept from old comp)
Audigy 2 (Kept from old comp)
48x CD Optical (Kept from old comp)
1.44 FDD (Kept from old comp)
------------
Total including Shipping $529

I was able to get the core of the A64 3000+ stable at 2.4 ghz (Haven't tried any higher yet) with stock voltages, stock cooling, and running the memory at 5:6. My video card now runs at AGP8x on the new mobo as well. Here are some synthetic benchies:

Benchmark (Before) (After)

3dMark01 (~13,500) (~21,800)
3dMark03 (6,013) (6,758)
PcMark04 (3,330) (4,576)
SiSoft Arith. Dry ALU (6,704) (9,708)
SiSoft Arith Whet FPU (1,456/3,336) (3,650/4,999)
Ram Bandwidth Int/Float (1,952/1,958) (3,015/3,014)
Multimedia Int/Float (10,048/12,821) (13,527/14,865)

Hope this helps anyone who is considering an upgrade and wondering what they can best spend their hard earned $ on, and what parts are "Good N' Cheap". I had considered a Socket 939 mobo with a A64 3500+, but was discouraged when I saw the price to be around $470 just for the mobo and processor. I spent a total of $529 for everything and saw signifigant performance increases across the board! I will help anyone with any questions about any of the equipment that I used or whatever.

It took me forever to type this in, please post if you enjoyed reading this more than I did typing it

 

[Decelerate]

did you get a newcastle or clawhammer?

 

[Soldur]

I got the NewCastle CG revision.

 

[heatsinker]

That's an amazing increase in your 3Dmark01 scores. I guess it goes to show how CPU dependant it really is. Have you tried running at 1:1 at all?

 

[Soldur]

I almost couldn't believe the increase in 3dMark01 SE myself so I rebooted and ran it again and the difference between the two runs was < 50 points. When I tried running at 1:1 the highest stable I could get was 212 mhz HTT. Maybe sometime in the future when I have more $ I will buy some better RAM and see what I can get running 1:1

 

[sammieboy]

is that mobo you got any good? i want to upgrade to an amd 64-3000 system too but i want a good mobo for it. any suggestions?

 

[lil layzie]

Thanks for typing that. It's helping me in my decision to upgrade to an AMD64 system from my current computer (in sig )

 

[tristam]

i got a Clawhammer version of the 3000+ CG, and i can only get the thing to 2350 (stable)at .05v over stock voltage...i tried doing a really high fsb with a lower multiplier (for a total of 2350mhz still) and it wouldnt post...i want a newcastle

And i have an SLK948U as well...that was an extra $40...many people are using stock cooling and getting 2400-2500mhz with them fancy newcastles

 

[Soldur]

is that mobo you got any good? i want to upgrade to an amd 64-3000 system too but i want a good mobo for it. any suggestions?

The Chaintech VNF3-250 amazed me for the price, I just looked and the price on NewEgg is down to $75 shipped! It is much nicer than some of the more expensive motherboards that I've worked with over the last 2 years. It has been flawless so far, no issues at all and very overclocking friendly. The only difference I could find between it and some of the more expensive motherboards is that it doesn't have gigabit ethernet, only 10/100mbps. The Chaintech mobos also come with a very nice bundle (2 SATA cables, 2 SATA power adapters, PATA cables, thermal compound, plate, NAV w/3 months of updates) which saved me from having to pay extra for them.