Difference in Chipsets?

[Bugman]

Hello All.

Yeah, its been a while since I have posted, and thats why I need your help.

I have recently gotten back into the building busisness, and I am awash in new technology that wasnt around since I built my last rig (That was on an epox board, used the kt266a chipset I believe) And at that point nForce didnt yet exist.

From what I can gather, it seems that the KT600 or the NForce is the way to go. But I have also seen several different variations of the nForce out there. Can someone explain these to me, or at least let me know which are obsolete? Im thinking of using a XP 2500+ with the Barton core, so any boards/chipset combos would be also welcome.

-->Off Topic <-- Any good case reccomendations?

I know its a lot to ask here, and sorry for the long post, but I appreciate your help in advance!!

~Bug

[Soulburner]

Stick with the Nforce2 Ultra 400...

Ultra = Dual Channel
Not = Single

[Thoric]

as for a 2500+/motherboard combination there are the Asus A7N8X Deluxe, Abit NF7-S 2.0, as well as quite a few Epox boards, and from other manufacturers too. Depending on what features you want would determine what board you bought.:thumb:

[Bugman]

Hey there.

So basically all nforce2 chipsets are not the same? I guess that is a place for me to start looking to figure out what the heck is going on. Ill go snoop around and see what I can find out about them, but any help is still greatly appreciated!

~Bug

[Thoric]

Basically all nforce2 motherboards dont variate much except for extra features. Of course the nForce2 and the nForce2 Ultra 400 differentiate a bit, but if 2 motherboards have the same chipsets then then features is what is going to make the difference.:thumb:

[Bugman]

Hey there again.

So I have done some looking around on Toms Hardware, and looked to see what they had for reviews. Looking back, they did a review of some systems using the KT600 chipset. Basically it is saying how the nForce2 Ultra can do the double memory bandwidth but it is still limited by the FSB of the chip.

The person I am building a machine for really doesnt know what they want, they just want to be "current" Since they are currently running a PII 333, it wont take much to get a system they want. They open and close Word, IE, and occasionally use photoshop to crop and adjust the brightness of photos. So, they definitely dont need a screamer of a machine, and they dont really need to worry about the nitty gritty.

So, I guess I am saying that I really appreciate all of the input I have from you guys here, but that I dont know if I need to worry about which chipset or if I can buy on price/features.

Thanks for checking in again!

~Bug

[Black Rain]

If the people you are building for just want to be 'current', I would reccomend that you get a decend but not overly high CPU, e.g. a 2500+ if AMD, and a ultra mobo. (NF7-S, etc.).

That way if anything goes wrong with the CPU later, you can pull it and out and install a 3200+ (they will get cheaper over time, and don't work in non-ultra mobo's).

Buy a single stick of ram, they will never know the diffrence, and if they want more go later, install another.

As for decent cases, I use a Eyo case thats basicly the same as the new Thermaltake/Antec tower models, but it's cheaper. The main reason why I got it was the ease of working on it (removable drive cages...ahhh). If its for the computer your building, I guess that they won't be changing much, and these sorts of cases are wasted on the non-tinkering types out there. Just get a good PSU....