The Best BX motherboards

[Guest]

Hi, all!

Does BX motherboard exist with the following specs: integrated SCSI controller + integrated ATA66 or 100 chips + min. 5 PCI slot and good tuning capabilities (a'la e.g. ABIT-style)? Why, I hope am not seem to lay too much claim on the matter... )

Which do you prefer anyway? ABIT BX133 or ABIT BE6-II 2.0 or any other BX mobo (e.g. Soyo-6BA+100, EPoX idunnowhich, etc.)?


bye, atrelio

 

[Guest]

If you have the money I'd wait a couple months and get a DDR based chipset motherboard.
MSI makes a TBird (Socket A) MB with a SCSI, but I don't know of any BX boards with SCSI. You're probably better off going with IDE unless you have the need for speed and extra money for SCSI.
The Abit BE6II-2.0 has ATA100. I've had the ABit BE6 for 1.5 yrs and am happy with it. I plan on upgrading to a TBird DDR MB with IDE RAID in a few months.
Check out www.sharkyextreme.com
and www.anandtech.com for reviews and more info.

 

[Guest]

Hi, Stanjk3!

As a matter of fact I need SCSI because my CD-RW and CD-ROM is SCSI-based (Yamaha & UltraPlex).

By the way, why do you so fond of DDR-based mobos? As for me I simply do not trust the new Intel 8xx chipsets. That's all. I stay by the good old BX. Period.


bye, atrelio

 

[Guest]

If you get either of the Abit boards you mentioned neither of them has a SCSI controller on the MB.
Why so fond of DDR - because it won't be that much more expensive for the extra perfermance it gives.
I am going to give my current system to my Mom after I build my new one. I am also waiting for the Radeon II or an NV20 based graphics card.
TBird = Thunderbird (Socket A) which is made by AMD not Intel. Right now AMD's TBirds give you more bang for the buck than do PIIIs. Once benchmark I saw put a 1.2GHz TBird with DDR almost as fast or in some cases faster than a 1.4Ghz PIV. Intel won't release a DDR chipset until summer at the earliest. VIA should have theirs out for the PIII and PIV long before that.
I don't have any SCSI devices so try checking out www.sharkyextreme.com and www.anandtech.com for reviews - after you've checked out this site.
While Intel's 815 chipset could have been better, it's not too shabby either, especially if you want to overclock. Another thing is most BX boards are Slot 1 which is being phased out.

 

[Guest]

Hi, stanjk3!


Yes, I'm aware of that neither of the BX-133 nor the other mentioned mobos have a SCSI controller. As a matter of fact I own already an Adaptec 2940PCI and I'm happy with that. I just want to free a slot, that's all (I have too many cards).

Hm, you may be right about DDR. I am to build a new system as well (I HAVE TO) and I'm a bit confused which motherboard to opt for. I should crowd into it a TV/FM card, an SBLive!, a graphics card (ok, that's easy - AGP), a netcard and a SCSI card. That's why I would see the SCSi controller integrated on the board itself. An integrated net controller would be nice as well. I've even thought about dual-processor motherboards...

So my primary goals are as follows:

-building of a RAID system with 2 IDE hdds + 1 'mobil' hdd (i.e. rack)
-applying of SCSI CDRW & CD-ROM
-applying of IDE DVD-ROM
-applying 4 PCI cards, no ISA card and 1 AGP )
-'rock solid' performance
-maybe a nice PCI bridge solution (like Promise's) to avoid possible IRQ problems

and make my iCelIII 566Mhz proc run at least 850Mhz (currently is up and running in an Abit).

I hope that's not too much. ) And if I must wait till next year to get the best for my bucks then I'll wait. But no 8xx chipsets, please!



bye, atrelio

 

[zwaarst]

The asus "see you BX" (CUBX) is also a good mobo
i dont know if you can get it with SCSI

 

[uncoando]

Abit bx 133 raid, excellent board.
MSI BX Master superior board where all PCI slots are master (ergo the name). Slot 1/2, however.
Asus used to make a mainboard w/ integrated scsi.
I would do the MSI w/ a slotket converter in your situation.

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[Guest]

MSI make the KT7 master which has an on board Ultra 160 SCSI Adaptec AIC-7892. As the name implies its only for Durons + TBirds, I didn't see a similar board for Intel processors.
Check it out http://www.msicomputer.com/products/detail.asp?ProductID=144

 

[Guest]

atrelio,
You can plug an Adaptec SCSI2 controller into the 16bit slot(s) on a BX board. Built in Ultra wide is overkill for controlling SCSI2 devices, and it doubles the cost of the board. I've got a brand new adaptec AVA-1505A (not bootable) that came with a Smart and Friendly SCSI2 CDRW. I don't use it, because I all ready have an AHA-1520B (bootable BIOS) in the box. If you want to give it a try, let me know. As far as 'best BX', I like the ASUS P3B-F. I have a PIIIE running 7x140FSB=980MHz on mine. An Orb for cooling and Geforce to handle the 140 X 2/3 = 93 MHz AGP channel. This thing flies.

 

[uncoando]

didn't imply MSI 6163bx had integrated scsi...just ignored Atrelio's request for boards supporting it. The MSI is an excellent solution 'cause of the way it mediates the PCI bus. The inference is to go with a scsi card, make his pc's innards evoke images of Verne's giant squid.

I agree w/ Clonan the Cyberian that Asus, (Abit, Aopen and MSI) offer the richest assortment of mainboard flavors. It is not just an excellent chipset, it is the standard by which all others are judged: Only the very hottest AMD 751's and 760's are able to eclipse its performance. The i815's only begin to transcend the bx at unsustainable fsb speeds.
BX and socket 370 is the norm for latter generation bx boards
it should be tacitly understood, most people posting to this forum don't need schooling in which cpu's work in which mainboards

did i mention the i820/40/50's? why would i!nevermind

Piv will be fine when it migrates to ddr and expands its L1 cache.

STOP ME, i perseverate


<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[uncoando]

How about some benchmarks on that puppy? I'll wager I can trump you despite your superior fpu...(a friendly challenge).
Q3, Stabilty Cert, MDK2, 3dmark2k, straws and spitballs? Choose your venue, we know the weapon!

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[Guest]

Hi, Clonan & Everybody!

What do you mean on "built in Ultra wide is overkill for controlling SCSI2 device..."? I haven't heard about such rumors so far. You made me very-very curious... :-?

Yap, I already own a AHA-2940 PCI as I mentioned it before but other than that, thanks. I used to use an AVA-1505A before the 2940 and that was doing its best -- till I had to replaced my mobo w/ another one... (

Anyway, thanks all for your response I really appreciate that. The only obscure point left in my head is what motherboard to purchase?? ))))) OK, quite seriously could anybody enlight me about - let's say - the advantages and disadvantages of the dual processor mobos? Should I forget them? Or should I wait for the DDR mobos? Brrrr, I'm a bit confused...

bye, atrelio

 

[girish]

hi atrelio,
no 8xx pls! right!!
but consider Asus CUSL2 (i815E) (i dont know whether it has a SCSI version), but its definitely much better than 8x0's!
has 7 USB, a 4x AGP, IDE RAID and very good overclocking options, and is socket370 with 133 MHz FSB (no use anyway for your cel533)

also consider Asus P2B-S (its slot 1, u will need a s370-s1 convertor), but does not have a ATA/66 interface. visit http://www.asus.com for other versions of the board you need. You will definitely find a board satisfying your requirement.

I suggest teh Asus CUSL2, keeping the SCSI card.

regards.

Girish

 

[Ncogneto]

Seeing how you already have a SCSI card, why do you want a board with onboard SCSI? I have always found the offboard cards to be preferable to the onboard ones myself. I understand the fact you have a ton of cards but still even onboard scsi uses an irq just like the offboard one does. Taking this to heart, I think your best bet is one of the i815 boards, preferably one by ASUS, ABIT, or MSI. At least this way you also get AGP 4X, something the bx chipset does not support. I know my MSI board has 6 pci slots along with an agp.

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

 

[Guest]

Hi, ncogneto!

OK, you may be right about the onboard SCSI...

Girish, I'd please with the ASUS CUSL2 but since I intent to use a RAID system I should wait for a good RAID/i815E combo. Or should I try the ABIT SE6R? Is there any MSI i815E RAID mobo?

bye, atrelio

 

[Ncogneto]

To tell you the truth I don't know right off hand. I do know there is a way to take a normal promise ata/66 controller that you can pick up now for 15 bucks and turn it into a raid controller.

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

 

[uncoando]

I'm confused, is your RAID going to be scsi or ide? I still say go w/ a BX board.

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[Guest]

Hi, Brainy!

My RAID is going to be IDE with 2 IBM 75GXP hdds. What is SCSI in my EXISTING system already is my CDRW and my CD-ROM hosted by an Adaptec2940 PCI card. Of course I will keep them.

So what do you think about a good BX board (say Abit BX-133) vs a mature i815E mobo (Abit SE6R or any future Asus i815E + RAID)? Currently I am swinging between the above options.

By the way could anyone suggest me a good mobo built upon the i815EP chipset? As far as I can see this chipset could be the successor of the good old BX... hm?

 

[uncoando]

Hello Atrelio,
I've revealed my bias, but have never sat in front of an i815. Have read many good things about them, though. Your posts show you will make a well-informed choice. It's too bad the MSI doesn't come in socket 370 form. However, I'm very pleased w/ the performance of the Abit 133 BXRAID.

ps - the brainy sturgeon stuff is just a bit of self-parody.
sounds like a fun project, keep us posted!


<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[Ncogneto]

err the i815 doesn't come in socket 370? was that I typo or did I misunderstand? I have a MSI-6337 815E pro socket 370.
Great board second maybe only to the ASUS or ABIT but I am not even sure if they are any better. I get overclocking in 1 meghz steps via bios as well as an onboard 4 LED diagnostic indicator.

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing!

 

[Guest]

Guru, dude,

I am a true novice in the O/C world. This foray was inspired by Tom's BX reviews. I don't have much time for this stuff, but I am motivated. Just to review the hardware... P3B-F, PIII700E (started w/ 600E, but 700E was so cheap), 2x64Mb PC133 (ND manufacturer) spot market RAM, WD 205BA (bare drive), GeForce Pure 32DDR, Turtle Beach Montego A3Dxtreme, Creative LAbs CT7160 DVD inlay card, Linksys 10/100 PCI, standard Golden Orb, ASUS S370-DL CPU card, InWin midATX w/ 2 Antec casefans (motherboard connection type fan... one in, one out).

I started with a generic slotket and the 600E. It went 800MHz @ 133FSB, but constantly froze. I read somewhere that the ASUS slotket solved system instability problems (a $12 CPU card!), so I got the ASUS CPU card, the 700E, and the Orb, just to see if it would help. It did. Interestingly, the P3B-F still lost track of one bank (bank 3) when moved up to 133MHz, but was absolutely stable. I ran it at 7 x 133 = 933MHz (88MHz AGP) for a month or so. Then on day, I realized there was probably more potential there, and discovered the 35MHzPCI,140MHz FSB dipswitch setting in the manual. It worked. And worked. Interestingly, it lost another bank, so I down to bank0 and bank1 (128MHz). Not one single crash. Not one, and it is draw dropping in gaming environments.

Tom was right about BX, and I got lucky with this 700E chip. It is still ROCK stable, and runs below 50degrees, centigrade (usually about ~45). I'm very happy.

Clonan, er, the Cyberian

 

[girish]

Hi atrelio,
Well, it seems the ABit BX-133 is the better choice for you, with onboard IDE RAID but having the offboard SCSI card would be fine. Doing some math as to how many cards you would be putting in, it would be the same as you would do with a CUSL2 and the Promise IDE RAID controller (the AGP card although you can opt for the onboard i752 reducing a card, the SCSI controller, and the Promise IDE RAID card) against the BX-133 that you put in the graphics card, the audio card and the SCSI controller.

And finally, going by the cost, BX-133 seems to be the cheaper option, but the CUSL2 can save you the graphics card.

Besides, the CUSL2 has better upgrade options for you (with 7 USB ports, two CNR slots (dunno if you get these devices now) and the biggest advantage of PC133 memory support)

So now its between budget and upgradability!

Cheers!

Girish

 

[uncoando]

...the MSI bx master doesn't come in socket 370.

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[uncoando]

Is there a que depth function in the BIOS? By toggling mine from 1 to 8, I greatly improved my memory throughput speeds (Abit 133 BXRAID)?
I think Clonan the Cyberian is a good handle and you deserve it.

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>

 

[uncoando]

I totally agree that MSI is right up there w/ Asus, I think it transcends Abit for overall quality. The criticism on MSI is they're too slow to market. Can you report some benchmarks on your sweet i815?

<b><font color=blue>Brainy Sturgeon</b></font color=blue>