Processor(s)
Model : AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2200+
Speed : 1.80GHz
Model Number : 2200 (estimated)
Performance Rating : PR2616 (estimated)
Type : Standard
L2 On-board Cache : 256kB ECC synchronous write-back

System Mainboard
Bus(es) : ISA AGP PCI IMB USB SMBus/i2c
MP Support : 1 CPU(s)
System BIOS : Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG
System Mainboard : KT400-8235
System Chipset : VIA Technologies Inc VT8377 Apollo KT400 CPU to PCI Bridge
Front Side Bus Speed : 2x 134MHz (268MHz data rate)
Installed Memory : 512MB DDR-SDRAM
Memory Bus Speed : 2x 168MHz (336MHz data rate)

Video System
Adapter : NVIDIA GeForce2 MX/MX 400

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Oh, the parts cost 291 €!

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Just encoding Jackass, 110 minutes with 352x288 template...

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CheronAph, Kwag and all:

trying to turn the pc better.
a few days a buy a new AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+
and put in my head to feel if i think faster.


nothing change in my brain...
still slow(my head have old MB),

but in pc changed the old
AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1600+
to the
AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2000+
feel a big difference!!

thought I might hijack this thread since my question is very similar to the original one. I'm looking to upgrade my current Celeron 1.2ghz system and I was thinking of getting the new Athlon 2500+ Barton chipset. I do mostly KVCD encoding, and not much gaming. So I'm looking at getting (all prices in Canadian dollars):

AMD Athlon XP 2500+ Barton -- $139

256mb DDR333 -- $44
or 256mb DDR400 -- $69 (for overclocking?)

MSI K7N3-L nVidia nForce2 -- $139
or Abit NF7-S nVidia nForce2 -- $169 (better for overclocking?)

So how does this combo work? Which memory/mobo combo would you get? My other last question is whether I should get a P4 2.4B Ghz chipset for $100 more. I hear the P4s make a huge difference when it comes to video encoding, but I'm a cheap student so I'm looking for the best "bang for buck" combo. Thanks guys!

Best value for money is the Athlon XP.

Get a motherboard with NForce2 chipset and two 256MB DDR modules. The NForce2 uses a dual channel to get better memory performance and that's why you should have two separate memory modules.

I don't know how much overclocking the XP would take, but I'd choose faster RAM.

Thanks Boulder, I think I'm pushing towards the Athlon XP Barton myself, just cause I can't justify the cost vs. value for the P4. I have heard about the dual DDR thing actually... but with my budget mind I was thinking of getting away with only one 256mb dimm to start with and then when I have more money (and the price hopefully goes down) I'll get another one. Just wasn't sure if I should start now with DDR333 or DDR400. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to AMD overclocking but I heard something about the FSB and memory speed are best run synchronously. So once you go over 333 mhz fsb, your DDR333 memory might not be stable enough to run synchronously, so I was advised to get DDR400 now. It will also be a good upgrade option since newer AMD chipsets will support 400 mhz fsb. I might have my logic all wrong but can someone correct me on this and/or tell me if I'm right? Thanks!

If you can afford it, go for the faster RAM. Eventually it will be useful, especially if you overclock by raising the FSB. The multiplier is probably locked so that's the only way to OC unless you mod the processor slightly. Also if you run the memory at less than 400MHz, you could try lowering the timings (CAS Latency etc.) This will give you a nice performance boost too

Do you think 256mb (either DDR333 or 400) will be good enough for me to start off with? Once I get more money and when prices drop I plan on getting a second DIMM to make use of the dual DDR features of the mobo. But for about twice the price I could get one 512mb dimm to start off with... but if I canget away with only 256mb to start off with, it would certainly help my wallet. Just wondering what others have found in their experience with winxp and especially kvcd encoding -- how does this memory difference make in speed/performance?

On my encodes TMPGEnc uses around 100-200MB of memory. It probably depends on the amount of memory you've got, but WinXP is a true memory hog. I'm thinking about getting another 512MB module to satisfy the beast within the system

If you want to spare some cash, wait for the prices to drop and then get the second module. Encoding will probably be slightly slower but not a great deal slower IMHO. Since 400MHz DDRs just arrived a while ago, the prices should drop quite fast.