Need GOOD =) ADVICE

[gujuguy007]

I am trying to build a computer this christmas for a friend and wanted to know what the best mobo that is out there for a decent price. (Around 140 or less.) I remember this summer that the EPOX8K7A and ABIT were highly recommended but i havent kept up since then. Most likely I will use a P4 chip, which requires RIMM. Also need 5-6PCI slots, AGP slot, onboard sound is OK, expandibility for memory, etc.

Thanks

 

[Boonesmi]

nothing wrong with p4's but... the fastest cpu you can buy right now is the athlonxp, and its cheaper then the pent4

if you decided to go with an athlonxp a good choice for a mobo would be an epox 8kha+ (it is very fast, very stable and only $105 at newegg.com)

 

[Kishkumen]

It doesn't seem like much is happening with P4 boards as far as nifty new features, overclocking, etc. As far as I know the good P4 boards from the summer are still pretty much the best P4 boards now. Just make sure its the newer socket 478 variety. Also check the conclusion from Anand's Sept i850 roundup. The Abit TH7 got Anand's editors choice award.

Although you didn't ask for opinions, can you talk your friend into an Athlon, they seem to have much more interesting stuff, from raid controllers to good overclockability, to 5.1 channel built in audio for very cheap prices...

 

[Freewolf]

I would go with the shuttle ak31a and a xp cpu myself.

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

If you are dead set on building a P4, You also might want to take a look at the newer P4 boards that use DDR Ram like the MSI 645 ultra (SIS 645 chipset) or the TYAN Trinity 510 (VIA P4X266 chipset)..Kind of hard to find real good reviews for the P4 boards (unless they use RamButt RAM), but they are out there.

 

[Zap]

Besides the MSI SiS 645 chipset board (nice looker, BTW), look for VIA P4X266/P4X266A chipset boards. Yes, the A version is faster, but you can find some real deals for the older version - and it's still very fast. I got an Azza board using the older version (yes, it got bad reviews, but I didn't have any problem with it, YMMV) and my system with this board, P4-1600 (OC to almost 1700), 512MB Crucial DDR and an original Geforce 256 SDR video card got almost the same Q3 framerate as my buddy's AthlonXP 1600+ (OC a bit also), 512MB Crucial DDR and an ATI Radeon 7500 (faster retail box version). We're talking about 5% difference. My Azza board has been pretty stable. Strangely, it UNDERvolts the CPU to around 1.71 vcore, and there is no manual adjustments. The FSB can go in 1MHz increments to 132MHz.

For all of you recommending AthlonXP setups, I agree that the AthlonXP give much more bang/buck, but I went with the P4 (only in one of my many systems, hehe) for a reason. I've found, whether due to CPU or motherboard I don't know, that P4 systems overall seem very stable. Sure, I've seen many Athlon systems as stable, but I've also seen some not too stable. Also, the P4 setup runs COOL and SILENT!!! The retail-boxed Intel fan/heatsink runs so silent that from within a case you cannot hear it. Even running it outside a case (with a power supply that has a dead fan - we use for temporary testing only) you cannot hear it until you are about a foot away from it. It's REALLY THAT QUIET, and the heatsink stays COLD to the touch when the system is idling, and barely warm after some intensive stuff. Yes, not everyone cares. I don't care that much either, but I needed a quiet system for only ONE of my computers, and the P4 fit the bill.

 

[gujuguy007]

thanks guys..ya i tried to convince him for an athlon but wont listen...says intel is better...anyways thanks.