Motherboard Advice Please

[Scarzy]

I am upgrading my computer from the following and need some advice on the motherboard and memory. I will try to include as much info as possible in reagrds to my current system versus new system.

Current System

P4 1.7G 400MHZ FSB
Abit TH7II MB
512MB 800MHZ Rambus Rimm Corsair Memory
Enlight 7237 ATX Mid Tower - 340W Power Supply
80GB 7200 Western Digital Hard Drive - Primary
120GB 7200 Western Digital Hard Drive - Secondary
Soundblaster 5.1 Live Dolby Digital Sound
Cambridge Soundworks 4 speaker sound system
Visiontek Radeon 9800 Pro Video
Sony P991 19" Monitor
Lite-On 8x DVD-RW
Plextor 24x CDRW
Teac Floppy Drive
10/100 Ethernet Card
HP 722C Parallel Port Printer
HP 2410 USB All-In One Printer, Scanner, Copier, Fax
Iomega 100MB Zip Drive USB


I am looking at the following but am unsure of the motherboard and memory. I want to build a solid system that will last around 12 months or more before upgrading again. I will be using some of the parts off my old system to build my sister a decent system.

P4 3.2G Northwood 800MHZ FSB

ABIT 875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU, Model "IC7-G MAXII ADVANCE"
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200

OR

SOYO i875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU, Model "SY-P4I875P DRAGON 2 v1.0"
Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200

Enlight ATX Mid-Tower Case with 300W Power Supply, Model "EN-7250"
Antec 550W Power Supply, Model "TRUE550"
Antec All Clear Pro 80mm Double Ball Bearing Case fan
80GB 7200 Western Digital Hard Drive - Primary
120GB 7200 Western Digital Hard Drive - Secondary
Soundblaster 5.1 Live Dolby Digital Sound
Cambridge Soundworks 4 speaker sound system
Visiontek Radeon 9800 Pro Video
Sony P991 19" Monitor
Lite-On 8x DVD-RW
Plextor 24x CDRW
Teac Floppy Drive
10/100 Ethernet Card
HP 722C Parallel Port Printer
HP 2410 USB All-In One Printer, Scanner, Copier, Fax
Iomega 100MB Zip Drive USB

I will use this system for internet, gaming, office programs, burning DVDs and CDs. I usually only play the common EA sports game titles and numerous racing games (ie. Nascar Racing 2003 Season). After reading all the posts here and reading numerous reviews, I am really confused over the quality of motherboards and whether this is my best choice for memory. I am not looking to save a few bucks nor am I looking to go insane on price. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated !!! Thanks.

 

[Vette73]

If going with a intel system then get the the Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe

It can be had for $103 shipped at newegg.com

It has the new 655TX chipset and the board has Giga Ethernet, 6ch sound, Wi-Fi port, SATA raid, firewire, supports the newwest P4's, etc.....

Can't go wrong here.

 

[lavaman]

I'd steer clear of Soyo

 

[McArra]

What about A64?

 

[o1die]

That asus board is a good choice. Avoid the "e" prescotts. The 3.0c is only about $190. I would go for that cpu now that the price has come down. You can overclock it a little, or not at all. For amd, if you want to wait for the nforce 3 250 chipset, some boards may be out in about a month. Newegg had some refurb athlon 64 3000's for $158 shipped, and an ecs 755 board for $65. But getting a refurb cpu is almost as hard as winning the lottery. They're usually gone in 1-2 minutes.