[uosux]

So I should be able to OC my 2500 with the stock cooling? And yes, I did get the XP 2500+, sorry for the confusion. I've got the PC3200 ram, so what does that mean for me?

 

[Mr.Radar]

The 2500+ runs at 11x166 FSB (which is DDR333 or PC2700) stock and the 3200+ runs 11x200 FSB (which is DDR400 or PC3200) stock which means that you can overclock your chip to a 3200+ by changing the FSB to 200 MHz. Since nForce 2 motherboards have PCI locks you can safely use FSB speeds that aren't incriments of 33 (as long as you have the AGP bus set to 66 MHz and not AUTO). You can tell if your overclock is safe by monitoring the temperature with programs like SpeedFan or Motherboard Monitor 5 (AthlonXP's should stay below 65*C under load with less than 50*C under load preferred and 85*C maximum at load or idle (before they fry, literally)). You can test the stability of your overclock with Prime95's Torture Test. If it doesn't generate any errors for 12+ hours (24 if you're extra paranoid) then your overclock is stable.

 

[Skipinder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by uosux So I should be able to OC my 2500 with the stock cooling?

You can overclock with stock cooling if your temps are low enough but you will much better results with a better heatsink and fan and some more case fans, and you will prolong the life of your processor a bit with better cooling

 

[CMacDaddy]

I've got a very similiar setup for my parents, and its OCed to 2.23 ghz with stock cooling. Only difference is I have a cheaper Mobo. Just be sure to dust it occasionally...

turns out thats part of the reason why my last comp died... among other problems involved with leaving electronics with old people...

 

[uosux]

Sorry to bring this thread back to life, with all of the "I'm building a computer" threads. I have a change of scenario, and I wanted to run it by you people.

I was ordering my system from Cyberpower Inc., but after placing my order found them to be a risky and incompotent company. Tonight I cancelled the order, and decided to build the computer myself. It's the cheapest way, and the only way I can be in control of everything. This will be my first time building a computer.

Here is what I am ordering from newegg.com. I already received my Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro. Please let me know if it passes your judgement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASPIRE Turbo Case X-Dreamer Black Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply, Model "ATXB3KLW/350W"
Item# N82E16811144001

$55.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEC 8X DVD+RW/-RW Drive, Model ND-2500A, OEM Bulk
Item# N82E16827152011

$63.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** SPECIAL VOLUME DISCOUNT ***
Speeze 80mm DC Case fan, Model "FD08025S1M4"
Item# N82E16835150007

(Quantity 10) $9.90
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144118

$84.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - Retail
Item# N82E16820141424

$82.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
KDS XF-7BK 17" Xtreme Flat CRT Monitor –RETAIL
Item# N82E16824155031

$97.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Albatron "KX18D Pro" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813170113

$59.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logitech MX300 Optical Mouse USB/ PS/2 -RETAIL
Item# N82E16826104127

$19.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
Item# N82E16819103379

$87.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALTEC LANSING 251 5.1 Amplified Speaker System -RETAIL
Item# N82E16836113126

$39.99
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am getting 10 80mm fans, because I wanted a few for my case, and with the "volume discout" it is cheaper to get 10 than 3. No kidding.

 

[wallijonn]

If you're a gamer you may want to consider the MX510.

EMail WD and ask them if they will increase the warranty to 3 years for the web price of $15.

I know how you feel about the fans, I was able to find a website that sells Delta WFB1212M 120mm 74cfm 35 dB fans for $4 apiece, 6 minimum as many places have them for $10 apiece.

 

[uosux]

I thought about the mx510, but went with the mx300 for money reasons. From what I read, it looks like it will perform pretty well. Maybe not great, but good enough for me I think.

I placed my order with newegg just now. Ordered two of everything (except monitor) for my brother too.