What is the best P3 motherboard available? I'm going back to Intel ...

[PwAg]

Hey:
I'm looking to replace my 3 week old KT7RAID/Thunderbird 900/FOP32 with a P3 800/the BEST Non-VIA P3 supported motherboard with 4-5 PCI slots / 4X AGP (either i440bx or 815E chipset)/Alpha cooler.

You are probably wondering why the h*ll I'm doing this? Well I use my computer solely for audio production. And if you know anything about the compatibility of professional sound cards with VIA/AMD chipsets, it is truly the most aggravating situation you want to go through especially if you've got $1000's of dollars worth of outboard equipment you want to patch through the comp for editing/sequencing/sampling. I'm tired of only having some of the features of my $500+ professional recording sound card function properly. I was expecting my sound card manufacturer to come out with some new bios updates for VIA, but it looks to be a slow h*llish process. So I've decided to go back to Intel P3. I'm not interested in the hype of P4, so I don't feel like waiting.

Here is a run down of what I have/dont have in my system:

What I need:
-Need Intel P3 coppermine 800 FC-PGA or above.
-Need supporting NON-VIA based motherboard that offers the above I mentioned plus UATA 66(need) or 100 RAID(if possible), a configurable bios (similar to that of my Abit KT7 which has been splendid); I'd like to stay with either Abit or Asus, but not necessary
-Need FC-PGA approved heatsink - i'm leaning towards an alpha...which do you recommend.

The following I already have:
-2x128MB PC133 Mushkin Rev 1.5
-18.2 GB Atlas 10kII U160 SCSI drive or 2 15GB IBM 75GXP in RAID 0 (can't decide which to sell off... the Deskstar's are brand spanking new and retail but they simply can't touch the Atlas 10KII when in comparison of 1 day of testing. But in RAID 0, the Deskstars are splendid. I'm still deciding which to sell. If you're interested in the Deskstar's let me know.
-Tekram 390U2W scsi adapter
-Plextor 32x SCSI
-Sony Spressa 8x4x32x-> looking to replace with a SCSI cdrw. If interested in this IDE cdrw let me know.
-Lexicon Studio (Sound card)--ahh...sweetness
-SB Live Value - great complement to Lexicon for only $40 bucks.

Well, that's the outline of my system. I'm actually very interested in the capability/expandibility of the Abit BX133 -> SE6, correct? I might be interested in overclocking the chip, but only a bit as I need 100% stability.

Do you recommend going with a 100mhz FSB P3 and set it at 133 on the SE6, or am I better off with a 133FSB P3 for stability. I'm thinking the latter since I don't want my PCI bus screaming. I don't think the Lexicon can handle such an overclocked PCI. But maybe I'm misunderstanding the whole concept. Hopefully someone can clear it up for me. Thank you so much in advance. I'll need the best advice I can get.

 

[Gunner]

For the best reliability\stability, I would go with Asus CUSL2.

 

[compuwiz1]

I must agree with Gunner.

 

[PwAg]

Ok...that's definitely a consideration. I'm not liking the onboard audio on the Abit SE6.

But for processors, would you guys recommend 133FSB or 100mhz FSB. I want to be able to use the full potential of my PC133 Mushkin ram, be it at 133mhz or above. I might consider overclocking the processor perhaps a 100 mhz, but would you recommend that if I wanted complete stability.

 

[Bartman39]

The P3 700e (100mhz fsb) & the CUSL2 seem to be a very reliable, stable overclocking combination (not in all cases as is the same with most any overclocking endevor). But the increase in buss speed from 100 to 133 (most common overclock of the 700e) along with the extra 233mhz really improves performance (also note this is a standard buss speed for this board-133mhz fsb) Also your PCI componets will thank you for the standard buss speed. Compuwiz 1 has good deals on OC`d processors and stands behind all his deals... But I would buy the CUSL2 new not used...


My example...

P3 700e @1000mhz 1.65 w/PAL35T 38cfm Delta
CUSL2 1001.a

Perfect stability (Prime95, CPU stability, 3dMark2000, what ever...)

 

[Painman]

For best overall speed with stability go with a 133 FSB chip like the 800EB. All i815e boards officially support 133 MHz FSB. If stability is of key importance, don't overclock.

-Pain

 

[toph99]

another vote for a CUSL2

 

[PwAg]

Ok..that settles the motherboard issue. After doing some reading up on the latest Intel processor motherboards and feedback from a handful of users, I've decided to go with the Asus CUSL2.

I'm still debating, however, to go with P3 800 processor based on 100mhz FSB or 133mhz. I get the notion that the 800 100mhz does not overclock like the infamous P3 700 100mhzFSB, so perhaps I should stick with the 800EB 133FSB. Is the PCI clock dependent on the FSB with the CUSL2? And the memory clock, independent or dependent?

Well I'm definitely heading towards the 800EB and Asus CUSL2 setup. If I want to crank out some more mhz out of the 800EB and find it stable at the higher clock speed, how much overclock can be expected.

 

[DO97]

If you want to overclock a P3, then definitley don't go with a P3 800EB. It's already clocked at 133 FSB and you won't be able to get much more out of it. I think around 842 is the normal overclocking limit for that CPU. However a 700E will easily hit 933. At least a lot of them will. If you want to get a guaranteed overclockable P3 then send Compuwiz an email. I got my CUSL2 and P3 700 both from him. My 700E CPU is running fine at a speedy 1008 Mhz.

As far as the PCI clock speeds go, the CUSL2 works on ratios. Wether you run at 100 Mhz FSB or 133 Mhz FSB your PCI and AGP bus speeds will remain in spec. I can personally vouch for 144 Mhz FSB as that is what my FSB is running at.
Read Anand's review on the CUSL2. It goes into alot of detail. Also there is a review on firingsquad.com,
CUSL2 Review .

Hrm... Only handfuls of CUSL2 users? Heh. Head on over to CUSL2.com and you'll find more CUSL2 users than you can shake a very large stick at.


dave

 

[han888]

go with culs2, my p3-800 run rocks here!

 

[PwAg]

But memory has to run at the same speed as FSB correct? I'm actually thinking of saving the money and buying the P3 700 and overclock it to 931mhz (133 FSB/133 Memory/ 33mhz PCI. This makes sense, correct? As long as the PCI bus is not changed, I'm not worried. I can work out system stability with fiddling with the FSB. I just don't want my pro sound card to be jacked up on a high speed pci clock. That is no good.

So just make things perfectly straightforward this is what I can do:
Asus CUSL2 - P3 700MHZ(100FSB)- Alpha heatsink ---> run the FSB (hopefully) at 133mhz/memory clock is dictated by FSB so it would also be 133mhz at Cas 2/PCI clock would remain at normal 33mhz. Correct?

Also, what's the deal with cbo stepping? Thanks again guys.

 

[urbantechie]

For that kind of stuff, I would recomend the Intel D815EEAL. http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/d815eea/

But if you need a configurable bios such as FSB and all then a CUSL2 will suit your needs.

 

[PwAg]

nice

 

[Gunslinger]

Why not go dual, get the Tyan Tiger 100, with slotket and dual 700's and run at 933
It's a 440 bx board and under win 2k will surely rock your sound programs

 

[PwAg]

GunSlinger: Many pro audio software titles are not supported by SMP or Windows2000. Midi timing in Win2k is mediocre. Dual 700 would be nice, but I won't need that much power or that large of an expense. Power for what I'm doing comes from my pro sound card, Atlas 10KII u160 scsi drive and 256mb of mushkin mosel 1.5 ram Thanks for the interest.

So far, I've ordered an Asus CUSL2, but am still on the prowl for a P3 700 cbo that is capable of hitting 933mhz + an alpha fcpga compatible heatsink. Anyone have any of these components? Thanks.

 

[Wixer]

I noticed you do not have an AGP card.If you main concern is Audio editing and very little or no gaming,I would like to suggest you look at Intel's new dual FC-PGA Tupelo board(STL2).Onboard scsi160,2 PCI66,ServerWorks chipset,onboard 4mb ATI rage display,onboard lan and Intel's reknown server reliability.

Wix

 

[PwAg]

Hey Wixer: Thanks for the interest...I do infact have a video card...AsusV7700GTSII. But I'm considering switching it up with a G450 for dual monitor support. Having 2 screens in Cubase VST is pretty d*mn slick and convenient.

I really appreciate all the info guys...keep it coming. It can only get me back into the intel side of things faster. I've been a real AMD guy for the last years.

Expect to see me sell off my 3 week old Abit KT7RAID, Thuderbird 900, FOP32 cooler very soon. Emaill me if you're interested and want first dibs when the components become available. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bad Dude]

How about the MSI BXMaster? What do you guys think of it?

 

[urbantechie]

Its a good board. No rants here about it.