Need a replacement for my old +1800

D

dagon11985

Gawd
Joined
Jul 21, 2005
Messages
562
I have an old socket A comp just sitting around collecting dust. I've been thinking of fixing it up, might give it to my little brothers or use it as a server for a Neverwinter Nights 2 mod I intend on making.

I'm looking at getting a sempron, or a 3200+ barton. Do semprons have an unlockable CPU multipler ? is the 3200+ barton worth the $ 183 dollar price tag, is it that much better than a sempron ?


( I know Athlon XP's do have an inflated price tag nowadays since they've been discontinued.. but, I still may get one that for price.. if it stomps the semprons )

Also, what AGP video card would you recommend for this sort of comp ? Its currently packing a Geforce II mx 400...which.. back in the day rocked.. but.. not with today's games
 
How much are you looking to spend? I don't know if you've looked around the forums, but there is currently a really killer deal on a 3100+ Sempron combo:

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4705559

If you are going to spend more than $100, there is almost no point in further upgrading your system as it just forces you more into a dead-end.

If you were willing to swing a little more cash, you could pickup a S754 3000+ Venice and a decent 754 board for not much at all (at least, what you'd be spending on that horridly overpriced Barton). You'd also get far better performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103606 $119 754 Venice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138268 $69.25 Biostar T-force

You could also save some money by using the combo-deal available with that motherboard to get a decent Sempron (2800+, 3100+) and then use the extra money to buy a PCI-e 6600 perhaps.

The first combo deal is good because it's dirt cheap, it's bad because it kind of leads to another dead-end upgrade path: AGP. The Venice is considerably more powerful than your current processor and the Semprons. It also overclocks insanely well. You could get a great overclock with the venice on the t-force, I bet.

It comes down to how much money you want to spend, but you don't have to spend too much these days to get a decent system. Any half-decent processor and a good video card will keep the games running.
 
Just a thought, I bought a un-opened retail XP3000+ for $90 shipped here on the forums, Id put up a WTB and give it a shot, can't hurt. Good luck.
 
ep1taph said:
How much are you looking to spend? I don't know if you've looked around the forums, but there is currently a really killer deal on a 3100+ Sempron combo:

http://shop2.outpost.com/product/4705559

If you are going to spend more than $100, there is almost no point in further upgrading your system as it just forces you more into a dead-end.

If you were willing to swing a little more cash, you could pickup a S754 3000+ Venice and a decent 754 board for not much at all (at least, what you'd be spending on that horridly overpriced Barton). You'd also get far better performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103606 $119 754 Venice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138268 $69.25 Biostar T-force

You could also save some money by using the combo-deal available with that motherboard to get a decent Sempron (2800+, 3100+) and then use the extra money to buy a PCI-e 6600 perhaps.

The first combo deal is good because it's dirt cheap, it's bad because it kind of leads to another dead-end upgrade path: AGP. The Venice is considerably more powerful than your current processor and the Semprons. It also overclocks insanely well. You could get a great overclock with the venice on the t-force, I bet.

It comes down to how much money you want to spend, but you don't have to spend too much these days to get a decent system. Any half-decent processor and a good video card will keep the games running.
Click to expand...

If you get that combo, it comes with an AGP slot, so the 6600 is out of the question for PCI-E... you can get it in the AGP version. Even if you get a 5500, but 6600's aren't too expensive these days.
 
The barton will beat the socket A sempron every single time, but that doesnt mean the barton is worth the money.

Me personally would buy the 3100+ sempron combo with the s754 board, it really is a great bargon which will be faster than almost any socket A system.

As for video cards, 6600 is great for pcie, but for agp I'd look around the fs forum for a 9800pro, I see them go for around $85 all the time.
 
noobtech said:
If you get that combo, it comes with an AGP slot, so the 6600 is out of the question for PCI-E... you can get it in the AGP version. Even if you get a 5500, but 6600's aren't too expensive these days.
Click to expand...

Yeah my post wasn't too painfully organized, but the Biostar T-force 754 board comes with a combo deal on Semprons @ newegg. It's a PCI-e board.

You can find both 6600 AGP versions and PCI-e versions for <$100, and either combo with it would really benefit you more than dumping that much money into aging technology.
 
I wouldn't stick with socket A. The k8 sempys rape them. 1.8GHz k8 sempy = 2.2GHz AXP. Also, you can go 754 sempy and PCI-E board for around $120.
 
There's also another fly in the ointment: If your rig is as old as your original post leads us to believe, then there's a good chance that it might not be able to take a Socket A Sempron CPU.

The others have hit it on the nose; yes, a Barton would be nice, but it's overpriced, and there's simply no need to stick with the Socket A platform, when Socket 754 boards are available.

If you're really trying to conserve money, you can go with a Socket 754 board based on the GeForce 6100 chipset, which includes integrated video that will do a much better job than your old card did. Also, since it would have a PCI-e slot, you can upgrade much more easily in the future.

Mobile Socket 754 Semprons can be found on eBay for a pittance (50 bucks), and can overclock quite well.
 
Spend $80 and get a socket 754 sempron/mb combo, socket A just simply doesnt cut it anymore.
 
You are in the same boat that I am. I need to upgrade something fierce from what I have been I am debating on whether to put some money into this dying vehicle or not. More than likely I will do what I can to save and get a new 939 system going.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top