Newbie First Build Socket A - Advice Needed !

scoc

scoc

scoc

Associate
Joined
5 Mar 2009
Posts
7
Ok this started months ago with me wanting more memory for an old socket a pc that a mate built for me about 5 years ago and has escalated into me joining this forum, collecting lots of computer bits (some from old pc, some from an auction site and a few donated by another mate) and me wanting to build my own socket a system and overclock the nuts off it ! !
So need lots of help, advice and opinions please, lets start with what i have collected so far and then some advice on what else i will need to purchase, what to throw in the bin and what to put on auction site:

ATX Case - Dont know the name
PSU - Came with the case 450W
Mobos - (1) NF7-S V2.0 (2) NF7-S V1.2 (3) Dont Laugh - PC Chips M848a
CPUs - Athlon xp 3000, Athlon xp 2500 - 2 of these, Sempron 2800
Cooling - OCZ Freeze extreme Thermal compound, Thermaltake Cl-P0114 Big Typhoon, 120mm fan and a 140mm fan.
HDD - 2 very old ide drives (i will be replacing these any ideas)
DVDRW - LG ide
GFX Card - HD3450
Memory - Lots of different sticks none of it much good will buy new (any ideas)

Where do people suggest i go from here ?
Thanks in advance !
 
first of all definitely a dual core:D but what is your budget it makes it easier for us to spec you a system when we know how much money you are working with:D

other things do you need a new:

Monitor
Operating System
peripherals
and case:D
 
Budget: Under £150 well under if possible.
No monitor needed as the HD3450 will plug into my 42" Flat screen in living room.
No case needed happy with the one i have.
I do need an operating system i was thinking Windows XP Pro.
Got wireless mouse and keyboard.

This system will be used mostly for downloading music and video. Some small amounts of video editing and browsing the internet. I have a 1TB external drive so was thinking of two SATA HDD one between 80GB and 160GB for OS and software and another about 200GB for other stuff ?
 
Firstly, I wouldnt bother... but you obviously will :p

Theres no point in putting anything on Ebay, as it wont be worth the effort (except the Bartons).

I'd keep the 3000 and 2500.

Dont expect big clocks from either though, the max you'll probably see is 2.2-2.3.

All the ram will probably be pants, so just try and get matched pairs of the biggest size :p

Just buy one HDD for now, like a second hand 40gb IDE just to run the OS. It'll take you a while to fill up the 1TB anyway.
 
Some real enthusiasm and positive thinking coming from this thread then ....:D.... Ok so i dont want to spend a lot but i am also not going to be asking a lot from the pc either.
From what i have read on this site the NF7-S V2.0 is a well respected mobo with good ocing potential as are barton core socket a processors. Yes its old or retro some may even say classic but this forum should be for all overclockers, the rich and poor, the knowledgable and the not so knowledgable, the first time builders and the experienced ones.
So i will go about this differently and try for a brighter response...

I will use the NF7-S V2.0 mobo and the athlon xp 3000 cpu could someone please recommend the best ram i could use with this configuration 2 sticks dual or 3 sticks, make, speed etc. Surely its worth me paying £30 for a SATA HDD rather than getting a second hand ide HDD :confused:
Should i flash bios the board as it is from the bay dont know what version is currently on there and where would i find the bios i need ?
 
get yourself 2 1gb sticks of ram, ddr2 400 i think will be fastest you can use. a sata hd will be a good addition rather than an IDE, i would expect you could only get upto around 2.2-3 ghz with the bartons but that will be fine for what you want to use it.
 
Doesn't socket A use PC133 RAM not DDR ?
Even though it's a modest system, I would still cough up £40 for a decent PSU, rather than one that came with the case.
Given your budget and specs, you might consider Linux ? Not that I'm an expert in that area. A retail windows will use all your budget and an OEM copy would be tied to that motherboard (at least in theory).
 
My old Socket A system (still up and running btw) is a Athlon2500 mobile @ 3200 speeds in a Abit AN7 mobo (not too dissimilar to the NF7 you are using). The Ram is DDR400 (PC3200) - that's ddr1 and using an old Asus X800 xt/pe. Oh, and two SATA (1) hdds. Running ubuntu it works like a charm using a 320w psu.

You won't get massive amounts of o'cing but it'll be a good learning experience. Infact, when this machine was retired from everyday desktop / gaming use it was my media centre (albeit with a different GPU) for about 2 years. That was using a linux mythtv distro (knoppmyth).
 
i say save up another 150£ and you will have 300£ will build you a nice new and modest system:D

tbh i have seen a lot of unwanted pc's around that spec for 50£ do not use the auction site look in classifieds becasue they are more willing to sell it at a modest price rather that pot luck you in an auction:D:D:D

if you would like some help mail :D
 
\o/ Socket A \o/ Probably the longest running and most respected socket ever :D

My old system still runs fine making for an ideal backup machine.

Suggestions:

First work out exactly what you've got. Check all the memory is old school ddr1 to avoid accidents, then start combining the parts to check for any duds. At this point all you need to do is boot to bios, or download a Linux distro and do some real testing :) You can even try some over clocking and while initially limited by this random collection of hw you can do all this without spending a penny.

Cool. Now you know what works and what doesn't you can plan your future upgrades. XP is a good choice, 1GB ram or more would be nice as would some nice new HD's. But, watch the prices and keep an eye on the costs of buying current generation hardware, at some point you may conclude that the free parts actually end up costing more that a new system.
 
:DOk some good info and suggestions here so let me update:

Operating System will be XP pro and that is seperate to the hardware budget of £150.

It would appear the best ram for this board is DDR 400 (PC3200) and am i right in thinking 2 sticks of dual 1GB are better than 3 sticks of 1GB :confused:(although that doesnt seem to make sense). From what i gather i want to be looking at buying Kingston, Corsair or crucial ?

With regards to PSU and my GFX card which is AGP by the way i will stick with what i have unless i encounter a problem with either one.

So I Have:
Case
PSU
Mobo - NF7-S V2.0
CPU - Athlon xp 3000
GFX - HD3450
HSF - Big typhoon
Fans - 120mm + 140mm
TC - OCZ Freeze
DVDRW - LG something IDE

Will buy:
Sata HDD 120GB - £40
2 Sticks DDR 400 - £70
Total = £110

£40 under budget what have i forgotten :confused:

Just to stop the suggestions of buy this system or save up a bit of money and get this.... I have the cash to go out and buy a new system tomorrow but where is the fun and sense of achievement in that this is a learning experience and if succesful i may well look at building a modern monster system next year ! Many thanks to all though :D
 
DON'T DO THAT.

buy what I said above, it'll be more than double the speed.

DDR1 is stupidly expensive now


use your brain
 
The Socket A is a great base for learning how to overclock.

The NF7 / NF7S are quite possibly THE best Socket A board ever, and coupled with a JIUHB XP17 and a good RAM stick or two and you will have some great fun.

For example, I still have mine and the XP2500 has hit 2.9 and the XP17 has hit 3.0, both on Abit NF7 Boards...Both CPUZ Validated too!!

However...

As has already been said, even if oyu do manage to get stupidly OTT clocks on a socket A, its still going to be a complete fart compared to even the slowest stock setup of today.

But yourself anything thats not a celeron and you will be laughing and yes, the price of RAM alone is a bloody good reason to no longer bother with DDR.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom