Good BX mb?

[acid16]

I'm gonna build a cheap system. I want to use a Celeron 900mhz, 512mb ram, 32mb vid... what is a good BX motherboard for this? I've heard BX's are very stable, I wouldnt know since this is my first time building an intel system. There are alot of BX mobo's out there, could use some advice. Im looking to spend no more than $70 on one. Thanks...

 

[GonzoDaGr8]

Honestly, I would pass up on the BX mobos'...Yes they are stable, but you would be better off adding a little bit more money and getting something like an ASUS TUSL2-C with the 815EB chipset. Super-stable with all the up-to-date features like ATA100, AGP 4x and support for up to 1.2 Ghz procs.

 

[oldfart]

Agree with above. Get a board based on a 815EP chipset. That 900 may be able to overclock to 1200.

 

[DaveSimmons]

$80 will get you a MSI Motherboard, 815EP Pro LITE(MS-6337LE), from newegg.com; $58 will get you a Procomp BIS2M i815E micro-ATX from googlegear.com.

$110 will get you an Asus TUSL-C that is upgradable to Tulatin processors like the 1.2 GHz celeron and future ones expected up to 1.4 - 1.5GHz. Do a search on "TUSL" and "CUSL" here to see just how much people like these boards (my CUSL-C was a snap to install and 100% stable since).

 

[mcveigh]

but if you want a BX get ans Asus p2b model, the most stable board I've ever owned.

 

[thraxes]

Or P3B, but they are still extremely sought after. At a LAN party someone was selling one and it was gone within 1 hour.

The BX is faster than i815 but to be honest with you, If I was building a new system I would get the more modern i815 unless I knew someone selling their BX board.

By the way: If you had bought the BX about 2,5 years ago (as I did) odds are you still would be using it with a faster CPU, I never got so much mileage out of a mobo before: my P2B-F is running strong at about 1GHz.
Just think, this board lived through the entire P2-P3 era (3 years) and was compatible with almost all Intel CPUs except the new Tualatin that is IMO the best proof that the BX was a superb design feat not to be repeated anytime soon. But it is old and unless you get a board somewhere dirt cheap I wouldn't realy use it

 

[acid16]

thanks for the responses... I won't get a BX mobo then, makes sense now. I still need a good board that can support 900mhz celeron, but no more than $75. Is the MSI 815EP Pro LITE a good board? I don't plan to be upgrading to the Tualalin, and I don't plan to be doing any overclocking. This computer is just for my mother and my sister. Is there much difference between the Procomp BIS2M i815E and the MSI 815EP Pro LITE or would either be fine for what I plan to do? I don't see any reviews on either one. Are there any other boards besides these two under $75 that would be better than them? Thanks tons for the help... first time celeron builder here and I dont want to pay for a motherboard that has overclocking features, ect. I just need a plain simple board that can handle 900mhz and is very stable.

thanks..

 

[oldfart]

I never used that MSI board, but have used 2 of the MSI 815E Pro (non-Lite) models. They were both good boards. In fact, one was a system I put together for my sister. Works without a hitch. I used that board for the integrated video and sound. For her use, it is all she needs. It was ~ $100. I've had no exp with the Procomp boards.