Thinking of buying a new Socket 478 Mobo

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Flavcool

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Dec 10, 2005
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Hi,

Right now I have a P4 3.0C GHz on a DFI PS83-BL motherboard which is a complete piece of ______ . The agp/pci/sata lock doesn't work right. Whenever I set it to 66.7/33.3/100 (What should be normal), my SATA hd hangs on boot or just doesn't get detected, and I'm not going to overclock w/o the lock. I've tried for a long time to resolve this, I even talked to DFI and they pretty much said well we can't create a new BIOS just for you... I can still overclock w/o an SATA hd ...but what's the poin in that. Also I've thought for the longest time it's reporting wrong temperatures...

SO, I came to you experts to ask you what motherboard I shoudl get IF i decide to get one at all. I don't really need this, just want to get the overclocking out of me. What socket 478 motherboard is now both cheap and sweet quality?

THanks,

Flaviu
 
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stevty2889

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2003
7,036
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Probably hard to find socket 478 motherboards now, but I had an Asus P4P800 and it worked great, I know the PCI/AGP/SATA locks worked on it, had a 2.8E running at 3.5ghz on it. P4C800 is also good, and several good Abit boards such as the IC7.
 
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wpshooter

Golden Member
Mar 9, 2004
1,662
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First, if you are thinking of buying another board, I would suggest you consider a newer board version that 478 and as far as brands are concerned, I would say ASUS.
 
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Flavcool

Member
Dec 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: InlineFour
i have a used gigabyte 8ipe1000g motherboard for sale if youre interested.
Click to expand...

Yea sure I"m interested...I'm gonna have to do some research on it first but sure. Also, a Zalman 7000Cu has to fit in it, b/c that's what I'm using now. Hmm I think it's the 7000, it's been a while since I thought about this.

And to whoever suggested getting better than socket 478...would my cpu still fit in? And I don't really need it b/c I'll get a better one when I actually upgrade everything.

Also, where would you guys suggest I buy it? I've NEVER bought anything online so I kind of don't want to...but I guess I could try it. I live in toronto, canada so if you know any good stores please say. What about these: http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProdList&cmd=pl&id=MB.575

 
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InlineFour

Banned
Nov 1, 2005
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Originally posted by: Flavcool
Originally posted by: InlineFour
i have a used gigabyte 8ipe1000g motherboard for sale if youre interested.
Click to expand...

Yea sure I"m interested...I'm gonna have to do some research on it first but sure. Also, a Zalman 7000Cu has to fit in it, b/c that's what I'm using now. Hmm I think it's the 7000, it's been a while since I thought about this.

And to whoever suggested getting better than socket 478...would my cpu still fit in? And I don't really need it b/c I'll get a better one when I actually upgrade everything.

Also, where would you guys suggest I buy it? I've NEVER bought anything online so I kind of don't want to...but I guess I could try it. I live in toronto, canada so if you know any good stores please say. What about these: http://canadacomputers.com/index.php?do=ShowProdList&cmd=pl&id=MB.575
Click to expand...

i can't believe s478 boards are selling for about the same prices as current s939/lga775 boards are, despite their age. out of those motherboards, the asus p4p800e is the most popular s478 board.
 
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InlineFour

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Nov 1, 2005
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Flavcool

Member
Dec 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: InlineFour
Originally posted by: Flavcool
What about this: http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=1791

or this: http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=2108

Also what is MATX (microATX, will it be fine in my ATX case?)
Click to expand...

both boards are aimed for the budget crowds. they have less features, expandibility (2 ram slots), and slightly slower performance, you can could probably not tell in real world. a matx board is even more of a budget board with fewer pci slots and less features.
Click to expand...

Ok so the second link w/ the MATX is a nogo. But the first link is to an IC7 I believe, which I thought was good...
 
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imported_goku

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2004
7,613
3
0
Originally posted by: Flavcool
Hi,

Right now I have a P4 3.0C GHz on a DFI PS83-BL motherboard which is a complete piece of ______ . The agp/pci/sata lock doesn't work right. Whenever I set it to 66.7/33.3/100 (What should be normal), my SATA hd hangs on boot or just doesn't get detected, and I'm not going to overclock w/o the lock. I've tried for a long time to resolve this, I even talked to DFI and they pretty much said well we can't create a new BIOS just for you... I can still overclock w/o an SATA hd ...but what's the poin in that. Also I've thought for the longest time it's reporting wrong temperatures...

SO, I came to you experts to ask you what motherboard I shoudl get IF i decide to get one at all. I don't really need this, just want to get the overclocking out of me. What socket 478 motherboard is now both cheap and sweet quality?

THanks,

Flaviu
Click to expand...

ABIT IC7-G, probably the best socket 478 board out there.. I've got it, overclocks wonderfully, I have a 2.8C at 3.5GHZ stable (It's the most reliable system I've ever had).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127152
While that is pricey, it's no comparison to what I paied last year (July). Maybe you can pick one up on ebay? Be sure to get one with a north bridge fan that looks the same as you could be getting a board with an old revision.
 
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Slugbait

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,633
3
81
Your Zalman will fit on an Asus P4P800E...I know, I've got the same setup. However, the socket placement might be different on the DFI, so something else like your PSU might prevent installing the Zalman...the Asus socket placement is toward the upper-left where the PSU is located.

Asus is very good for o/c. My P4B-533 took my Northwood 1.6a to 2.4 with no problem, that was my main machine for three years and is now my secondary machine. The P4P800 took my Galatin 3.0 to 3.6, but there was heavy artifacting in the Doom3 demo, and Sandra would freeze during its test suite...I had to back down to 3.2 to get rid of all artifacting in the demo. Didn't bother me much, cuz at 3.2 I still have superior mflops, etc, than a Prescott running at 3.8.

Of course, success and stability relies quite a bit on the chipset. Intel's 865 is fine, no idea about the SiS chipset (which would save you about $30)

I've had a budget board before, it was a complete waste of $50. Being unable to do a stable o/c was the least of its problems. If you plan on running this machine for another year or more, you might wanna consider splurging a little.
 
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Flavcool

Member
Dec 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Slugbait
Your Zalman will fit on an Asus P4P800E...I know, I've got the same setup. However, the socket placement might be different on the DFI, so something else like your PSU might prevent installing the Zalman...the Asus socket placement is toward the upper-left where the PSU is located.

Asus is very good for o/c. My P4B-533 took my Northwood 1.6a to 2.4 with no problem, that was my main machine for three years and is now my secondary machine. The P4P800 took my Galatin 3.0 to 3.6, but there was heavy artifacting in the Doom3 demo, and Sandra would freeze during its test suite...I had to back down to 3.2 to get rid of all artifacting in the demo. Didn't bother me much, cuz at 3.2 I still have superior mflops, etc, than a Prescott running at 3.8.

Of course, success and stability relies quite a bit on the chipset. Intel's 865 is fine, no idea about the SiS chipset (which would save you about $30)

I've had a budget board before, it was a complete waste of $50. Being unable to do a stable o/c was the least of its problems. If you plan on running this machine for another year or more, you might wanna consider splurging a little.
Click to expand...

Ok so it's pretty clear that if I am to get something I should get the P4P800E or Abit IC7 or not even bother at all.

Now about the placement...if it's in upper left corner, that WILL hit the PSU....what am I gonna do?
 
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stevty2889

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 2003
7,036
8
81
Originally posted by: Flavcool
BUMP. also, will I have to reinstall windows?
Click to expand...

A repair install should work fine. My suggestion prior to shutting down the PC to swap motherboards is to disable any onboard devices in the bios, then go in to windows and remove the IDE controllers. Shut down, swap motherboards. It may boot up fine and if not, a repair install will do the trick.
 
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zagood

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
4,102
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71
I have the P4P800 SE and use a zalman 7000AlCu. The edges of the fins are about 3mm from the power supply, but don't touch and don't cause any problems. P4P800 E should be the same.

The SE is a great board, the E-Deluxe has ATA/133 native though and the SE has ATA/100. I think the only other differences are 8-channel vs. 6-channel sound, and a Firewire module comes with the E.

-z
 
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Flavcool

Member
Dec 10, 2005
42
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Originally posted by: zagood
The SE is a great board, the E-Deluxe has ATA/133 native though and the SE has ATA/100.
Click to expand...

When you mention that...you must be talking about DMA mode 6 vs 5 (lol another issue i'm having) but of course it also supports SATA right (which in my current mobo uses DMA mode 5)?
 
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Slugbait

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,633
3
81
Originally posted by: Flavcool
Ok so it's pretty clear that if I am to get something I should get the P4P800E or Abit IC7 or not even bother at all.

Now about the placement...if it's in upper left corner, that WILL hit the PSU....what am I gonna do?
Click to expand...

It's not exactly all the way up in the far reaches of the corner...I'm just pointing this out in case you have a mini-tower, or something smaller than a regular-sized mid-tower, or the orientation of the PSU mounted inside (horizontal or vertical), etc. Take a look at the photos (like at newegg or wherever) and compare placement with the old board.

A re-install or repair of Windows is not necessary. However, you DO want to uninstall the chipset drivers before pulling parts...then install the chipset drivers for the new board after plugging in the new board.

However, a clean install of Windows on a clean drive does have some benefit...takes a long time, but you can have a totally safe and secure machine if done right. Using AutoPatcher will ensure you're almost fully up-to-date before logging on to the 'net for the first time...and it's WAY faster to do it this way than to download after install. Also, if you're on broadband without a hardware firewall after a clean install, you could be infected within a minute or two, so AutoPatcher helps prevent that.
 
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Wolfshanze

Senior member
Jan 21, 2005
767
0
0
I can second the Asus P4P800SE... check my sig-line for my computer specs... I've been running this computer for awhile now and it's been rock-solid stable. I also have a dual-boot HD with WinMe and WinXP... no problems at all with this Asus MB.
 
rstrohkirch

rstrohkirch

Platinum Member
May 31, 2005
2,434
367
126
I own the abit is7-e2/msi neo2-p/asus p4p800se

After using them all I see no reason to drop an extra $15 on the asus vs the msi
and if you need a nice stable board with decent OC options then get the abit as the
others aren't worth the extra cash
 
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caz67

Golden Member
Jan 4, 2004
1,369
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0
I loved my IC7 Max-3, before i changed to my current Beast. It was a great board, very fast and stable.
 
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Wolfshanze

Senior member
Jan 21, 2005
767
0
0
Not to go off subject, but damn caz67... you must be growing money trees in the backyard to get a setup like your sig-line. What do you do with all those hard drives?!?!

With wife and kids, my sig-line is staying put for awhile (then again, I'm mostly an old-school strategy gamer, so I wouldn't know what to do with a twin 7800 GTX setup anyways).

Oh... Asus P4P800SE still rocks for an AGP MB (gotta stay on-subject).
 
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