[Pc_Support] Re: Hardware recommendations -- What would you buy?

[Bryan J. Smith]

Damien McKenna <dmckenna at thelimucompany.com> wrote:
> For a workstation best to go with a removable card for
> expansion abilities later on if needed,

Understand the GeForce61x0/nForce4x0 _do_ have a _full_ PCIe
x16 slot for video.  For all intents and purposes, consider
it an nForce4 (GF6100/nF410) or nForce4Ultra (GF6150/nF430)
with "video for free."

So if you're going MicroATX, unless you absolutely want a 2nd
COM port, there's no reason not to buy a GF61x0/nF4x0
mainboard instead of an nForce4/4Ultra.

> though I've not looked at these boards in much detail to 
> know if the boards without onboard video add in enough to
> make it worth it.

$60+ for the Socket-754.
$75+ for the Socket-939.
Virtually _no_ difference between them and the nForce4/4Ultra
options, sometimes cheaper ironically enough.

> If you could get a board with e.g. gig-e built in

The versions with the nForce 430 MCP have GbE on-board: 
 
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=2537&p=2 


They should be out very shortly.  Several mainboard vendors
already show the models with them, for a sub-$100 price -- if
not already.  I've seen several GeForce6150 / nForce430
mainboards on pre-sale for $90.

> or the nForce 4 Ultra chipset instead of video I'd
recommend
> going for it instead.

Again, the nForce430 = nForceUltra feature-wise, so it's like
you're getting the "GeForce 61x0 for free."  It's just that
these "available now" Biostar mainboards are only the
nForce410.

> Pretty darn reasonable IMHO.  Won't fit a DLT drive & DVD
> drive though ;-)

No, but you can put in a SCSI card into one of the 2-3 PCI
slots (depending on if it has a PCIe x1 slot or not, the
Foxconn mainboards don't so they have 3x PCI), and the DLT
drive externally.

> For workstation usage I personally recommend going with
> dual-core over a faster, single core processor.

Then the Athlon x2 3800+ is your baby.

> I'd agree with that, best to save a few hundred bucks if it
> won't give any more than a few bare percent speed
> difference.

Just limits your expansion.  BTW, I think you can find the
DDR400/PC3200 ECC Registered DIMMs in 256MB for as little as
$35 -- so you'd still save almost $250.

I just know the DDR333/PC2700 are most commonplace for
Opteron.  Why?  Stability largely.  Because DDR400/PC3200
limits your expansion to 2 Registered DIMMs per channel,
whereas DDR333/PC2700 can have 4 Reigstered DIMMs per
channel.


-- 
Bryan J. Smith                | Sent from Yahoo Mail
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