Please suggest Mobo for Intel noob...

[Namuna]

I've been running an Epox 8K3A with AMD XP 1800 for a LONNNNNNG time now and am looking to finally upgrade.

A short time ago I was able to get ahold of an Intel P4 2.8GHz (Socket 478, right?) for a price I couldn't pass on.

I've got ZERO clue about Intel Chipsets, so I'm hoping for recommendations for a Mobo that will fit a few criteria:

- ATX Form Factor (already have a good case and would like to keep on using it)
- AGP Video (Recently bought a 6800GT card, so I still need the AGP)
- DDR266 compatible if possible (I've currently got 4x512mb DDR266 and would like to keep them, but if it's really holding me back from a really good Mobo I could sell them and upgrade).

Thanks alot for any help!

 

[Namuna]

This board looks like a sweet setup:
http://www.newegg.com/app/View...tion=13-128-231&depa=0

Or should I be looking for something newer?

Thanks.

 

[hundesau]

okay, my advice is to buy one of these:
Asus P4P800-E deluxe
Abit IC7-G
MSI 865PE Neo2

Exellent boards with all the features u need. My favorite would be either the first or the second one the been battling in alot of reviews for n1 rank.

 

[ts3433]

Your DDR266 will reduce your performance (P4s are very heavily dependent on memory bandwidth for performance, and with an 800FSB P4 like yours you would want DDR400), but mobos should support it.

Good mobos for S478 should be easy to find; as long as it has an 865 or 875 chipset and is from a good brand, you should be good to go.

 

[hundesau]

thats right, u should get 400MHz Ram.

 

[Namuna]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm checking out those mobos you suggested hundesau, I'm especially liking the Abit (for being 875chipset, firewire and rounded cables). I'm looking at Newegg's site for this Mobo and they only have the board with RAID config for $135. Is it possible to find this board minus the RAID for less?

Looks like it's time to dump the old 266 and up it to 400, I figured the time was coming.

Sigh, here I was thinking I'd be all set for another year or 2 after buying the 6800GT...But buying the 6800GT just makes me want a better system to run it on! Meh, it never ends!

 

[hundesau]

yea, the i875 chipset is quite expensive, though it isnt really faster than the 865. the Asus has the same performance and the MSI comes very close. So imo u can go with the cheaper boards too. Dont know where to buy them.

Another idea is, since up to now all u have is a P4 CPU: Sell the P4 at ebay or whereever for the sum of at least 120$ and buy a new system. My suggestion: A64 3000+ Winchester for about 130$, Abit AV8 motherboard for about 95$ and new Ram 2x512MB Corsair, Samsung, Twinmos, Infineon for 70$ each 512MB. This way wont be cheap, i know, but it will own the P4 System in every Gaming benchmark, u have a better chipset, lot more features like integrated firewall, very good occability, its more future-proof concerning new CPU`s and even dualcores, less power- and heat-consumption. Well, u mite think about it and think about the money issue, but imo thats a better upgrade path than to invest lot of cash for older hardware, especially since u have a great graphics cards which needs all the power it can get.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: ts3433
Your DDR266 will reduce your performance (P4s are very heavily dependent on memory bandwidth for performance, and with an 800FSB P4 like yours you would want DDR400), but mobos should support it.

Good mobos for S478 should be easy to find; as long as it has an 865 or 875 chipset and is from a good brand, you should be good to go.

depends though, if his 2.8 P4 is a 533 FSB, the PC2100 will be right at home.

 

[hundesau]

hmm, u sure? Cuz imo its not a big problem for the newer P4 chipsets (afaik was i845 the last chipset that was not able to run ram and fsb asynchron) to run asynchron like it was for Athlon XP. And furthermore a P4 FSB133 has a maximum of 4.200 MBytes/s Memory Controller > CPU, and DDR333 offers max. 2700 MBytes/s from RAM to the Memory Controller and in dual channel 5400 MBytes/s (PC2100 does it with as its name says ~2GB/s). So, if Ram and FSB running asynchron isnt a problem and if u want the extra speed then use faster Ram.

 

[Namuna]

Originally posted by: hundesau
...Another idea is, since up to now all u have is a P4 CPU: Sell the P4 at ebay or whereever for the sum of at least 120$ and buy a new system. My suggestion: A64 3000+ Winchester for about 130$, Abit AV8 motherboard for about 95$ and new Ram 2x512MB Corsair, Samsung, Twinmos, Infineon for 70$ each 512MB. This way wont be cheap, i know, but it will own the P4 System in every Gaming benchmark, u have a better chipset, lot more features like integrated firewall, very good occability, its more future-proof concerning new CPU`s and even dualcores, less power- and heat-consumption. Well, u mite think about it and think about the money issue, but imo thats a better upgrade path than to invest lot of cash for older hardware, especially since u have a great graphics cards which needs all the power it can get.

Funny you mention this cause last night I started thinking the same thing...Dump the P4, get a A64 3000+ (or 3200+) and perhaps an nf3 250gb board (I know the nf4 is newer, but the nf3 250gb is supposed to be pretty solid right?). I was looking at the DFI Lanparty UT.

Should I forget the nf3 250gb for K8T800Pro instead?

 

[hundesau]

nforce4 supports pcie only and i guess u have a AGP graphics card.

the dfi is a very good overclocker board but not the best board considering overall performance. the best overall boards in the reviews are imo:
MSI K8N NEO2 Platinum S939 NF3Ultra chipset
Asus A8V Deluxe K8T800Pro
ABIT AV8 K8T800Pro


The differences between the chipsets regarding speed and performance are marginal, Nvidia is 2-3% faster, and offers some features like nx-bit (hardware firewall) and some lil stuff which i cant remember and thats a sign they are not important not even nice to have. U cant do anything wrong with any of these boards but the nvidia based beeing slightly better to overclock, very lil more speed and some stupid features, but of a higher price.


the 3000+ is at this time the best bang for the buck and if u overclock it, i doubt u gonna overclock it higher than u could overclock a 3200+. This logic works vice versa, so id suggest to buy a 3000+ which - overclocked - wont show any difference to a overclocked 3200+. Both will find a oc-border at....dunno....2600MHz. Hope u get my point.

 

[Namuna]

Thanks a ton for all the info hundesau! I was just reading some write-up over at THG and that MSI Neo2 does seem like the right way to go! So I think I've decided on that.

For the CPU, the A64 3000+ 'Winchester' seems right....I am MUCH saddened to think I'll have to get a new HS/F, my old Swiftech MCX462 was/is such a beauty. Wish there was a way to retro-fit to the new board.

Alright, so now I've made up my mind on the Mobo, CPU and will be getting some good DDR400 mem...Please help me decide the final piece...Is the stock HS/F with a retail A64 good enough to handle the 3000+ at stock and a little OC? I've got Arctic Silver (bit on the old side (few years at least), but it's still good right?) to take care of the proper thermal compound and if I don't have to worry about getting a fancy HS/F that would be 1 less thing to deal with.

Again, thanks for all the help! It's much appreciated!

 

[hundesau]

imo the msi is the best choice too. the only thing about the MSI NEO2 is that it has an acitve northbridge cooler, which will prolly make some noise. Dunno if that will worry u but maybe u find a passive solution for that problem if it really occurs.
As for the CPU Cooler: The AMD HS/F will do it even when u overclock. AMD has improved their hs/f`s, so u mite check it before buying a new one.
When u want to make sure u get the best cooling then theres the Thermalright XP-120 or XP-90. But especially the xp-120 is really huge, so make sure that it will fit in ur case and that it wont collidate with ur PSU. There needs to be alot of space between board and PSU, heres a image: http://www.teschke.de/heatpipe...20-mainboard-kl-ss.jpg
If u sure it fits then this is the best cooler, but a pricy one too. Its about 50-60$ i guess and u need a silent 120mm-Fan from Papst or Y.S.Tech for like 10-15$.
A cheaper pick and my advice concerning price and performance is to buy a Zalman CNPS 7000B AL-CU. Excellent cooling results, not too big of size and costs about 30-40 with a fan already included. Also it has a potentiometer included, so u can change the rounds per minute easily. At highest speed u will be able to hear the sound of the fan but its not one of these annyoing sounds, u just hear, that there is a fan blowing air, on medium speed u wont be able to hear it anymore.

 

[hundesau]

btw: what kind of PSU u have? u should have a good one when u have expensive hardware for around 70$ minimum, from be quiet, antec, tagan or enermax. 420Watt are enugh.

 

[Namuna]

I'm running an Antec PP403X (400watt)...I'm gonna see if I can't get away with this PSU.

If stock HS/F can swing it, even under a little stress, then stock it is. I'm not terribly touchy on noise, the big-ole fan that's been on my swiftech for years has always been a 'big talker' so I'm used to some noise.

Well, now I'm off to bargain hunt...

 

[hundesau]

the antec will fit the needs of the hardware. and yes, the stock hsf are pretty good, got some friends who occed their 3000+ @2400MHz with a increased temperature of only 10°, which is still acceptable. Noise is an issue for me since, at least since i once had an ultra silent system i just cant stand noisy systems anymore. and when u take care of the parts u buy, its not hard to get a very silent comp. a silent hd, a silent cpu fan, a good psu will always be silent too, and some case fans with less then 20db and there u have a silent rig. okay, the graphics card can be a problem, depends...gl with the hunt, u see me lookin envious at the comp u will have soon =D