I just got a new issue of PCGamer yesterday, and in the hardware section it said that custom-build TBird systems with DDR RAM are frequently unstable, while pre-built systems have no problems. Is this true? How can I avoid the problems? What mobo should I get for TBird/266 that's good but not too expensive?
I'm looking at the Asus A7M266. Is this a good choice? I'd like 2-3 DDR RAM slots, so I can make upgrades without going straight to the bigger modules, but the most important part is price - I need to keep it down if I want to make a good system.
I'll probably be getting UDMA100 drives, and I heard somewhere that some mobos have extra IDE connectors for faster UDMA drives (the tiny picture on the Asus site seems to show this). Do all UDMA100 mobos have these, or is it only some of them?
You can see my planned system at http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=5696 for more information.
I'm looking at the Asus A7M266. Is this a good choice? I'd like 2-3 DDR RAM slots, so I can make upgrades without going straight to the bigger modules, but the most important part is price - I need to keep it down if I want to make a good system.
I'll probably be getting UDMA100 drives, and I heard somewhere that some mobos have extra IDE connectors for faster UDMA drives (the tiny picture on the Asus site seems to show this). Do all UDMA100 mobos have these, or is it only some of them?
You can see my planned system at http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=5696 for more information.