Suggestions before I buy? IS7, PC3200, P4 2.8C

[ripthesystem]

I'm looking at putting together a new PC to replace my 933 duallie.
I've been looking at the Abit IS7 with 1gb of PC3200 and a P4 2.8C

Now on with the questions...

1. Is PC3200 fast enough for this system ( I don't plan on overclocking)?
2. I see that Newegg has
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 1G(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - OEM for $161 and it's Cas 2.5

however they also have:
Buffalo Technology 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - OEM Winbond w/cas2.5 for $77 ea.

Which would you recommend?

3. Can you recommend any better module than above for around the same price? (I see Crucial has some but it's only Cas3 )

5. Any other comments/suggestions/hints about this mobo/cpu combo?


Thx!

 

[CraigRT]

people say the buffalo is good.. i've give it a try!
but keep in mind you cant go wrong with Corsair.

 

[ripthesystem]

ttt

 

[Dug]

Crucial can easily run lower than cas3. They rate very conservatively.
But I'm sure that the Corsair will work fine.
Why an IS7 instead of the IC7?

 

[ripthesystem]

well... the IC7 Maxx series is just too expensive ($164/$198) so that leaves the base IC7 model... everything I've read suggests that the only main difference is the 875 chipset over the 865 chipset and that the performance difference isn't much at all.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong- I want to get the most bang/buck so to say.

Also wondering what boards out there use DDR that's faster than pc3200... And would that be a performance gain that I should be looking at?

I'm basically looking to do an Intel setup and get the CPU, Mobo, and 512-1gb RAM for around $500

So keep the suggestions coming.
thx

 

[beatle]

PC3200 is plenty if you're not overclocking (though you can still overclock with it). I'd stick with the Corsair.

The IS7 is $15 cheaper than the IC7 and includes onboard LAN. Spend a bit more to get the Abit AI7 and be ready for Prescott when it arrives. Then again, if you're upgrading from a dual 933 you likely don't upgrade all that often.

 

[ripthesystem]

Ok I'm having a hard time seeing the ifferences between the IS7 and the AI7

All I can come up with is the

AI7:
Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC658 6-channel CODEC
Onboard LAN: Realtek 10/100 LAN
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x Serial ATA, Support RAID 0/1
Form Factor: ATX

IS7:
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC97 CODEC
Onboard LAN: 10/100M Fast Ethernet


The Audio is not a concern since it would only be a backup to my Audigy card..
and either LAN would be fine..
Seems that the AI7 has some uGuru hardware monitoring tweaking thingie..

Could someone explain how I can tell if the board will be Prescott ready?

 

[ripthesystem]

Ok-- since this last post I've learned that that AI7 is kinda taking the place of the IS7 so I think it may well be worth the extra little $$

any other suggestions? any way to tell what boards will be ready for Prescott?