BH7 or IS7

[AbsolutZero]

I think I know the answer, but before you do this is for my father-in-law. No OC, no gaming, just want something stable and fast for the money. I think the price difference is almost $40 and I can't see getting a SATA drive for a long time. The other features on the IS7 look good, but I don't think he'll need them. Am I missing something the IS7 has that he'll want in a couple years? I'm getting a retail P4 2.4B from newegg and a Crucial 512 2700 stick with this.

 

[AbsolutZero]

Bueller?

 

[flyer351]

I recommend the BH7 for the following reasons
-You only have one stick of memory anyway so Dual Channel isn't a concern
-It's for a parent, so they don't care about bleeding edge performance
-You're going with a 533FSB so official 800FSB isn't necessary
-Look at the BIOS flashes for the IC7 already. There are a lot of teething issues on the new 875/865 so I doubt the father-in-law wants to flash the BIOS for each update.
-The BH7 is mature with a mature BIOS so you'll likely have a more stable system than with something not even officially released.

I own the new IS7 and it works OK right now. I'm willing to put up with some odd memory timing issues to get the latest and greatest, but I doubt the father-in-law even cares about dual channel.

I say stick with something proven and stable for a parent.

 

[hg321]

If it's for you Father in law then i would go with the BH7....the IS7 is a great MB but as flyer said it's new so there will be a few teething problems

 

[smahoney]

My 2 cets...

BH-7 for the reasons listed above and the onboard nic will save you a few dollars more...

Very stable 845PE or 865 with yet to be proven BIOS.....

 

[AbsolutZero]

Thanks guys! Forgot the BH7 had SATA too, and your other points are quite valid. Prices at googlegear rock...

ORDER CONTENT:
1 x (80646) Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor (Northwood) 2.4GHz 533Mhz @ $160.00

1 x (80065-K) Kingston KVR333X64C25/512 512MB PC2700 333Mhz DDR Memory @ $55.50

1 x (240118) Abit BH7 i845PE P4 (533FSB) Skt478 DDR ATX Motherboard @ $83.95

------------------------------
SUBTOTAL : $299.45
SALESTAX : $0.00
SHIPPING : $0.00
TOTAL : $299.45
------------------------------

My Father-in-law may not get his system if I decide I like it better!

 

[Conky]

Yup, I picked up a BH7 for that same $83.95 delivered and I am thrilled with this board.

Stability overclocked is unbelievable compared to my old Epox SiS645-chipset board. My Epox wasn't as overclocker friendly as I was led to believe. I have not been able to make the BH7 crash and, believe me, I've tried.

If I build a P4 system for a relative it will use the BH7. But I've learned my lesson... no more built systems for relatives. I send them to Dell and then I don't have to answer every stupid problem they have with windows, etc.

 

[Jamie571]

I built my Abit BH-7 system when the board first came out. Since then I have built 3 more for people I work with and one for my Dad. Its a great board and I have had absolutly no problems with any of the 5 I have used. I have experimented with over-clocking and could easily push a 2.4 up past 2.8 with the temp just going up 3 degrees celicus with stock cooling in a Cooler Master case.

 

[Tates]

BH7...nuf said