Feedback on Zeuspaul's sample Celeron machine:
1) 233 PIIs are selling now below $200 at a number of dealers. Since the price is now similar to the 266 Celeron, I think it is the better value. First, the performance is better thanks to on-board 512k cache. Second, Cel chips aren't "supposed" to be used on BX boards, since they aren't designed to fit slot 1 cartridges (intel has info on this, though I don't know the URL.) Even if the Cel chip worked great here, it would be a challenge keeping the electrical connection secure.
2) ram prices are dropping like crazy, esp the bigger sticks and 100 mhz parts. www.pricewatch.com shows you can get a 128 meg stick for around $230, and 64 for $130. At that price, When I (soon) make the jump to a pII system, I'll go with 128 meg, esp. since I use NT almost exclusively.
3) One thought on video cards: one might get the Matrox MII PCI version if one's awaiting the G200 AGP card. One could use the MII until they get the latter, then use them both with a second monitor under NT or win 98. They should "play nice" together, and serve as a terrific combo. If one wants video in/out, etc., one could get the radio runner studio later this year.
4) I agree with your ASUS recommendation. I've talked with 3 different dealers who all say it's the most reliable board they sell--more than abit, tyan, etc. Also, next week they'll start shipping versions with a very nice built-in adaptec SCSI solution, and /or on-board intel networking. I generally don't like on-board solutions, but in this case, it saves precious PCI slots--a consideration if you want to hold the system a while (and there should be no performance reason not to) when it only comes with 4 slots.
Just some thoughts--bout time I made a contribution to this valuable thread. Feedback welcome.
Best,
Dave |
