looking for mobo and cpu

[dyoung413]

Hello, i'm looking for a motherboard/cpu combo. probably a 1.3 AMD t-bird. i was lookin at deals like this http://www.econopc.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MCPCTB13GZ I realize the motherboards probably arent that good in these combo deals but i really dont know what kinda to look for. i havent built a computer in about 2 years and i havent really kept up with all the new stuff coming out. any recommendations? i'm a college student so i would be using this to web surf, write programs, play games, etc. i have everything else i need already. another question, on the motherboards that have slots for ddr and pc 133 ram, can i use both at the same time? sorry this is getting long and any recommendations would help. thanks alot.
Derek

[sho.gun]

Fry's always have a great deal on CPU+mobo combos, that's if you live on California though. Your link was no good so I had no idea what you were looking for. Just some tips, Epox makes great motherboards, MSI and Asus are also great companies with good customer satisfaction. AMD chips are cheaper than Intel pentiums and they also perform better, so go for either an Athlon or Duron. As for the RAM question, SDRAM and DDR RAM are 2 different things, you cannot interchange them. Most athlon motherboards use DDR RAM, which is better than the old SDRAM. RAM modules aren't that expensive nowadays. I'd say check out www.newegg.com for parts or click on the Computer Geeks banner here at G|A and browse their store.

[SpeedEng]

www.pricewatch.com

[IrishSS]

I agree with Sho.Gun... use newegg.com. They have by far the best prices and service.

[SpeedEng]

or tigerdirect.com

[dyoung413]

thanks for the suggestions guys. still wondering if i can use DDR ram and reg pc 133 at the same time. some motherboards have two slots for each, so what happens if i fill both slots with ram? i am assuming only one type would work, but just wondering, thanks. derek

[sho.gun]

Originally posted by dyoung413
thanks for the suggestions guys. still wondering if i can use DDR ram and reg pc 133 at the same time. some motherboards have two slots for each, so what happens if i fill both slots with ram? i am assuming only one type would work, but just wondering, thanks. derek

Hmm haven't seen mobos with slots for each one before, but I'm guessing that if you do mix them your system will perform as fast as the pc133 because that's the slowest part on it. So basically you waste money on the DDR.

[IrishSS]

as fas as i know, you cannot use both types of memory together. You have to use on or the other.

[sho.gun]

Originally posted by IrishSS
as fas as i know, you cannot use both types of memory together. You have to use on or the other.

That's what I thought... I've never seen mobos that will allow you to use DDR and SDRAM together. Besides, what would be the point?