Fastest combination?

[LexusDaisy]

I just finished an Athlon XP 1500 system (my very first) that is plenty fast for now, but want to know what chip to get the most performance out of my 333 fsb board (ASRock k7s41gx)?

In a year or so the high end chips for this board will sell for $30. What would be the fastest one that would work with 333 fsb? What is an AMD "Mobile" chip? Would this one be good?

What flavor memory would the fastest CPU need for best performance?

Can you suggest an $80 dollar range video card that would help out Flight Sims on this system the most? Think the video card prices will drop too?

Thanks

[Gizmo]

I don't know anything about the SiS 741 chipset that board uses, but generally you want to run your memory at a speed synchronous with the process, so PC2700 would be your best bet for this board. Pretty much any chip from 2500+ up to 3000+ should be rated for the 333 MHz bus (there are also some 3000+ that are rated for 400 FSB). I don't know what kind of overclocking options this board has, but if it allows you to set voltage and FSB, you can get a 'mobile' Athlon which will run just as fast, and do it cooler, (assuming the board will support it; not all boards will POST with the mobile chips).

As far as mobiles vs. regulars, in general the mobile chips are just specially graded versions of the standard chips that happen to run well on lower voltages than standard chips, meaning that they also run cooler. This extends battery life and reduces waste heat in laptops. Mobiles are desirable for overclockers because they aren't multiplier locked the way the regular chips are.

Welcome to AOA, and thanks for dropping in!

[mobius_13]

Originally Posted by LexusDaisy

Can you suggest an $80 dollar range video card that would help out Flight Sims on this system the most? Think the video card prices will drop too?

Thanks

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduc...150-042&DEPA=1

I'm not an expert on vid cards, but this looks like a good deal, and in your range, plus you dont sound like you'll be using it for any intensive gaming.