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Sharky Extreme : Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
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Monthly Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide |
July 2002 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 2By Vince Freeman July 5, 2002CPUAMD: Athlon XP 1800+ (1.53 GHz) OEM
Current Cost: $98
The Athlon XP is the default choice for our AMD system, but choosing the actual processor gets a bit more difficult. We'd love to move up to the Athlon XP 1900+, but the AMD price cuts have hit the lower-end models a bit more of late. This makes the Athlon XP 1800+ a better choice at the present time, and at 1.53 GHz, it is still plenty fast for ultra-fast 3D gaming. AMD is also transitioning the Athlon XP to the Thoroughbred core (all the way down to the 1700+) but we have been unable to find any models listed outside the Athlon XP 2200+. Even so, the standard Athlon XP 1800+ is a great value, and whether you intend on unlocking the core or just raising the FSB, potential overclocking speeds are still extremely high.
Current Cost: $138
The choice of a Pentium 4 Northwood for our value system is really just a process of checking the online prices. The Pentium 4-1.6A basically the only model that fits into our budget, but in addition to the low price, this processor several side benefits as well. In addition to excellent performance even at its stock speed, it's probably not going to come as any surprise that the Pentium 4-1.6A GHz is also one lean and mean overclocker. Hitting the 533 MHz bus is a virtual lock (especially if you buy a sealed and untested retail box) and many have been able to go much higher. Since our ASUS motherboard supports the 533 MHz front-side bus, hitting a 2.1 GHz overclock should be a piece of cake, and is reminiscent of the old Celeron 300A at 450 MHz overclock
So basically, even at standard speeds, the Pentium 4-1.6A is the best value, and if you decide to take the clock speed higher, then the benefits will only extend from there. We also recommend buying a retail box, not only for the included heatsink-fan, but to insure that you're receiving a totally untested processor. There have been the odd Pentium 4-1.6A that can't hit the ultra-high overclock speeds, and buying a 100% untested, sealed retail processor gives you far less chance of getting one of those culled runts of the Pentium 4 litter. If you want to be absolutely sure, some online vendors are also offering pre-tested Pentium 4-1.6A/motherboard combos that are guaranteed to hit the 2.1 GHZ mark. Due to the incredibly high overclocking success rates of the Pentium 4-1.6A, these don't usually carry any premium over the individual hardware cost.
Current Cost: $20 + 8 = $28
The Athlon XP does run a bit cooler than the older Athlon model, but we still need some serious cooling that can also serve duty as an overclocking base. It is important not to go too cheap in this area, and the best route is to combine cooling performance with an affordable price. The ThermalTake Volcano 7 certainly fits the bill, and in addition to being expansive enough to handle a high-end speed Athlon XP, the Volcano 7 also features a copper base for maximum heat exchange between the CPU core and the aluminum heatsink fins. This hybrid metal design is a great trade-off between price and performance, as lower priced aluminum HSF units don't offer the same cooling performance, and pure copper models tend to be a bit pricy. ThermalTake has added in an embedded temperature sensor & fan speed control to the basic package. This sensor monitors the temperature of the air next to the HSF and runs at 2900 RPM (46 CFM) at 250C and 5000 RPM (53 CFM) at 350C. It also includes a huge cooling fan and shroud that helps create airflow resembling a 7000-RPM-like fan, but produces much less ambient noise. Some grizzled overclockers have taken issue with the shifting fan speeds and the fact that it does not monitor exact core temperatures, but overall cooling is still exceptional for the price range. The Volcano 7 also looks great and there is also a ThermalTake case sticker inside the box to spiff up your new system.
With any Athlon XP buy, a CPU shim should be a required purchase. The shim fits over the Athlon XP processor and provides a safe and sturdy base when installing a new HSF. At $8 for a high-quality shim, and compared to the prospect of a cracked Athlon XP core, this is money well spent.
Current Cost: $0 The Intel Pentium 4 doesn't exact a huge cooling strain, and the retail heatsink-fan is actually one of the better cooling solutions available. Going the retail CPU route nets you a stock cooler and doing this can be less expensive than buying an OEM processor and adding your own cooling hardware. The retail HSF not only offers excellent cooling, but it represents a great buy as well. An added benefit to the Intel retail cooler is its incredibly quiet operation, and inside a sealed case, the ambient noise levels may be close to unnoticeable Many hardcore overclockers swear by the retail cooler, and this is probably the reason why we have not seen a great deal of 3rd-party Pentium 4 coolers bursting onto the market. We've run these HSF units on a Pentium 4-2.53 GHz with no problem at all, so use with a Pentium 4-1.6 GHz should not present any issues, even if you plan on overclocking to 2.1 GHz or higher.
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