Thinking of upgrading, please help.

[SteveY]

I am thinking of upgrading my PC to an Athlon CPU. I just noticed that there are different types of Athlon CPUs on the market.(K7 with 512 cache, k7 with 256 cache Thunderbird) Which is the best one to go with? I am thinking of going with either an Abit or Asus motherboard. Any help would be much appreciated.

[Dave2]

Get the T-Bird. It's faster than the original Athlon since the 256K on the T-Bird runs at full speed and is located directly on the CPU versus the original Athlon's 512K 1/2, 2/5, and 1/3 cache speed and is not located on the CPU but on the PCB.

[Undertow]

Here's the simple, safe solution. You can't go wrong here, trust me, I wouldn't set anothing builder wrong:

Asus A7V mainboard
T-Bird/Duron processor
SBLive sound card
Voodoo3 3000 (If you're on a budget)

Go with this and your upgrade will be trouble free.

-Undertow

[Dave2]

Don't forget that if he's on a budget he might not be able to afford an Athlon approved power supply and Athlon approved memory. He might have to buy those things if he's getting an Athlon/Duron.

[SteveY]

Dave2, what do you mean an approved Athlon Power Suppy, and memory?
I am currently running 3 x 64 MB PC100, and a 235W ATX PS.

How do I find this out?

Thanks

[This message has been edited by SteveY (edited 09-27-2000).]

[Ygor]

Try this http://www1.amd.com/athlon/config I've heard the athlons alone take about 75 watts of power, then there is the rest of the system. There's a list of approved power supplies and configurations on that page.
Usually if you have any problems with an athlon system the first thing to check is the power supply.(They recommend 300 watts) That may not be the source of the problem, but it's the first thing to check/rule out.