Best Pentium4 motherboard for under $125 or around...

[InlineFive]

Requirements...

1. Must support the new 800FSB P4.
2. Must have USB 2.0 and/or Firewire.
3. Support all the more standard cpu:memory ratios, I namely need either 1:1 or 5:4.

I am currently looking at the Asus P4P800-Deluxe i865PE series motherboard but someone in General Hardware says it's a bad board. Now I'm not a serious overclocker and at most hope to hit 250-275Mhz FSB on this thing with a 2.6C and some PC4000 (500Mhz) Kingston HyperX memory. And he said it also has numerous problems.

Now I am all confused being as I have previously just built AMD systems. I just want a board that can hit that FSB stated above and is stable. 865 or 875, makes no difference to me.

Thank you!

-Por

 

[Vette73]

The only 2 boards you need to look at are....


1. ABIT AI7 $123 at newegg.com

2. ABIT IS7 $104 at newegg.com


The AI7 has better sound and a better north bridge cooler. The IS7 is also a great board just a little cheaper.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
The only 2 boards you need to look at are....


1. ABIT AI7 $123 at newegg.com

2. ABIT IS7 $104 at newegg.com


The AI7 has better sound and a better north bridge cooler. The IS7 is also a great board just a little cheaper.

Yes but I hear the Northbridge fan on those motherboard are very loud. However the AI7 has a clip so I could remove it and replace it with a Zalman heatsink...

Do you know if the tilted processor would interfear with some larger heatsinks?

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: PorBleemo

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
The only 2 boards you need to look at are....


1. ABIT AI7 $123 at newegg.com

2. ABIT IS7 $104 at newegg.com


The AI7 has better sound and a better north bridge cooler. The IS7 is also a great board just a little cheaper.

Yes but I hear the Northbridge fan on those motherboard are very loud. However the AI7 has a clip so I could remove it and replace it with a Zalman heatsink...

Do you know if the tilted processor would interfear with some larger heatsinks?

It should not. Also I forgot to add the AI7 has the new Abit uGuru chip on it. It helps in overclocking, and since you seem to want to do 250 or higher, that may be a big selling point for you.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: PorBleemo

Originally posted by: Marlin1975
The only 2 boards you need to look at are....


1. ABIT AI7 $123 at newegg.com

2. ABIT IS7 $104 at newegg.com


The AI7 has better sound and a better north bridge cooler. The IS7 is also a great board just a little cheaper.

Yes but I hear the Northbridge fan on those motherboard are very loud. However the AI7 has a clip so I could remove it and replace it with a Zalman heatsink...

Do you know if the tilted processor would interfear with some larger heatsinks?

It should not. Also I forgot to add the AI7 has the new Abit uGuru chip on it. It helps in overclocking, and since you seem to want to do 250 or higher, that may be a big selling point for you.

I noticed that. I think at NewEgg for the additional $20 (I think) it should be worth it. Thank you!

The heatsink I am looking at is this model. But now that I look at it's base is really very large and should cover the whole processor.

 

[Sunny129]

the fact that you heard that the P4P800 deluxe isn't a good board is only on account of one person. however, i've built a two systems fro people using that mobo, and had no problems, memory issues, or fsb limitations for the few days the systems were in my possession before delivering them to their owners. i think its a very solid board.

also i'll recommend the Abit IS7. it's the baord i use, and i love it. true the n/b fan is a bit loud, but i keep my apartment pretty cool, so i just unplugged it. plus it can be replaced like you suggested for the AI7. i can't say that the microGuru chip that turns the IS7 into the AI7 is going to be worth the extra $$. also, you can get the IS7-G for right around $125 right now, though it only adds IDE RAID to the board.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Sunny129
the fact that you heard that the P4P800 deluxe isn't a good board is only on account of one person. however, i've built a two systems fro people using that mobo, and had no problems, memory issues, or fsb limitations for the few days the systems were in my possession before delivering them to their owners. i think its a very solid board.

also i'll recommend the Abit IS7. it's the baord i use, and i love it. true the n/b fan is a bit loud, but i keep my apartment pretty cool, so i just unplugged it. plus it can be replaced like you suggested for the AI7. i can't say that the microGuru chip that turns the IS7 into the AI7 is going to be worth the extra $$. also, you can get the IS7-G for right around $125 right now, though it only adds IDE RAID to the board.

Unfortunately my air conditioning isn't always on in summer and it can get quite toasty in here.

 

[Big Lar]

First board was an P4P800 non deluxe, I still have it, and its fine, was an rma I bought from spartantech, Second board I am running now is the same,(same quality as the first), I picked this 1 up for a build that went sour, anyhow, I have run both at 158fsb with my 2.8c at 1/1 with Mushking pc4000, other than the normal bios probs as to upgades, these boards have both been stable. I am sure some are not, but I have nothing bad to say about em, and I run D2OL 24/7 on the boards without a hiccup.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: Big Lar
First board was an P4P800 non deluxe, I still have it, and its fine, was an rma I bought from spartantech, Second board I am running now is the same,(same quality as the first), I picked this 1 up for a build that went sour, anyhow, I have run both at 158fsb with my 2.8c at 1/1 with Mushking pc4000, other than the normal bios probs as to upgades, these boards have both been stable. I am sure some are not, but I have nothing bad to say about em, and I run D2OL 24/7 on the boards without a hiccup.

Do you mean 258FSB as 158FSB would be underclocking the processor.