Processor Woes with Micro-ATX

So I'm finally getting ready to build that Micro-ATX system but I've come to a bit of crossroads. I plan on getting a new processor for it but when it comes to Micro-ATX boards and the small-form factor case I'm getting, I have a few concerns.

The final battle comes down to AMD's Socket 754 series vs Intel's Socket T (LGA 775).

My imposed limit for the money on the processor comes down to about $230 as I don't need a beast of a machine. With AMD, I know what I'm getting as I've had plenty of experience with them, but it seems like I would be getting more power for the money by going with Intel and their Prescot series.

But I've always heard that Prescot's run ridiculously hot and considering that I'll be working with this, that scares me.

I've also been considering the entry level Pentium D, but I'd probably have to check with motherboard manufactors about whether or not their boards support dual-core chips. This will be my first time building on a Micro-ATX board and I'd rather not screw myself.

CPU's are one of those things I suck with, so advice is needed~

I'm working on building a Shuttle myself. I'm going with a athlon 3200+ venice core i found on fatwallet for $133. Have you seen that case in person? I was looking at the micro-atx stuff as well, and checked them all out at Fry's. That case you're looking at seemed cheaply made in the store, but it may just have been sitting there a while and gotten picked apart.

My only gripe is that the alluminum is thin, but it's pretty much everything I want without having to go the barebones route. It has enough space for larger fan/heatsink combos and has a completely removable motherboard tray.

And it's pretty. lawl.

I'm open for suggestions though since this is, like I said, my first time building a smaller form factor. And if I went the AMD route in the end, yeah, I'd get myself a Venice as well.

Venice cores are S939 last time I checked, if you don't want a powerhouse than S754 will do the job, they're a better value than Intel's offerings too. As for the motherboard, check Newegg for what's selling and stay away from shitty brands like ECS, you usually can't go wrong with Asus.

one note just to pass on. make sure your video card, or one you might buy later physically fits in the case. i know a lot of the newer 68/78 gens from Nvidia and the current X8's from Ati might not fit.

and yeah 754's are clawhammers, newcastles and palmeros. 939's are venice, toledo and san diego with 1 $800 clawhammer as well.

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Originally Posted by Johnny

Venice cores are S939 last time I checked, if you don't want a powerhouse than S754 will do the job, they're a better value than Intel's offerings too. As for the motherboard, check Newegg for what's selling and stay away from shitty brands like ECS, you usually can't go wrong with Asus.

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Actually, if I go the Intel route, my only choice really just comes down to a FoxConn board. FC aren't bad, but they're not the best either.

I also decided that if I go the Intel route, I'd have to go the Prescott route as no Micro-ATX boards support Pentium D's yet. Sigh~

If I went the AMD route, I would go with a venice and a more expensive DFI board since I trust them with my lives when it comes to a good motherboard.

So it comes down to the Intel Pentium 4 630 Prescott vs the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice. I'm still leaning a bit towards Intel on this one.

As for the video card and the case, it'll be fine. I'm reusing my 9800 Pro since I don't want to dump a lot of money into this. With Micro-ATX, if worse comes to worst, I can just buy a PCI-E board for about 60 bucks and get a new video card then.

(( Oh, and I realize I said Socket 754 for AMD in my original post. . That was a mistake. I can go either way but I think it would be silly to go socket 754 in Retrospect ))

well the current train of thought regarding AMD vs Intel (i used amd primarily because of the price until i got my p4 2.6c last year for only $80 and can oc it to 3.6 on air) is that p4's are good for the non gaming stuff and the amd's are better for gaming. you really can't go wrong either way and can usually get a comparable amd chip at a much more less price.

Do you guys have an suggestions for some Micro ATX cases? I like the Antec Minuet II but it won't fit normal sized PCI cards.

Sl1p, I'd go the AMD route because they generally offer more bang for the buck.

Valgar, mATX cases generally aren't that much smaller, I'd personally recommend an ATX case or going all out on a Shuttle.

Go with whatever is supposed to run cooler because things get hotter inside of smaller cases where all the components are packed together..

My brother has one of those small shuttle computers, and his box heats up to the point of affecting the performance of his optical drive.. :/