Building a new machine...hows this?

[Buffalo2102]

Thermal paste goes between the CPU and heatsink.  You only need to apply a small drop so that when the heatsink is pushed onto the top of the CPU it spreads into a very thin layer.  This helps to transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink.

[Chandler]

But if the heatsink already has a thermal pad (looks like plastecine) then you don't put thermal paste on.

[trav]

hhmm.....can you ot put too much on? How much is too much?

[Buffalo2102]

Trav

Yes, it is possible to put too much on.  Have a look here http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions.htm for a useful guide.

[trav]

 :o looks scary!! Way too many steps!! :o

[trav]

I also found something at A-Computers --> Upgrade Kits and thought that might work out for me :)

[trav]

What do you guys think of  those kits? I think it'd be better than buying all this stuff and breaking it....like the procressor etc..

[Carskick]

What do you guys think of  those kits? I think it'd be better than buying all this stuff and breaking it....like the procressor etc..

If you still want to build a computer, but don't want to do things like install the CPU, heatsink, etc, then buy a barebones system off of newegg or tiger, or something. They usually include at least a mobo and a processor already assembled, and some even include such things such as RAM, a case, a PSU, or even a video card.

[Mark H]

Carskick, Newegg doesn't ship to Canada and I wouldn't trust Tiger for anything. The barebones idea is good if Travis can find a supplier in Canada.

[Carskick]

Whats wrong with Tiger. I helped a friend order a video card and an RCA cable from them, and they both worked flawlessly. They also arrived before expected.

[Mark H]

Whats wrong with Tiger. I helped a friend order a video card and an RCA cable from them, and they both worked flawlessly. They also arrived before expected.

I haven't bought from them, but I haven't heard great things either. They only have a 7.3 out of 10 rating on resellerratings which isn't a very good rating in my opinion. Newegg  has a 9.7 rating, but they don't ship to Canada.

Mark H

[yokosi]

I guess if your worried about the thermal paste, then try and find a cpu with the compound implemented on it already.  Most CPU'S already have them on it anyhow.  My XP 2800 did.

Travis, not sure where in canada you live but Canada Computers is a really good store to buy parts.  They're located in Toronto, Ontario.  
Or if you want, I can get you some decent deals at a couple of wholesalers in my town here and ship them over to you b/c im registered as a reseller with a few companies, so I can get a huge variety of pc components.

[trav]

I heard from a friend that most computer parts sellers will tput the CPU on the mobo for you.


I then verified this by phoning A&A Computers and asking them.  :)

I plan to buy from either A&A Computers or A-Computers.

[trav]

How much cache does the Pentium 3 have? Someone at A-Computers told me 512 but i find that hard to belive.....is he right?

[Buffalo2102]

Intel produced two flavours of Pentium III processors with 256 or 512 L2 cache.

[Carskick]

How much cache does the Pentium 3 have? Someone at A-Computers told me 512 but i find that hard to belive.....is he right?

It is likely, but it isn't full speed cache. Nowadays, all modern CPUs have L1 and L2 cache that runs at the same clock speed as the CPU, giving the instant access to immediate memory. Back in the P3 and earlier days, the CPUs often had cache that ran at 2/3 or 1/2 the clock speed of the CPU. I think some of the later post 1ghz P3s had full speed cache, but yours does not.

[query]

All the Slot1 PIIs and most of the Slot 1 PIIIs have half-speed L2 caches.  Once the Coppermine core came online, the cache was smaller (256K vs. 512K) but ran at full core speed - by then, Intel began rapidly phasing out the Slot 1 design in favor of Socket 370.  On the Slot 1 CPUs (and on the AMD Slot-As), the L2 cache wasn't part of the processor core- that came later.

All Coppermine  and Tualatin processors, Celeron and PIII have full-speed, on-die L2 cache.

[trav]

I have heard that 2600+'s run at 2.13Ghz, but the one at A-Computers runs at 1.9GHz



Is the 2.13GHz one a new release or what???

Would i overclock the 1.9GHz to get the full 2.13GHz out of it?

[Buffalo2102]

AMD made several models of the XP2600+ processor.  The Thoroughbred B processors had two models with 133 and 166 FSB speeds.  These had clock speeds of 2133 and 2083 respectively.

The Barton models (again, 133 and 166) run at 2000 and 1917.

Sounds like the A-computers 2600 is a Barton at 166MHz FSB and runs at 1917MHz.

For a full list of the AMD processor models and their specs, see here http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2178&p=5

You wouldn't need to overclock any of them.  The higher FSB speed means that the processor is slightly faster then the 133 version and allows you to use faster memory (without overclocking).  Because it has a higher FSB it uses a lower multiplier to achieve the same performance.

[trav]

Ah, i see...coool......is it true that AMDs numbers are for ssaying that they'll beat the PIV of the same speed

example - 2600+ -- faster than PIV 2.6Ghz?

[trav]

Also, this board is smaller than the DFI CA64-EC


ASUS A7V400-MX:
9.6"x 9.6"(24.5cm x 24.5cm)


DFICA64-EC:
30.5cm x 21cm
12 inch. x 8.26 inch.
(wow, im really covering all the bases for building a system :) :P)

Will i need to re-arange the risers when putting this new mobo in?

[Buffalo2102]

Ah, i see...coool......is it true that AMDs numbers are for ssaying that they'll beat the PIV of the same speed

example - 2600+ -- faster than PIV 2.6Ghz?

No.  Not better than, but equal to a PIV 2.6GHz

Will i need to re-arange the risers when putting this new mobo in?

Probably not.  If it is smaller, it may need fewer risers but they are likely to be in the same places.  Not a big issue if they are not, anyway.

[trav]

so this:
AMD 2600+ (BARTON)
256 ---> 512 ---> 2Gb RAM
Gigabyte Radon 9200SE ---> something better
DFICA64-EC ---> ASUS A7V400-MX

will play Doom 3 good?


"--->" denotes upgrade path

[Chandler]

256 ---> 512 ---> 2Gb RAM

1GB is more than enough.

Gigabyte Radon 9200SE ---> something better

This won't play Doom 3 good.

[trav]

this - the radeon 9200SE?

I know that, im going to upgrade :)

[trav]

Will "this" (a new videocard) not run Doom3 well because it will get bottlenecked? Will a new videocard get bottle necked by this system? What do you guys hink my limits for bottle-neckage are?


or is this, the radeon 9200SE?

[pat]

If your worried about a bottle neck, just get a bigger light bulb.

[trav]

done. :P
No, really, how far wit the videocards can i go untill i get bottlenecked?

[Carskick]

If you use your current computer with a new video card, the computer will be a bottleneck in games. If you get a new computer keeping your current video card, the video card will be the bottleneck in games.

Is that what you were asking?

Also, Athlon XP 2600+ really means aproximently equal to an old early generation Athlon running at 2.6Ghz, which it did not. But if it did, it would run similarily to an Athlon XP 2600+. It has become assossiated with P4s, but that wasn't the original intention. Or at least the official one.

[trav]

No, what i'm asking is:


With the AMD2600+, how high up in the vdeocard specs can i go untill i get bottlenecked?