AMD Processor Advice

[Jonathan Bishop]

I am building a new machine.

MB proposed is a ASUS 87N8X-X ( or Delux ? - What are the core differences.
I cant see many apart from Raid and Firewire, neither of which I need on
this machine)



Getting a bit confused over the processors XP 2600 'Barton' vs XP2500
'Thoroughbred'.I am thinking about the XP2500 at the moment.

2600 = Faster clock but less level 2 (256)
2500 = Slower clock but more level 2 (512)

Questions:
Any other differences I need to know about !? 2500 is cheaper and I dont
need every ounce of oomph.
Is this MB a good choice ?
Can I use Dual DDR400 on it ?

Cheers anyone.

 

[Heath Holden]

MB proposed is a ASUS 87N8X-X ( or Delux ?

I think you mean the A7N8X Deluxe. I don't personally have experience with
this board, but it & the Abit nf7-s seem to be the 2 hottest AMD boards
right now.

Getting a bit confused over the processors XP 2600 'Barton' vs XP2500
'Thoroughbred'.I am thinking about the XP2500 at the moment.

XP 2500+ Barton is the way to go IMO

Questions:
Can I use Dual DDR400 on it ?
Yes

Cheers anyone.

Search for the A7N8X Deluxe at newegg.com. Read the customer reviews & see
the specs.
Here:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-436&depa=1

Heath

 

[Julius Ceaser]

The Asus A7N8X-X does not have Dual DDR!

You would have to compare the exact parts for a better comparison. It may
not have the 3Com Nic Either.

 

[Big Daddy]

I am building a new machine.

MB proposed is a ASUS 87N8X-X ( or Delux ? - What are the core
differences. I cant see many apart from Raid and Firewire, neither of
which I need on this machine)



Getting a bit confused over the processors XP 2600 'Barton' vs XP2500
'Thoroughbred'.I am thinking about the XP2500 at the moment.

2600 = Faster clock but less level 2 (256)
2500 = Slower clock but more level 2 (512)

Questions:
Any other differences I need to know about !? 2500 is cheaper and I dont
need every ounce of oomph.
Is this MB a good choice ?
Can I use Dual DDR400 on it ?

Cheers anyone.

Traditionally, Asus boards that have been designated "Deluxe" include RAID.
The one without the "Deluxe" designation is the same board without it. It
used to be that boards with the suffix "-E" were RAID boards, but Asus has
changed that. Any Asus motherboard is always a good choice. I have
experiences with Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI boards and my next board will
likely be an Asus.

The Barton processor is the newest technology of the two. I'm not sure about
the cache thing, though.

 

[Hank]

The 2600+ comes in the Barton flavor with the 512 cache too. From what I
understand it oc's just as good as the 2500+ if not better because of the
higher multi and with the DDR 400 you mentioned, 200 FSB should be no
problem. That is if you decide to pump it up a bit. So since the multi's are
looked on the new ones now and it only cost 15 bucks more I'd go for the
2600+, but that's just me.

Hank

 

[Ric]

The Asus A7N8X-X does not have Dual DDR!

You would have to compare the exact parts for a better comparison.
It may not have the 3Com Nic Either.

it's an nforce2 board so it does support DDR AFAIK - i'd be surprised if
this wasn't the case...

ric

 

[Jonathan Bishop]

thanks for the advice guys.....