Upgrading my system...

[averyisiah]

I'm thinking of upgrading my system, of course I am on a budget, I am in Canada as well.
But I think all I want to change is my CPU and motherboard, right now I have a p3 850 mhz. and would like to upgrade this.
My 80Gb HD, 1Gb Memory, 5.1 audio, decent Video card, etc.. are good enough and I can tranfer over to my new motherboard.
So what would you suggest, P4 or AMD, none of that Celeron crap...
I have an option for a AMD Sempra 2400 (1.6 Ghz) upgrade kit for $164.00, is there something better, I was thinking of going into the high 2Ghz or even 3Ghz speed with at least 333 Front Mhz, I don;t know what ya'll think?? Also where can I get a good price...I'm not really on a budget just more cheap when it comes to computers.....ha ha ha

[redwudz]

I have put several economy systems together with AMD Sempron CPU's. They're a good value for their price.

You really want DDR400 memory, preferably a matched set that will operate in dual-channel mode. Look for a motherboard that has dual channel capability and a 400Mhz bus speed.

Even though the Sempron is a 333Mhz processor, they easily run at 400Mhz. I set the FSB up to 200Mhz and this gives a 400Mhz memory speed. They run very stable. Easy way to overclock and still have a dependable system. No other changes need to be made in voltages, etc.

It runs a few degrees warmer, but any decent CPU cooler should be able to handle it.

For motherboards, you just have to see what's out there in your price range. KT600 based MBs are inexpensive and work pretty well and you should find a few Nforce2 MBs in that same range.