Which Motherboard to get me started?

[dzaborn]

I have decided to build my own PC and I know it all starts with the motherboard... so please any input would be helpful.

I know I want a Pentium 4 2.8-3.0 GHz, with 800 bus. I think I want SATA connectors (or should I not worry about a motherboard connecting SATA drives?). I do NOT want integrated sound or graphics so I will be adding those. I plan to add a DVD +/- Burner and two large hard drives, good sound and graphics card, and at least a 430W power supply. I want to have 1024 RAM, DDR support? Is RDRAM basically dead in the water?

I want support for USB. Does Intel make the best boards or are there others that are better (if so which?). I have browsed over the Intel site, but I can't make too much sense of which Chipset/Motherboard type I need to purchase.

Any help to get me started with the Chipset/Motherboard would be appreciated. Lastly, are OEM's ok, or should I buy retail, and where is a good place to get it all.

Thanks, dzaborn

 

[daclayman]

you really are new here...




1. ATers are gonna newegg/AMD/ATI you to death; I like zipzoomfly.com
2. Intel 875 chipset is the current king but you can get an 865 chipset that performs equal to an 875 when PAT is enabled.
3. :beer:

 

[LouPoir]

Buy from: www.newegg.com

Get a motherboard with an I865 chipset, unless you have extra $$, then get an I875 board.

Asus, Gigabyte, and Abit rock and roll. But if your not going to overclock, Albatron, Shuttle are also good and will save you some $$$$.

I have the Gigabyte GA81K1100, Asus P4C800 Pro, Albatron 865PE Pro and an Abit IC7. If I was not overclocking, I would get the cheapest - Albatron.

Since I do overclock, the Asus is the best, neck in neck with the Gigabyte. The Abit is also excellent.

IMHO

Lou

 

[dzaborn]

Thanks, very helpful... I have looked around newegg and zipzoom. Why is the Asus board $30-40 more than the Intel board? Does the Intel board suck or something or do the other brands have some extras? Hard to imagine that they don't make the best motherboard for their own chip.

 

[egale]

Many or most new boards have on board sound nowadays but it is easy to disable. The Asus P4C800E supports 8 USB.

 

[LouPoir]

Asus commands more for their boards cause they have the Asus name - top support , many users, many help forums.

IMHO

Lou

 

[bootoo]

FORGIVE me if I'm wrong, my last intel system was a 400 mhz emachine, but my brother (who went intel) told me intel board chipsets don't overclock?

Don't flame me folks; just in case it's true I wanted him to know and if it's not please be kind.

 

[LouPoir]

Correct - Intel motherboards made by Intel generally do not overclock. Boards made with Intel chipset I865 or I875 by Asus, Abit and others overclock very well.

Lou

 

[dzaborn]

I forgot to mention, I will not be overclocking this motherboard. I thought I read in another thread that if you aren't overclocking, you should get the Intel motherboard.

If this is correct, is this what I am looking for?

Computer Hardware > Motherboards - Intel > INTEL > N82E16813121206
Intel 875P Chipset Motherboard for Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition CPU, Model "D875PBZLK FMB 1.5" - RETAIL
Specifications:
Supported CPU: Intel Pentium 4 Extreme Edition Processors(Hyper-threading)
Chipset: Intel 875P
FSB: 800/533MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM support DDR333/400 Max 4GB
IDE: 2x UltraDMA 100 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5 x PCI
Ports: 2xPS2,1xCOM,1xLPT,8xUSB2.0(Rear 6),1xLAN
Onboard LAN: Intel Pro/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
Onboard SATA: 2x Serial ATA
Form Factor: ATX (limit 5 per customer)

Model# D875PBZLK FMB 1.5
Item# N82E16813121206
Stock Status: In Stock
Click Here For More Product Info

 

[ShinSa]

Think of Intel mobos as Honda Accords.
Plain, vanilla, and just simple with no excitement whatsoever.

 

[tallman45]

The D875PBZLK may not be your only option. For what the D875PBZLK costs ($150) you can get a lot from say Gigabyte. The 8IPE1000 pro GT2 goes for $98 but has Firewire and audio, which the D875PBZLK does not. Since you do not plan on overclocking the GT2 does it for you when and if you need it.

 

[LouPoir]

Originally posted by: ShinSa
Think of Intel mobos as Honda Accords.
Plain, vanilla, and just simple with no excitement whatsoever.

I agree - Intel motherboards are the cadillac .

Lou

 

[P4spooky]

IF you are not overclocking get an INTEL board. The new one from Newegg FMB 1.5 (Extreme Edition - RETAIL) is a great choice. It comes with a 3 year warranty and a company that will stand behind their product you can reach . Try doing that with ASUS or Gigabyte :disgust: