Intro, Processor, Motherboard
System Recommendation Guide – December
This content was originally featured on Amdmb.com and has been converted to PC Perspective’s website. Some color changes and flaws may appear.
That’s right; Athlonmb.com is doing a system guide. Unlike most of the other ones that you see the web, this one is going to sweet and simple. I am not going to have 10 different systems for 10 different prices ranges or uses. This is going to be a single system that I think, as an editor, has the most potential for gaming, productivity and development work. Why? Because that is what I do and what many of you do with your computers on an everyday basis as well.Because this is the first one of these that Athlonmb.com has ever published, I’ll start by going into the format of the next several pages. Each component will be listed in an order as closely related to importance that I can fathom up at the time of writing. Each component that is listed will have its name, the current average price of the component, several locations where the component is available for sale, and then a description and explanation of why I decided on that particular component.
Processor – AMD Athlon Thunderbird 1 GHz – $189
I bet you never would have guessed that I would choose an AMD processor, eh? 🙂 Well, anyway, there is a particular reason that I chose THIS processor from the bunch. With the most recent price drop we have seen this processor drop to under $200 across the board. Most gamers and PC enthusiasts drool at the potential of having 1000 MHz in their personal system and AMD has brought the dream home. There are other options for processors, including the 1.1 and 1.2 GHz models as well as those slower and the Duron line. My thinking shows that the 1+ GHz processors price/performance ratio has a severe degradation after we pass up the 1 GHz line. Does that mean that 1.2 GHz doesn’t perform better? Not at all, just that perhaps the speed increase isn’t worth the extra money.
Motherboard – Abit KT7-RAID – $159
This was probably one of the easier choices that I had to make for this article. Having tested this motherboard against all the others, and finding that it came out on top in nearly every test PLUS the fact that it has so many features, make it the best motherboard to own for Socket A processors.
Overclockers: must have it. The ability to edit your processor’s settings via SoftMenu is unbeatable, and its stability matched Asus, Epox and MSI on every turn. Performance junkies: you’ll love the RAID abilities of this motherboard. The first and pioneering motherboard to offer on-board IDE RAID options, Abit has started a new age in motherboard design. Now you can stripe or mirror your IDE hard drives to your hearts content.
Read our review of the Abit KT7-RAID.