Two budget systems -- which is the "better"?

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pinxet

I suspect this may be an apples/oranges kind of question --

I'm trying to weigh which of two systems is "better" -- ambiguous term
I know.
I'm looking for an overall summary comparison. Both are light-use,
general purpose machines, one of which I'll be giving to a relative as
a first computer.

Box #1 --
Gigabyte GA-7VKML mainboard
XP2600+ CPU
512 mb PC133 RAM

Box #2 --
Biostar M7VIG Pro mainboard
XP2100+ CPU
512 mb PC2100 RAM

I'm faked-out how to arrive at an overall weighting --
one has stronger CPU and slower memory,
the other weaker CPU but faster memory.


Thank you for any guidance or explainations anyone can provide.
Happy Easter
 
Frankly, there isn't all that much difference, same basic mobo, same
chipset, almost identical features. The memory is the only *big*
difference. For my money, the Biostar is the better choice (given only the
information you've provide and a glance at the mobo specs).

The Biostar comes w/ on-board video, and while nothing to get excited about,
at least its one less thing to buy. The Gigabyte mentions a VGA port, but
makes no further mention of on-board video, strange, it's not clear if
on-board video is really provided, you'd need to check the manual to be
sure. I also assume the Biostar AGP is 4x (doesn't say specifically). The
only thing it seems you'll need for the Biostar is a LAN card (says
optional, so probably not provided), but that's less than $5. The one thing
I really don't like about the Biostar is the placement of the IDE and
parallel ports, they run parallel to the ends of the PCI slots. It appears
to be offset, but I never like that type of setup, a long PCI card could be
problematic. Not enough alone to swing me to the Gigabyte, but something I
immediately noticed (the Gigabyte does it right).

So in the end, I say, take the better memory, the Biostar w/ PC2100. It
tops out that board anyway, so no further need to concern yourself about
potential upgrades.

I would consider the Gigbyte under one condition. If you were willing to
sell the PC133 on eBay, for example, and pick up PC2100 for yourself.
Sometimes the older stuff goes for more than the newer! Just depends on
supply and demand. If you're lucky, you'll make $5-10, if not, break even.
Something to consider. If you like the Gigabyte, try the SDR-RAM for a
while, if you think a memory upgrade is preferable, dump it on eBay and get
the PC2100. But at least you'll have the faster processor in-hand.

HTH

Jim
 
pinxet said:
I suspect this may be an apples/oranges kind of question --

I'm trying to weigh which of two systems is "better" -- ambiguous term
I know.
I'm looking for an overall summary comparison. Both are light-use,
general purpose machines, one of which I'll be giving to a relative as
a first computer.

Box #1 --
Gigabyte GA-7VKML mainboard
XP2600+ CPU
512 mb PC133 RAM

Box #2 --
Biostar M7VIG Pro mainboard
XP2100+ CPU
512 mb PC2100 RAM
Click to expand...

Box two is better, but only about 10%, maybe. -Dave
 
Thanks for the responses. I had a feeling the conclusions would be
about the same, with a leaning toward the Biostar
Thanks again
 
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