Minor Upgrade

[kw87]

So I'm dissapointed in my processor not having SSE2 support but I don't want to get a whole new system until Vista SP1. I want to stay in the $60-$80 range so here's what I'm thinking:

Intel Celeron D 326 533MHz FSB LGA 775 EM64T Processor w/ Execute Disable Bit - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819112207

ASRock 775Dual-880Pro ATX Intel Motherboard - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157080R

Those two would cost me $77. I would then sell my current Abit NF7-S motherboard and CPU and get a new DVD burner and a Firewire card

What's all of your opinion on the matter? I'm mainly doing this so I can run Adobe Premiere Elements which requires SSE2 support. I figure I'll get a whole new system in 2008 anyway so this should hold me over till then.

Also, one side question. Can a Micro ATX motherboard fit in a ATX case?
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Pentium D 805 2.6 @ 3.8GHz
Asus P5ND2-SLI Intel Edition
240GB RAID 0 SATA
2 GB DDR2 666 @ 766MHz
Gigabyte 7600GS Silent

[Google]

[fussnfeathers]

Well, one problem I can see off the bat...........the FSB of the proc is too low for the mobo. If the proc will even post, it'll be running slower than normal speeds. You need a mobo that matches the 533mhz FSB of the proc.

If you want my opinion, and don't have a ton of cash to spend, this would be a far better board (at the same approximate price range) that will do you fine for a year or so:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138023

I would try to stick with an Intel chipset, as the VIA and SiS chipsets are not quite a good.

And yes, a MicroATX board will fit in an ATX case, if it's aftermarket. You'll have to move some standoffs around, and obviously you'll have some unused PCI slots, but it will fit.
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Big enough to scare you

[2old2care]

That Asrock board also is DDR2 so new memory would be required.
I would save, and up my ante a bit for a P4 for your graphics proggy. That celery would prolly be disappointing after that Athlon.
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Liquid-Cooled Q9450 and an EeePC
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[kw87]

So I got a little bit more money ($100 total) to put into this system and here's what I've come up with. What do you think?

AMD Sempron 64 2500+ 1600MHz HT Socket 754 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104251

Open Box: BIOSTAR K8NHA Grand ATX AMD Motherboard - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138240R
_________________
Pentium D 805 2.6 @ 3.8GHz
Asus P5ND2-SLI Intel Edition
240GB RAID 0 SATA
2 GB DDR2 666 @ 766MHz
Gigabyte 7600GS Silent

[kw87]

So I went an looked again and for the same price (after shipping) I can get the Sempron 2800+ instead (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819104245). I think that come winter I would like to overclock this so my question is which is the better overclocker? Should I get the 2800 as it starts me at a higher point? Less overclocking to do? Or do you know if the 2500 is a better chip to OC? Thank you all for your input.
_________________
Pentium D 805 2.6 @ 3.8GHz
Asus P5ND2-SLI Intel Edition
240GB RAID 0 SATA
2 GB DDR2 666 @ 766MHz
Gigabyte 7600GS Silent

[fussnfeathers]

IMO, you're taking a step backwards in performance. The Sempron is to the Athlon what the Celeron is to the P4......half the performance, basically.

Also remember that you're looking at AGP based boards, which are already difficult to find good video cards for. I honestly think your expectation of 2 years is high.........especially if you want to run Adobe products. You're seriously limiting yourself on performance, both on the processor end, and the RAM end.

Honestly, I would hold off until you have a bit more in the bank, and go for a regular Athlon64 or P4, and a new mobo that supports PCIe and the newest RAM. I know you want to run Elements (you posted about this awhile back), but what you're planning is pretty much a waste of hard-earned cash.

What I would do is scour eBay for good deals, and find something that's a worthwhile purchase. Since you want to do photo editing, you can't really afford to go bottom-drawer, your overall performance will suck........and believe me, the difference between an Athlon64 and a Sempron is VERY noticeable.
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Big enough to scare you

[kw87]

Well,

I ended up making the upgrade. I am pretty happy with the new system. It's a bit quieter and the RAID seems to be much more stable. I do appreciate the advice, however, I can't really afford to spend that much right now. I was able to OC the system to a 1.98GHz up from 1.6. I think the main limitation is my motherboard which won't let me up the voltage which this processor could handle. Oh well, I'm happy with where I ended up. Thanks again for the help.

kw
_________________
Pentium D 805 2.6 @ 3.8GHz
Asus P5ND2-SLI Intel Edition
240GB RAID 0 SATA
2 GB DDR2 666 @ 766MHz
Gigabyte 7600GS Silent

[fussnfeathers]

Hey, as long as you're happy, that's what counts. Congrats on the new purchase, and if you have problems, you know where to come.
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Big enough to scare you