Good Motherboards

[alguzman]

Ready to build new system and wanted to know what members thinks is a solid Motherboard or Motherboard combo with CPU. I really don't want to spend over 200 dollars and the computer will be used for general use.:t

[bushmaster]

base? amd or intel.

[alguzman]

Really doesn't matter or does it? I know AMD is a little more cost effective and Pentium is more expensive, but if it fits my budget of $200 then it doesn't matter to me.

[bushmaster]

Me personally I prefer intel. Asus TUSL2-C mobo with a 1.2 tualatin celeron is nice to start with. That would leave you some $$ for a stick or 2 of ram.

[deadkenny]

Although the Tualatin based PIII/Celeron is an option, I think that you'll be better off in terms of performance and upgrade path with an AMD solution (especially given your budget!). The TUSL2 is a nice board, and definitely what I would recommend for the low end Intel solution. But it is definitely a dead-end upgrade-wise, and not really that cheap. Although socket A might be nearing the end of it's upgrade path, it's still ahead of socket 370. Considering your budget, I would suggest that you look at a socket A board that supports DDR and an Athlon XP. A mobo with a SiS 745 chipset would be cheap, and offer decent performance (e.g. ASUS A7S333 if you don't plan on OC'ing, MSI 745 Ultra if you do). The money you save on the board could then go toward a faster CPU and/or DDR memory.

[$1500-P4 gamer]

Why not a P4 solution-or is that the evil word around heres? I mean the 1.6a is real cheap and you could go with 256mb pc800 rdram also very cheap right now. You can get a TOP end really stable and long lasting Asus for $170 just about at any website!
Plus as far as upgradability the P4 is gonna be arund for a while and AMD is changeing sockets this time:eek: . Things to consider.;)

[bushmaster]

Seems that way Gamer! The amd devotee's are out to convert the world. Friggin athlon toting zealots. LOL. And yes there are some nice base P4 setups out there that definately have growing room.
And yes I will admit amd's are the hottest chip on the market (pun intended) LMAO.

[deadkenny]

Originally posted by $1500-P4 gamer
Why not a P4 solution-or is that the evil word around heres? I mean the 1.6a is real cheap and you could go with 256mb pc800 rdram also very cheap right now. You can get a TOP end really stable and long lasting Asus for $170 just about at any website!
Plus as far as upgradability the P4 is gonna be arund for a while and AMD is changeing sockets this time:eek: . Things to consider.;)

That would be a viable option as far as I'm concerned, EXCEPT for the fact that the budget for mobo and processor is $200. The 1.6A is going to be like $150 alone. Even with the $170 you quote for a board, that's over $300. That's the point, the P4 is not a good option for a 'bargain' or low-end system.

[bushmaster]

Yes Gamer! you must walk the amd path to salvation. except duron as your personal chip and processor and you will be saved.

[deadkenny]

Originally posted by bushmaster
Seems that way Gamer! The amd devotee's are out to convert the world. Friggin athlon toting zealots. LOL. And yes there are some nice base P4 setups out there that definately have growing room.
And yes I will admit amd's are the hottest chip on the market (pun intended) LMAO.

Well, to the extent that your comments are directed at me (I am the only one in this thread to have recommended AMD) I'll just say take a look at the budget in the original post. IMHO it's not possible to get a decent P4 - mobo combo for under $200. I'm not an Intel basher at all, but the fact is that when it comes to bargain systems, AMD still rules. The P4 is the top performer at the moment, but it's not cheap. All the more so when you consider that you have to get RDRAM or the fastest DDR available to get the most out of the P4 whereas with the AthlonXP PC2100 DDR is really good enough.

[gibsinep]

I am not pro Intel either, just so everyone knows:)

Why not go

ECS K7S5A SiS® 735 SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD - RETAIL $55.00
(very stable inexpensive board)

AMD Athlon XP 1800+/266 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL $109.00

Crucial Micron 128MB 16x64 PC2100 DDR RAM, OEM $50.00


So thats a motherboard,cpu, and qulaity Ram for only $219.00

Prices are from www.newegg.com and I am sure you could get better prices at other places.

What do you think there?

[bushmaster]

Kenny it's all in good fun. I didnt mean for you to take it as a personal affront. The amd-intel debaucle has long been an area of debate that I find humorous. sorta like chevy/ford. Ya know? ..On a quiet night ya can hear a ford rusting.

[deadkenny]

Originally posted by bushmaster
Kenny it's all in good fun. I didnt mean for you to take it as a personal affront. The amd-intel debaucle has long been an area of debate that I find humorous. sorta like chevy/ford. Ya know? ..On a quiet night ya can hear a ford rusting.

NP:cool:

It's actually kinda ironic, getting labelled as an AMD 'fanboy' here, since there's another board where I'm the 'Intel guy' (had some run-ins with real AMD 'fan-boys' posting "P4 sucks" threads in the Willamette days - Northwood shut them up pretty quick though).

[HaroldW]

I found a P4 Option just over $200. It involves a retail P4 1.6a and a Gigabyte 8SRX motherboard. Here are the links:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=list&catalog=224&DEPA=1

http://www.directron.com/8srx.html

CPU $153 free shipping
MB $66 shipping unknown, but Directron is reasonable on shipping

Total $219 plus shipping for the motherboard


You can find a review of the motherboard here (they liked it and it is overclocker friendly):

http://www.tweaktown.com/document.php?dType=review&dId=183