Which to choose?

[Shruban]

Hello,

I am sorry to ask such a broad question but I am having trouble narrowing down a mobo to buy. With so many candidates out there and so many chipsets it is quite baffling.

I am looking for a P4 based mobo that supports:

-DDR 333 or better..(will use Corsair)
-AGP 8x (possibly)
-2.53gh P4
-Good overclocking abilities

Based on these criteria I have narrowed my search to some different ASUS boards. I only found the ASUS P4S8X that supports 8x AGP but was reviewed as having different stability problems which I will not want this being my first self-built system. If anyone can show me some alternatives that can match these I will greatly appreciate it!

 

[buckchoi]

Firstly AGP8X does not give significant improvements.
Therefore I think something with the Intel 845PE chipset would be best as it supports DDR333, Hyperthreading CPUs and also has 6 USB2 ports.
Have a look at the Asus P4PE or the Epox P4PEA+ i think it is?
There are reviews of both boards right here at Anandtech.

 

[mrman3k]

Abit IT7MAX2 mobo!

 

[Alphi]

Originally posted by: buckchoi
Firstly AGP8X does not give significant improvements.
Therefore I think something with the Intel 845PE chipset would be best as it supports DDR333, Hyperthreading CPUs and also has 6 USB2 ports.
Have a look at the Asus P4PE or the Epox P4PEA+ i think it is?
There are reviews of both boards right here at Anandtech.

The question is, "How long do you intend to use this system?" Five years ago, I was encouraged to go with 4MB onboard RAM on my Matrox Millenium video card, rather than 8MB RAM. That video card needed to be replaced within two years after purchase to remain compatible with new applications. The hardware industry would love it if we all bought a new system at the turn of each year, but is it really feasible for the average user to swap out parts continuously? In my opinon, the Granite Bay motherboard (Asus P4G8X Deluxe, Gigabyte GA-8INXP, Tyan S2662) provides a balanced, forward compatible option to those who are looking at the years ahead. Take a look at what others are saying on this thread.


AnandTech - Intel's E7205: Granite Bay Hits the Streets

Gigabyte 8INXP E7205 Granite Bay Dual Channel DDR Mainboard Review (1)

Motherboard: Gigabyte 8INXP Review

Dual DDR For Pentium 4: Intel E7205 Chipset Put To The Test

Tom likes the i850, and there is alot to be said for it, but remember that the Granite Bay was meant for overclocking. Check OCWorkbench results. This is where you can use that faster memory.

 

[ArborBarber]

Obviously there are alot of opinions out there...Your best bet is to do some research into boards you like.
You need to narrow down your search alittle...
What will you be doing with your computer? Gaming has always pushed the bleeding edge of technology...Having AGP 8x isn't a bad thing, however there isn't anything out there right now that requires it. As far as the Granite Bay mobos are concerned, the chipset was originally developed for the server market with highend desktop systems being an off shoot of the chipset. I have read alot of different benchmark scores comparing the GB mobos with other chipsets and in the labs it seems that the GB mobos are right there with the 850 chipset. Obviously, it would be in your best interest to wait a bit and see how the GB mobos do in the real world. The GB mobo chipset paired with a P4 533MHz cpu seems best matched with DDR266 and there may be no gains in speed by using faster ram with this chipset. Besides, at this point the GB mobos are extremely costly and are surrounded by extreme hype.
Give it a few weeks before you decide...

 

[Vette73]

Wait for the SiS655

Dual Channel DDR333
AGP 8X
A lot cheaper than GB

 

[LouPoir]

Get the I845PE m/b. I have the Asus P4PE, super board. The I845PE does not support 8x AGP. Only the SIS648 chipset has 8x AGP and I tried 3 different ones and was not happy with any. I finally settled with the Asus I845PE board.

Lou

 

[touchmyichi]

granite bay, it unofficially supports it, but if you get 2 dimms you can run dual channel mode. Get the gigabyte gb board.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: LouPoir
Get the I845PE m/b. I have the Asus P4PE, super board. The I845PE does not support 8x AGP. Only the SIS648 chipset has 8x AGP and I tried 3 different ones and was not happy with any. I finally settled with the Asus I845PE board.

Lou

so far everyone has been talking good about the P4PE
I can also recommend after strenuous use, the EPoX 4PEA+ based on the same chipset.
It has issus (chipset related) but nothing i can't look around. It's running good now that I figured out it's quirks. fast too. and overclocks awesome.