Need help choosing a new board...

[Savant99]

Hi folks, long time reader but new poster.

I'm looking for input on a new mobo for a system I want to build (for myself). The message is lengthy, so if you're up for a challenge, read on...

I used to build custom boxes for IBM some years ago, and I still build my own PCs, but I haven't really kept up to date with the technology.

In particular I'm looking to build a new PC to replace the low end PIII I have now. After looking at the all the choices and reviews I'm really having a dilemma choosing a base board. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I really don't want to pick up something that is 'below-average'

I'd appreciate any input people have to offer.

Basically my needs are as follows...

I'm looking for something in the Socket A or Socket 478 market. Part of my dilemma is that I am a die-hard Intel user, and have been ever since I started building PCs. I got burned by an early AMD product (dating back to the 486/586 era here) and I haven't touched them since. I am strongly leaning towards the P4, BUT I could be convinced otherwise if someone had a really convincing argument.

My MAIN concern is reliability & stability since I beta test games for MS. I need to be 100% certain a crash is software related and not hardware acting up on me.

What options do I want?

• I definitely want some kind of on-board network/lan config. I use DSL so I'd like to avoid filling a slot with a NIC if I can avoid it.

• I'm also partial to more expansion slots, I wouldn't feel comfortable with one of these 3 slot jobs. I would like to have 5 if not 6.

• Memory will depend on the circumstances - I'd love to do RDR, but it is still pretty pricey. Mind you, for the right board I would make an exception. DDR is an option but I heard that there aren't many P4 boards that do DDR yet. I'd like 3 DIMM slots if I go that route. 2 would be OK I guess, but I'd feel better with 3 should I want to expand down the road.

• I don't need any on-board video, I'll supply my own Radeon card, on board sound is OK, although I don't need it.

• I'd like a RAID capable board since I have read that the new boards can boot directly to the array. A couple 60 or 80GIG drives in a 0+1 config would be sweet indeed!

• The big question... over-clocking? Well, as much as it is popular right now, I'm not overly concerned with OC right now. As I said above, my main concern is stability, and I would rather sacrifice a bit of performance if it meant enhanced stability. It would be nice to have the ability to OC later on. However that isn't a priority for me right now.

Now I'm in Canada so I'm looking for a board that is freely available up here. To get an idea of what's available, look here or here. (If you like, lemme know what you think of the prices)

When looking at prices, keep in mind I'm in Canada. So CAN$150=US$100 approximately. My mobo budget is unlimited really. Anything under CAN$300 is fine. I'd rather sink the money into a good quality mobo and then I can tinker with my budget when it comes to other items.

Regards,

Savant

 

[Savant99]

<bump> Anyone?

Regards,

Savant

 

[Desslok]

WHy do you want to go with RIMMS? From all the benchmarks I have seen DDR is pretty much right up there with RDRAM in terms of performace that you can see. Sure it can handle an amazing amount of data but it is also higher latency not to mention the higher price. I personally would go with an Epox 8KHA+ with an Athlon XP 1600. Very stable board I have built two systems with this board and have never had a crash due the hardware. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Chris