What motherboard for Gaming RIG?

[cal533n]

I want to know what motherboard/cpu to get for a very cheap gaming rig. I have all the hardware already.

[washe]

I have an Asus P3V4X (Slot 1) and a pentium celeron 333 that will be overclocked because its underpowered for newer games. And its a very stable motherboard.

But if you're looking for a cheap price look at www.pricewatch.com, (http://www.pricewatch.com,) and buy a FCPGA processor they are cheaper, but you will need a motherboard like the Asus CUBX that supports FPCGA.

But choose a brand motherboard like Asus or Abit, they are good a very stable, and also they can overclock cpu's very easy and also look at least for udma 66 hard disk support or the newer udma 100, it gives better performance if you have a hard disk that supports it.

[Dputiger]

I don't know what your budget is, but the best bang for your buck is going to be the Duron. A Duron w/motherboard can be had for like $250--and even the 600 will smoke (and can OC to 950 if you do that sort of thing).

If you don't have quite that much cash, go Celeron. They'll OC well and perform quite nicely. The only downside is, you're stuck on the Pentium-III side of things. Nothing wrong with the P-3's, but if you want to upgrade this system at some point I wouldn't get one--the Pentium III core is a much older design than the Thunderbird/Duron core.

If you DO go Celeron, get an FCPGA chip and a 440 BX motherboard that accepts Sockets (or get a Slocket converter). The 440BX design will get you your best overclocking, be updatable for a Pentium III, and is the fastest board available.

[Dave2]

The Asus CUSL2 w/ P3 733. Right now the best value for the money.

[cal533n]

Where can I get these for cheap? And anyone else know any more good motherboards for value?

[zodder]

I'm pretty partial to my BF6 and 600e@800. Nothing it can't handle. You should be able to find this combo for about $300.

[blubomber]

You can get an Asus A7V for around $150 and then get a Duron 650 for about $90 now. Or, you can get the same mobo and a Thunderbird 700 for about $150 for the CPU. Either way, you will beat a Celeron or PIII at the same clock speed. Although, the Asus does not have an ISA slot. If you need an ISA slot then go with the Abit Socket A. Either one of those, along with good amounts of RAM and vid card, makes for a good gaming system.

[neo_otyugh]

plus with that asus and duron you could overlcok that 650 to close to a gig...and that will blow any celeron away and any of the 100 fsb p3s as well

[Dave2]

For a motherboard I would get a Abit BF6 that's manufactured after July 1, 2000. The ones manufactured after July 1, 2000 are compatable with the Geforce GTS in case you decide to buy one in the future.

For a CPU I'd get a P3 750 FPGA with an Abit Slocket III converter. That way you have more choice on motherboards in the future than if you bought a slot 1.

[cal533n]

What is a Slocket converter?

[neo_otyugh]

a slot to socket converter is foruse with slot 1 motherboards. it is a card thta fits the slot 1, but on it it has a socket 370 for use with ppga and fcpga cpus
btw i have a celeron 566@850 and an abit bf6
pretty good gaming system, but i wish i had waited for a Duron instead

[This message has been edited by neo_otyugh (edited 08-14-2000).]

[cal533n]

Does that work with old slot 1 motherboards that support pentium2? I have a QDI Brilliant1x (www.qdigrp.com)