New Member with Motherboard Delimma

[Jazzcat]

Hi all. This is my first time posting here. I have been reading articles on this site for sometime and recently have been looking through posts on motherboards and CPUs. I have built three Athlon Systems over the last two years and have decided to make the leap to a P4. After doing some research I have come down to either an Epox 4G4A+ or a Gigabyte GA-8IHXP. I have never overclocked any of my previous rigs but with some of the results you all are having with the P4, I am getting interested in do this. I would like input as to which board you would go with and why. I know the Epox is DDR and Gigabyte is RDRAM and I know there is a cost difference as well. Maybe there is a choice for overclocking or not, I don't know. Any suggestions are welcome. I would also like to know which P4 you would recommend. The only system items I have that will move into this machine are:
Turtle Beach Santa Cruiz
MSI G4 Ti 4400
Enermax Whisper EG465P-VE

Any air cooling suggestions for the CPU would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Mem]

Welcome to AT forums,tough choice between the two but I would go with the Epox 4G4A+, the reviews have been very good and it`s an excellent board on stability & number one choice for overclocking in my books.

 

[mindbender]

I just built a new system with the Gigabyte 8IHXP. It is a beautiful MB with a lot of great features. You cannot go wrong with it. I do not have any experience with the EPOX board but I think your decision really comes down to RDRAM or DDR.

To me the decision is relatively simple. If you have the money go with the 8IHXP. P4, FSB 533Mhz, 1066Mhz RDRAM and ATA 133 is substantially faster than anything else out there for the foreseeable future. There are enough benchmarks available now that validate it. Particularly if you want to use your system for video games, video editing, or digital pictures.

If price is an issue then go with the DDR alternative. It will not be as fast but you will save a couple hundred dollars on a comparable system. Either way you cannot lose.

 

[Acer]

Originally posted by: Mem
Welcome to AT forums,tough choice between the two but I would go with the Epox 4G4A+, the reviews have been very good and it`s an excellent board on stability & number one choice for overclocking in my books.

Can you fill me in on some details of this board (4G4A+)? Or, point me towards creditable reviews! Thanks.

 

[Drsignguy]

I agree with Mindbender with the exception of the "Fastest" the gigabyte is a great board and I ordered it for a friend just the other day! I will follow up on this to let you know. But I prefer Asus. I am curently building my second monster machine and I have now in my posession an Asus P4T533-c mobo, with other things. Take a look! DOCS OPERATIONS But like he said, it is all up to what you prefer. If you are a gamer and want speed, go with the Rambus! Otherwise, spend the less money and still get a very stable machine. Enjoy and good luck on your quest! 3DMark

 

[Jazzcat]

Originally posted by: Acer

Can you fill me in on some details of this board (4G4A+)? Or, point me towards creditable reviews! Thanks.[/quote]


Acer,
Here are some reviews I found while researching this board.

Overclockers Online
http://www.overclockersonline.com/index.php?page=articles&num=140&pnum=0

TweakTown:
http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=269

OC workbench:
http://www.ocworkbench.com/2002/epox/4g4a+/4g4a+p1.htm

Virtual Zone:
http://www.vr-zone.com/reviews/EPoX/4G4A+/

Last but not least some very informative postings on this board:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=29&threadid=790932

 

[Acer]

Originally posted by: Jazzcat

Originally posted by: Acer

Can you fill me in on some details of this board (4G4A+)? Or, point me towards creditable reviews! Thanks.

Acer,
Here are some reviews I found while researching this board.


Thanks-a-bunch Jazzcat

 

[Jazzcat]

Thanks Mem, Mindbender, & Drsignguy for your quick responses

Any suggestions from anyone on which Pentium 4 CPU would be best to use? The favorite for overclocking seems to be the 1.6a. Is it worth the money to go for a 2.26 Northwood to get a 533Mhz Processor? Does it have less overclocking potential than a 1.6a? If I do not overclock than the faster the better? What is the best cooling solution for the P4 excluding water? Thanks again for the help. I am hoping to order something by the end of the week.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The same goes for the CPU as the RDRAM vs DDR quandry, if you can afford it buy the 2.26B if you are on a tight budget get the 1.6A as it has plenty of overhead and is a price/performance winner.