Mobo proposal plz....

[dbal]

I am building a low budget system for a friend of mine with exact expectations from it (no frenzy for framerates, benchmarks etc-just to do everything in a reasonable time). I have decided to go for a P4 Celeron 1.8Ghz (plz don't stick to this choice) and I 'd like your comments and experience on low budget reliable mobos for this processor. I 'd like to go DDR so keep it in mind while proposing. Thanx a lot!

 

[mechBgon]

Would onboard video be ok? It wouldn't be anywhere near the performance of a good add-in card, but it would take a chunk out of the overall system cost. Also, if onboard video would be ok, would it also be ok if it had no AGP slot on the board, or do you still need an AGP slot to allow for upgrades later?

If it were me I would get an AthlonXP 1600+ and an Asus A7N266-VM (onboard video, great audio, network) for that scenario, but if he/she wants Intel then that's not going to fly.

 

[dbal]

Well AGP is needed as we are only upgrading CPU/Mem/Mobo package. VGA card is already available and YES he sticks to Intel....

 

[mechBgon]

Of the chipsets that support the socket-478 Celerons, you could choose from any of the i845 family: i845, i845D, i845E, i845G, i845PE, or i845GE. The models with a G have onboard graphics. i845 and i845D support only 400MHz-bus CPUs such as the older Pentium4's and the Celerons. The E, G, PE and GE models support both 400MHz-bus and 533MHz-bus CPUs. The PE and GE models additionally support Intel's soon-arriving 3.06GHz Pentium4's and beyond, with power circuitry designed to handle their demands. I would think i845E sounds like a good compromise that leaves an upgrade path open, and i845E boards start in the low $80's. Just beware of the i845GL and i845GLL, which have no AGP slot at all.

Have you considered a Celeron 1.3GHz? The performance of the Pentium4-based Celerons such as the 1.8GHz is very poor in some types of applications, such as games, to the point where a 2.0GHz Celeron that was overclocked to 3.0GHz was only about the same performance level as a 1.6A Pentium4. Ouch! The Celeron 1.3 is basically a Pentium3, much more powerful per MHz. If you're open to the idea of a 1.3GHz Celeron and a VIA-based board with onboard video plus an AGP slot, check out this combo deal, which includes CPU with retail heatsink/fan, 256Mb Kingston PC133 memory, and the motherboard: (edited, I picked the wrong motherboard... hang on a bit)

Or Mwave has bundles with Intel-branded i815-based boards, although i815 has a 512Mb RAM limitation that you should be aware of (if that matters).

 

[o1die]

Tom's hardware guide reviews the 2.0 celeron today. I suggest you check it out.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I'd spend just a bit more for a true P4 and a new P4PE mobo and overclock it

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Of the chipsets that support the socket-478 Celerons, you could choose from any of the i845 family: i845, i845D, i845E, i845G, i845PE, or i845GE. The models with a G have onboard graphics. i845 and i845D support only 400MHz-bus CPUs such as the older Pentium4's and the Celerons. The E, G, PE and GE models support both 400MHz-bus and 533MHz-bus CPUs. The PE and GE models additionally support Intel's soon-arriving 3.06GHz Pentium4's and beyond, with power circuitry designed to handle their demands. I would think i845E sounds like a good compromise that leaves an upgrade path open, and i845E boards start in the low $80's. Just beware of the i845GL and i845GLL, which have no AGP slot at all.

Have you considered a Celeron 1.3GHz? The performance of the Pentium4-based Celerons such as the 1.8GHz is very poor in some types of applications, such as games, to the point where a 2.0GHz Celeron that was overclocked to 3.0GHz was only about the same performance level as a 1.6A Pentium4. Ouch! The Celeron 1.3 is basically a Pentium3, much more powerful per MHz. If you're open to the idea of a 1.3GHz Celeron and a VIA-based board with onboard video plus an AGP slot, check out this combo deal, which includes CPU with retail heatsink/fan, 256Mb Kingston PC133 memory, and the motherboard: (edited, I picked the wrong motherboard... hang on a bit)

Or Mwave has bundles with Intel-branded i815-based boards, although i815 has a 512Mb RAM limitation that you should be aware of (if that matters).

I was just about to say someone overclocked the 2Ghz Celeron to 3Ghz and it was around the same as a 1.6Ghz P4.

FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS GET CELERONS.

Get a 1.8Ghz P4, they are pretty cheap now, around $150. Match that with a new SiS648 board and you should be good.