Need ideas on p4 MB and RAM...

[substance]

I'm putting together and xmas list,

p4 2.6c or similar (one with 800mhz fsb)
2x512 DDR 400 (need advice on brand)
Motherboard that supports SATA-raid, onboard LAN, onboard sound doesnt matter, dual ddr, extensive OC features, hyperthreading...
I read an article on the Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe and it sounded pretty interesting.
I have a price range of $500 total (excluding taxes and shipping)
I have never gone with intel, I have always built AMD, but i have decided its time to switch. Thats why i need help deciding what motherboard to get.
I was also planning on getting two SATA 10k rpm 8mb buffer drives (raid-0) But that can come later.
Basically i just want some feedback on some of the best p4 boards out there, sis 655tx? intel 875? what processor, and ram to get to match my budget.

 

[substance]

*bump*

 

[poppyq]

most people here seem to like the abit ic7 (and its variants) though some have mentioned the asus p4p800

I personally would get the abit ic7

as for memory, you have a few options, popular opinion chooses 2x512 kingston hyper x, or 2x512 corsair xms, or 2x512 mushkin lvl II black (I think)

 

[nick1985]

get mushkin level 2 black. its the best ram ive ever used.

 

[ForsakenMaster]

Asus P4c800-E deluxe for the mobo,it is the absolute best P4 mobo you can buy.
As for ram i would consider Geil.

 

[substance]

would you recommend for me to get two of the dual pack 256x2 ddr packs? so im using all my slots at a total 1gb, i dont think ill need more. It seems that getting 4 256 sticks is cheaper than 2 512 sticks
also, the P4C800-E DELUXE looks like a good board, but pricey. I wouldnt be able to afford 1gb ram. any alternatives, or maybe just some sites that are cheaper. i was looking at newegg.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm in the same boat as you are and am considering the Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe over the P4C although the latter is very well liked. I don't see the P4S for sale yet though. I've been trying to figure out the bewildering Ram options too and the best cost performance compromise. I seems to me I read something about four identical sims out-performing two with identical characterics but double the size and expecially single sided ones.

 

[cockeyed]

The Asus P4P800 with Kingston HyperX PC3200 (2 channel 512mb kit) would be a good choice. Together, this would set you back about $220.

 

[ForsakenMaster]

No i wouldn't recommend the 2 pack even thought the manufacturer claims they are a matched pair.
The performance gain is around 3% tops not worth it IMO.

 

[SpeedFreak03]

I just built a very similar system. After reading tons of reviews and people's opinions, I came up with this system:

-P4 2.6C (800FSB with HyperThreading) retail = $174
-2x512MB Kingston HyperX PC3200 (check your PM's (personal messages) for this i sent u something)
-Asus P4P800-Deluxe (has Intel 865PE chipset, but if you turn on the board's MAM (memory accelerator mode) it beats out the Intel 875 chipset! also has sata, onboard gigabit lan, SoundMAX sound, dual-ddr, great OC, and HT) = $130
-For the SATA RAID, go for 2 36GB Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM SATA drives = ~$200

TOTAL = $504 without ram. If you only want to spend $500 (like me with ram), then wait on the SATA drives. It will only be $304 without ram then.

 

[SpeedFreak03]

Originally posted by: ForsakenMaster
No i wouldn't recommend the 2 pack even thought the manufacturer claims they are a matched pair.
The performance gain is around 3% tops not worth it IMO.

With P4s there is a nice difference when using dual-channel memory. The performance gain on an AthlonXP system is only 3% tops.

 

[substance]

i think im gonna go for the exactly what speedfreak88 said, and im gonna get the ram instead of drives. but what heatsink fan should i get? i wanna OC this p4

 

[cockeyed]

Originally posted by: SpeedFreak03
I just built a very similar system. After reading tons of reviews and people's opinions, I came up with this system:

-P4 2.6C (800FSB with HyperThreading) retail = $174
-2x512MB Kingston HyperX PC3200 (check your PM's (personal messages) for this i sent u something)
-Asus P4P800-Deluxe (has Intel 865PE chipset, but if you turn on the board's MAM (memory accelerator mode) it beats out the Intel 875 chipset! also has sata, onboard gigabit lan, SoundMAX sound, dual-ddr, great OC, and HT) = $130
-For the SATA RAID, go for 2 36GB Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM SATA drives = ~$200

TOTAL = $504 without ram. If you only want to spend $500 (like me with ram), then wait on the SATA drives. It will only be $304 without ram then.

This is virtually the same system I am in the process of building (over the next few months) with the same parts. The only difference is that I'm using 2x256 ram and and the P4P800 (non-deluxe) mobo. The non-deluxe mobo does not have IDE Raid or IEEE1394 interface, otherwise they're the same. Unless you want these features, you can save a few bucks on the non-deluxe mobo. The many reviews I've read on similiar systems have been good. In the event that you build this system, Xbitlabs.com has an interesting review which shows how to set the BIOS for MAM and Performance mode to get the max performance; the best setting is not as indicated in the manual according to them. IMO,SpeedFreak03's system would be an excellent one to copy!!

 

[substance]

but does the non deluxe have SATA-raid? cause thats all i want

 

[cockeyed]

SATA Raid 0 with WinXP; see STORAGE in their spec sheet. The P4P800 manual has a section on setting up Raid 0; the manual can be DL'd from Asus. It is my understanding that the Intel ICH5R Chipset has the SATA Raid 0 function integrated. Check this out further before buying to be sure, but I think that any of the 865PE mobo's with the ICH5R chipset have SATA Raid 0 but not SATA Raid 1.