New CPU.. please help!!
 

im looking to try and perhaps get another cpu for my epox 8rda3+ motherboard...
my girl friend has been having lots of problems with it when it comes to booting from cold.. it takes about 4 resets to get the darn thing working properly.
i have just changed it over for another nforce 2 i have laying about (an abit nf7-s rev 2) and since then i have been able to push the same cpu higher on the overclock and make it do a 200fsb rather than a 166 like it was doing..
i have managed to get it working at 200 x 11 (giving me 2.1ghz rather than 166 x 12 = xp 2400 speeds on the epox board which gave me problems... weird..)
anyway, i was just thinking would an xp 2800 barton or one of these unlocked xp1800 be better? (i found this model... XP1800 OEM Thoroughbred cores AIWGA 0322RPMW DLT3C)
which would be best? my current epox 8rda+ board wont go above 190 fsb at all, as its a A2 stepping board and not the C1 stepping type like the 8rda3+ board which IS C1 stepping) what should i do with the 8rda3+ board i have?
i have seen a review of the DFI motherboard is it? the lan party one? i believe it to have been reviewed on amandtech site and they where raving about it..
im aiming to try and get a nice stable, FAST pc as im doing live video capture and i need the speed there for decoding should i need to do that as well.. also the odd game when i get the chance to do that!!
just a few other pieces of hardware i have i figure might be worth mentioning, an ati 9700 pro (when i get it returned from mirco direct through an rma) and 1 gig of corsair xms LL3200 memory (Dual DDR channel kit).. i was using the on board sound and the network adaptor on the 8rda+.. (the 8rda3+ is now not being used..)

if you're going to overclock, i'd definitely go with a baton now. get a 2500, no need to spend a bunch of cash on a 2800. the 2500 is cheap, and from what i hear a lot of people have been getting 2.1ghz+ out of them. cheap, and you still get the bigger cache

but which motherboard to go with the barton?
 

that sounds great, but what motherboard should i use or get? my epox boards i have (8rda+ and the 8rda3+) seem to be rather limited when overclocking...
for example, my 8rda+ wont go above 11 x 190 and my8rda3+ wont go above 10 x 200 (and thats at a push)...
please help!!
i have tried searching for this DFI Lan Party Motherboard that Amandtech reviewed and said it was the best AMD board about, but i live in the UK and i cant find it anywhere :( any ideas?

Drop the 2500+ on an ABIT NF7-S r2 and you'll be fine. Don't waste cash on that 1800+ TBred A.

ideal!! that has sold me!! is there anything i need to watch out for when buying or is it all straight forward? thanks for the help!!

The best OC you can get with an 'A' core (even if it is a DLT3C) stepping is at best 300mhz though they are unreaible.

I have a 2000+ A core (normally 1667mhz) and I cannot however hard I try get a stable OC past 1833mhz and an even remotely stable OC past 2gig.

unless you are getting this CPU for free or so dirt cheap it doesn't matter if it fries get the barton. You'll be able to at the worst have a high clock than the 1800.

If it was a 'B' core though... that would be a different story.

~ Boli

Just get a Barton from anywhere. They are all relatively new if you go through a major OEM provider like Newegg. You won't get the Mhz clock of the 1700+ chips, but you will get speed in a different way due to the cache, especially considering your graphics solution.

Just do it. They can be found as low as $75 and as high as $100. You can't go wrong.

XP1800 OEM Thoroughbred cores AIWGA 0322RPMW DLT3C - that was the XP1800 cpu that they are offering, but im not sure what it is..
i think by the sounds of it the barton is a better cpu anyway, faster more L1 cache and does it overclock very well?
any tips on overclocking them, do they need a bit of a push when it comes to the voltage increase? any limits i shouldnt go over and above?
what peoples personal feelings towards the nf7-s rev 2????

You're worrying too much. First, DO NOT GET THAT TBRED CHIP FOR GOD'S SAKE IT IS A POS TBRED "A"!!!!!

See the stepping? AIWG!!!A!!! (emphasis added). Don't buy it.

As for bartons, you could never be sure. You may get one that caps at 2200 and no amount of voltage will get it higher. You may get one that runs 2400 at stock voltage. There is a large variance in those chips and you really have to learn to overclock and troubleshoot if you're going to continue on this road. Truly, if every chip were the same, then there would be no challenge in this ... that's why it is an art: no two systems are alike. The only way to really know what will happen will be to pick one up and see if you can get it to scream hail to the king ... know what I mean?

The variance on A chips is 1800-2100 (generally).

The variance on B chips is 2200-2600 (generally).

The variance on Bartons is 2200-2500 (generally).

Bartons at equal speed spank TBreds, generally.

Bartons at slightly lower speeds (+/- 15%) generally perform equally or better than TBreds in real world applications.

You be the judge.

edit: NF7-S r2 is a good board. The top range in V on a barton is determined by what you want out of it, though on watercooling is around 1.9V and on top end aircooling around 1.85V. On mediocre aircooling I wouldn't push past 1.775V.

well thats ideal!
 

well i have just been let down by buying the two epox boards as i was told that they are the best or what have you and with the problems that i have been having im a little worried about spending out so much money and getting the same hassle..
but then saying that, with regards to the nf7-s im running my girl friends amd xp 1700 @ 10.5 x 200 at 1.55vcore and its fine.. the only thing that lets it down is the case because theres very little air flow in it.. which is one of the main reason i have to change the case..
but trying the same thing on either epox boards it just dont want to know at all.. the best my 8rda3+ board can do is 10 x 200 and nothing will get it to work past that.. (extra voltage etc..) and my 8rda+ wont go past 190 without making a right mess out of the graphics on screen...
im going to try abit, but i have also read a little about this DFI lan party nforce 2 board.. but i cant get it over here in england yet, would it be worth having a look at that one or sticking with the abit?
id like to be getting at least 2.2ghz, i need the extra speed for my live video capture.. anything else you might sugguest? thanks for the help! its really appreaited!