ABIT IT7 MAX2 V.2 -- Any good??

[shekondar]

I'm going to build a new system in the next month or so -- right now I'm looking at the ABIT IT7 MAX2 V2. Does anybody have any good/bad opinions of this board? I'm leaning toward a 2.8 GHz P4 (I'd love to get a 3.06, but the price is still a little too steep...) and either 512MB or 1GB RAM.

Would I be better off waiting for the springdale/canterwood boards? Also, would I be better off with 512 MB of top-o'-the-line (i.e. Corsair XMS) RAM, or 1 GB of "normal" quality RAM (for about the same price)?

 

[maxSe]

I'd recommend waiting for the Springdale/Canterwood IF you can wait, as Max2 V.2 carries pretty hefty price (~$160) for a 845PE chipset board... (this didn't stops me, btw... ) It's an excellent board. I'd recommend it to anyone. All the bells and whistles, AND overclocks well and stable. I was using it to oc my 2.4B before I got thr BH-7. Now she's running 1.6A@2.4 as my server.

You just need to watch out for couple of initial bios setting:
1. DO NOT enable auto-system shutdown function. I think it's disabled by default. Leave it disabled.
2. Make sure you connect your HSF fan connector to the correct header on the board. Otherwise the system will boot up and detects no fan and will shut down by itself.

As for the memory, it depends whether you want to overclock. If yes, then get yourself a nice stick of Corsair, TwinMos or Hyper-X.