820 CHipset vs 440 BX Chipset

[BigBopper]

I'm looking at Asus's new PC3-2000 with the 820 chipset. I know agp 4X is not a big thing yet, but if I had to get a new motherboard, is the 820 as good as the BX 440 ? and does anyone know if the new PIII Flip Chips work on the PC3-2000 ?

thanks

Bopper

[Stan]

Hi

From Tom's Hardware: comparaison between 840, 820 and BX chipset...

http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/99q4/991215/index.html

Stan

[tlwhite76]

IOW the i820 is **** and not much of an improvement if there is one over BX. i840 looked to have possibilities if you can find one.

[AuraEdge]

I really dislike the DIMM->RIMM Translator thing. It makesthe i820 Memory bandwidth no better, or maybe even worse than the Via 133, when using SDRAM.

RDRAM is crazy expensive, so forget that.
i815 looks to have the potential that the i820 originally had. We'll see what develops.

[mrdisco]

Boy, I'd hate to be shopping for a motherboard these days. Right now, the uncertainty level of the new i8XX chipsets is still not at a comfortable enough level to justify me upgrading. Pretty soon, though, I'll be wanting advanced features like 4X AGP, ATA/66, PC133, etc... Any idea when USB 2 is coming?

Right now, though, this stuff is still so new, it's probably best to wait until the dust settles, and a clear winner is chosen from among VIA Apollo, Intel i8XX, or *gasp* AMD.

Seriously, if the Intel-compatible chipset market doesn't solidify any time soon, I may just move over to AMD and muddle through whatever hardware compatibility issues I might run into.

Then again, I said the same thing during the whole socket 7 vs slot 1 controversy, and I ended up getting a BX board, anyway. No regrets...

Intel is also starting to frustrate me with its attempts to further integrate video and sound into the motherboard. This smacks of Microsoft's integrated browser and limits consumer choice. I will not buy a motherboard with anything more than a CPU (slot/socket) or two, memory slots, dual IDE, USB, BIOS, standard I/O (serial, parallel, PS/2), and a bunch of slots (AGP being one of them). I'll even settle for one with just BIOS and a bunch of slots, since you can get addon cards for just about anything.

If you really can't wait, then I'd suggest getting a BX board. It's a tried and true platform, and given the right board, is very flexible. It's a lot easier to find a bare BX board that's cheaper and allows you to choose your components than it is to find a similar board with a newer chipset.

My board is an Asus P2B, and I have to say it was the best PC hardware investment I've ever made. I've had it for almost 2 years, and it's still as **** fine a board by today's standards as it was when I got it. How many pieces of internal PC hardware can you say lasted you over two years? http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

[AuraEdge]

I got my share with VIA.
For the next couple weeks, maybe months, Ill be building Via133 or Via133 systems. They even have the KX133 for the Athlon..Via's got all grounds covered.

[BigBopper]

Via sure has some nice features...however, I hear that their AGP is slower..is there truth in that Via's AGP is not as swift as a BX 440 ? Even better, would I even notice it ? I like that fact that they offer ata 66, 4x AGP, and 133 mhz bus.