onboard 6100 vs 6150? sempron 64 vs athlon 64?

[pwoznic]

Hey everyone,

Just to repeat my purpose for this build, I am building pretty much a file server (which I will eventually upgrade and use as a second pc, but mainly this comp will house 6 hd's or so and be hooked up to an entertainment center). With that being said:

I want a socket am2 mobo with onboard video (since I will run this without a monitor except for installing, upgrading software)

There are a bunch with the 6100 nvidia chipset and only a couple with the 6150..

I planned on a 6100 (gigabyte m55 plus mobo) for a while because I thought, hey awesome.. good enough, good reviews, etc..

but NOW I am looking into the 6150 (asus m2npv-vm) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131014

I found out the 6150 has HDTV output! I'm starting to get into this high def stuff, so I figured since I will have LOTS of hd capacity, might as well for the hdtv ya know? The price difference is very little (6150 mobo is around 85 and 6100 is around 80-90 also.. both socket am2 by the way).

CPU im thinking of just a sempron 3000 since it's $60 USD... or Im also considering an amd 64 3000 bc it's about $75..

My other concern now is if a socket am2 athlon 64 3000 is THAT MUCH better than the 64 sempron 3000. I've read that am2 = less power consumption and less heat than socket 939 and lots of dual core cpu's are am2 and amd is going over to just am2 ive heard (and eventually i'll replace the athlon or sempron with one of the dual core when theyre cheaper).

I hope I am making sense, but:
1.What is your opinion on the 6150 vs 6100 Socket AM2 motherboards?
This is not a gaming rig, so that's why I want onboard video and if it has HDTV then why not!

2.What is your opinion on the sempron 64 vs athlon 64?

3.I have heard that the amd 64 3000 (am2) is pretty good for OCing.. someone put it up to 2.67 (it's a 1.8!), but they had a really good mobo apparantly. Ocing is not a huge deal to me, but I figured if I can oc from 1.8 to 2.0 (or more if the retail fan is good enough) then why not right?

Other specs:
antec smartpower 500 psu
1 gb (2x512) ddr2-667 corsair valueselect dual channel ram

I appreciate any help :)

[saphalline]

(1) - Like you said, if it has HDTV and isn't any more expensive, then why not? I know that the 6150 is slightly better than the 6100, so if the price difference is minimal, go for what's better.

(2) - For your needs, don't worry about it. Either one will be more than up to the task of serving files and watching HDTV. If the Sempron 64 is cheaper by $15, then hey! Treat yourself to a pizza while you assemble the hardware. :cool:

(3) - With a budget mobo that has onboard video, I highly doubt you'll have a ton of OC'ing features. You may or may not be able to OC any CPU you put in there. I don't think it's really necessary considering the duties of the system, but if you want to tinker I imagine there's at least a few BIOS tweaks you can do. Don't count on it, though. Consider it an extra bonus if you can.

[pwoznic]

I see what you mean, thanks :)

Out of curiousity, what kind of needs would demand an athlon 64 3000 over a sempron 64 3000 (for whatever reason).

[saphalline]

Gaming or video editing on a budget. That would require the slightly higher clock speed of the A64 and the extra L2 cache.