P4S8X worth it?

[jkresh]

I just got my P4B533-E (gave up on the S8X) yesterday (power supply comes in today) and now I see the P4S8X is available, should I send back the E (bought it at googlegear so shouldn?t be a problem to return, except for the 15%) and get the S8X or just keep what I have. I like the serial ata, and ddr400 (and official 333 support) on the S8X, but I bought a 2.26 and want to run it at 150mhz-170mhz (See how far it goes, pretty good case cooling), and if this board has the same problems as the abit (wont due more then 143mhz) then it is not worth it. I do have enough time that I could order it, try the E and see how far it goes, then when the board comes in try it and see how far it goes. However I am going back to school in less then 2 weeks so the more time I spend on this the less time I will have to pack everything else, and I don?t want to be stuck paying for both boards. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Wait for a few other mullets to jump on it. See what they think, and then act accordingly.

 

[Tru3]

Im in the same boat as you. I think im just going to go ahead and get the p4s8x on the hopes that it will be better then the sr7-8x. I really want to have the 8x agp bc im planning on getting an NV30 or 9700 at some point and the extra bus speed should future proof me somewhat. NE way, why was the p4s8x so hyped b4 in the forums? Unfortunately, the only review ive seen of it was of a preliminary board at ocworkbench. Plus there is the fact that the only place selling the board right now doesnt seem too reputable. I think im going to risk it just bc my other option is the x400 which has no tech support (and for some reason no one likes via in any forum) and my dad is agitating for me to get ready for school. If i see any new news though ill post it here. Im going to call atacom in a few minutes.

 

[Tru3]

Argh, godamnit its not in stock. When i went to atacom last night the board appeared in stock and was 144. Now its 154 and its not in stock. I called them and they said its on back order and probably still in taiwan. What i saw last night was a mistake. Soo basically they just posted the board as back order like any other seller who will eventually will have them can do. They just did it first. If no one actually has this in stock soon then im back to square one. Damn i need to find someone with an X400 and get their opinion of that cause that looks like my only option now. Godamn, hardware purchasing shouldnt be this stressful lol.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

guys, it seems newegg had to recall almost all of their abit 648 boards. The problem is apparently a bad batch from Abit, not being able to hold stable at 400mhz ddr. Abit recalled the boards and is sending newer, revised, shipments. So, it looks like there shouldn't be any problems for Abit, but who knows what could happen? BTW the asus board looks sweet, i'm gonna ditch my P4S533 and jump ship if it turns out good (and has PCI/AGP lock).

 

[Tru3]

Where did you hear this? I just assumed that none of either the SIS or VIA boards could run DDR400 bc it was just a marketing gimick, not a tech problem. In any case it prbly doesnt help me much bc my dad called me from the office and told me i have to order one tonight. Damn i wish i knew how useful 8x agp will be for the newer cards bc an IT-7 is prbly a safer bet then a VIA X400. oh well

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

you assumed that SiS boards couldn't run DDR400? Did you ever read a review of the Asus P4S533, it ran DDR400 and above like a charm, no stability issues. These Abit boards apparantly were bunk from the get-go, which is why newegg and Abit recalled so many of them.

 

[Tru3]

Sorry misunderstanding. None of these boards (from via or sis) can run ddr400 w/0 ocing. Although they never claimed to officially run ddr400 they hyped unofficial support with their reference boards at stock speeds. However none of the retail boards have been able to run ddr400 stock. Its in the roundup on the anandtech mainpage. In any case, it doesnt matter. I have to order tonight i think so im going to make a last minute decision between the abit IT-7 and a VIA X400 based mobo.

 

[Budman]

I say keep your P4B533-E and enjoy it,let the others work out the bugs out of a new chipset.

 

[jkresh]

After finding out atacom had it just on backorder (emailed them late last night) I decided that since I only expect to keep it a year (then Hammer), its not worth the risk, or the time to wait, so I am sticking with the P4B533-E, the only question I have now is to use my onboard sound or to use my old SoundBlaster live 5.1 oem.

 

[Budman]

I had the same question,but after using the onboard for a few days I find my Sblive sounds much better.

You better stick with the live & disable the onboad sound.

Happy overclocking.

 

[jkresh]

thanks for the tip, I will keep the live for now.