Maximum PC

Right now I'm leaning towards just dropping in an XP 3000 (333 FSB), another DDR 333 512MB ram, and a GF 6800 or Rx800 Pro

The question is this: Will the Xp 3000 be fast enough to keep the graphics card feed with data or will there be a bottleneck?

This question is critical as it will detirmine if I keep my mobo or go with an Intel based rig.

i would think that would be alrigt, obviously not the best but OK.

Question: If you can afford the latest expensive video card why not go for an Athlon64 also?

maybe that is all he can afford at the moment

Guess I can understand that.

Should work fine IMO.

Most video cards nowadays do alot of work by themselves (independant of CPU). Not saying it's not a factor, but not as much as it used to be.

If you want to save some cash, you could go for the 2500+ mobile and overclock it to 3200. Believe it or not, the mobile not only has less wattage and therefore less heat, but it can tolerate temperatures much higher than the standard XP.

That chip will save you close to $100. The chip is unlocked stock, so you shouldn't have any trouble oc'ing it.

I've got a plain vannilla 2500+ and it's running quite stable at 3200+. It's been folding for about 2 weeks without a hitch. Now that I've got the AC on, it's staying around 50C. AMD says that the reccomended temps are 64C and below for that CPU, though most oc'ers will tell you that to keep an overclocked cpu stable you should keep it below 55C.

Edit: Why DDR333? DDR400 is cheaper, and even if you don't go up to a 200mhz fsb, it will still work fine. A 512mb stick of Mushkin Enhanced is only $79. Just make sure you run your memory at 6/6 or 1/1. So, if you get that 3000, and keep it at 3000, then it will just underclock your memory. As far as I know, DDR400 is the cheapest stuff on the market, and there is no harm in underclocking RAM

Dan O.

Just to be clear on the DDR. Here is link to a 512mb DDR333 Mushkin Basic Green: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 217&depa=0

And here is a link to a 512mb DDR400 standard Mushkin: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDe ... 219&depa=0

Note that there is only a dollar differnece between the two, yet for that extra dollar you get the standard version, which IMHO is much better than the Basic Green.

Dan O.

uhh i would reccomend a mobile 2400+ over a 2500+ any day. same cache, but the difference in clock is .03ghz or 30 mhz. couple of dollars difference. no question the 2400+ is the better deal.

You would be just fine with that plan. If you have a specific budget and could outline current specs, we could give a better informed decision. Based on the above, however, you would have a capable gaming rig.