Hi:Thanks in large part to many suggestions in this forum, I'm going to be purchasing components for my new system today. I'd like to know if, when I purchase my AMD XP 2000+ processor, I should:A) Buy the retail version that has the cooling fan attached? (A side note...will this be enough cooling for the processor?)or :( Buy the OEM version and buy a separate cooling fan -- like a volcano or dynatron?A paradox? Or an easy decision?Thanks,Chris

Hi. The cooling that comes with the CPU is fine, one thing to remember is Make sure you put/add thermal compound and have a good thermal connection. Make sure you have a case that has at least 300 W PS with a good name/regulation. Most of problems that people have, instability, can be traced to the PS. If you have a VIA chipset, make sure you get the latest drivers. Stay away from Soyo Dragon Plus, it has a problem with the IRQ conflict, if you intend to use external Sound it's OK. Good luck. TV

Hi Chris,I've learned that the various flavors of HS/fans (hey, I could start my own HS/fan store with all the products I've tried!) will produce much the same performance IN THE SAME CASE. And therein lies the priority.You didn't say what kind of case you plan to use, but this is much more important than your choice of HS/fan for the CPU. The case that moves the most air wins!!! You could put the best HS/fan on your CPU in a case that does a poor job of circulating fresh air, and your CPU will still run hot. The goal is to move fresh air through the system.The better cases like Lian Li and Cooler Master ATC do an excellent job of moving air. I would also recommend round IDE and floppy cables versus the standard ribbons. FYI, I have approximately 70CFM of air moving into my box, and 65CFM exhausting. Coupled with a CoolerMaster Heat Pipe on my 1.4Ghz Athlon Tbird @1.5Ghz and overclocking my GF3 Ti200 to Ti500 speeds, and I have no heat problems.Hope this helps, and good luck with your new system,

Hi Chris,I agree with Greg that moving air through your case is very important. However, I think that the fan is an important consideration, and does make a difference. My XP1800 system started hanging once or twice a day. I started monitoring the cpu temp and found that under load, I was running at 66C. I bought a variable speed Volcano 7+, and at 5K rpm, I now run at 54C under load. Turn the fan up to 7K (very loud) and the load temp drops to 49C. Of course, run at 4K and the temp creeps up near 60C. I would suggest that you start with a stock fan, and if the temp is 55C or below under load, then your fine. If it starts to get really hot though, then look into a better fan/heatsink.Good luck with your new system :-wave

David,I cannot express enough thanks for your help in this process. Yesterday I purchased the parts to my new computer:Gigabyte GA-7VRXP mainboard (KT333 chipset)AMD XP 2000+ processorAOC Copper Heatsink Fan512 MB Samsung PC 2700 DDR RAM16X DVD Drive32-10-40 CD-RW Drive350W ATX Caseall for less than $600.Combined with my modem and video card from my current computer, I should be set. I'm upgrading my video card from a Geforce 2 MX 440 to either a Geforce 2 TI ($99) or a Geforce 4 TI 4200 (if I can afford the $199). Also looked at a Geforce 4 MX 440 (with 64 MB DDR RAM) for $99 that claims to provide more power than a MX with 128 MB SDRAM. We'll see...got to let the pocketbook recover.Again, thank you for your helpChris

Here's the answer to your prayers!:-lol