I know this is a "hard" q but...

[Guest]

Which is the best "for home use" PIII board?
There are so many opinions out there and I need some final options to choose from...a small list of "the best" would be also appreciated.
And one more thing on the same topic, is there a clear answer to the question: Which chipset is better(faster, more stable)?

Excuse my lame questions, every day a dozen of new features is added to motherboards and I just can't keep up.

Thanks!

 

[viper2211]

get an AMD one!!!!!!!!

I don't know English

 

[Guest]

I'm quite an Intel fan...The total majority of their products, if its chipsets, motherboards or cpu's have proven their stability and quality over years what AMD still haven't.
A guy from my work bought a new VIA motherboard for the AMD, its supposed to be the latest sh*t but he has many problems and he returned it and awaits a replacement so that gives me a little bad impression...And we're talking about a proffesional experienced computer technitian.

So I think I'm going to stick to Intel.

 

[viper2211]

ok thats quite alright!!! please dont take me wrong for trying to start flaming cause i really wasent. i was just saying my opinion!!! 8Þ

I don't know English

 

[ledzepp98]

i agree with viper...but that doesn't answer your question. i'm not the type to take part in a flame war so i'll try to give you an answer...even though i don't have any personal experience with it, it seems that the asus cusl-2 (or something like that ?) is recommended most often.

 

[Crashman]

Don't listen to those idiots, I went through a lot of problems with VIA motherboards for AMD's before I finally decided to spend a little more money and a lot less time on an Intel chipset system.
So I am qualified to offer you the BEST solution for the PIII, the Asus CUSL2 (or the CUSL2-C). IT has the best current chipset form Intel, the 815E (815EP). The difference between these boards is that the CUSL2 has onboard video, while the CUSL2-C has the onboard video disabled. But since the onboard video is automatically disable when an AGP card is installed, it doesn't matter.
The CUSL2 has an AGP-PRO slot, the -C has a regular AGP slot. Both are 4x AGP.
This motherboard is widely reguarded as the most stable, compatable, and best performing solution for the PIII. It is used by TOM for most of his testing (when he test cards, hard drive speeds, etc.). And should you decide to overclock, it is known to support bus speeds of over 200MHZ! It also offer complete controll over memory timing, the bus speed can be controlled in 1MHz increments, the CPU core voltage can be controlled in .05v increments.
Yes, the CUSL2 is the best motherboard available right now. AMD guys wish they had it this good!
For a list of 815E motherboards, check out <A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/00q3/000906/index.html" target="_new">http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/00q3/000906/index.html</A>. And remember, the CUSL2 is the one that one most of the benchmarks, and has the highest bus speed, and automatic recovery!

Suicide is painless...........

 

[Tempus]

Ooo, Mr.Big stuff shut them two up. There not idiots, it seems to me that you are, because millions of people have figured out how to run their CPU's on VIA's chipsets problem free, but I guess it was to complicated for you.

- I don't write Tom's Hardware Guide, I just preach it"

 

[Guest]

AMD has proven that their chips are good. Their problem is that they generally rely on chipsets from VIA and others which have had more than their share of problems. Sometimes it does take a bit of coaxing to get an AMD system up and running. I freely admit that. However, I do have to question your statement about Intel

> The total majority of their products, if its chipsets, motherboards, or cpu's have proven their stability and quality over the years.

This used to be true. But within the last 2-3 years, Intel has had more recalls than I am comfortable with. The memory translator hub, the i820 chipset, the 1.13GHz PIII, and at least one more that I'm forgetting. The new P4s have questionable performance levels with PIIIs outperforming them under certain conditions. And if that weren't scary enough, the current P4 design is being ditched in a few months and the current ones will be incompatible with the majority of the P4 lineup. All in all, Intel just hasn't been living up to their name lately. They're still industry standard which is why I own one Intel system and one AMD system. But at least from my perspective, it just isn't safe to assume buying Intel means quality anymore.

 

[OzzieBloke]

Have to agree with Atlantix...

Intel chipsets used to rule, but no more. Or, if they do, it is contestable and by a bare fraction.

AMD have got good processors backed by sub-standard chipsets from VIA... the AMD 760 / 761 chipsets work like a dream, but are hard to find... maybe, the K7T266 PRO by MSI will change all that (the crappy VIA chipset stuff, taht is).

But, for Pentium III... ASUS CUSL-2 is the way to go... so long as you are willing to risk no technical support for their motherboards whatsoever. For Athlon... better to go with an Athlon C DDR on either a MSI K7-Master or the new K7T266 Pro.

Australian PMs are like steer horns; a point here, a point there, & a heap of bull in the middle.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by OzzieBloke on 04/08/01 00:47 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Crashman]

OK wise guy. I was actually refering to viper, but I will add you to my list, even though I should have properly said "that idiot". Then there were two....
I am highly experienced in this area, and sure, your AMD system MIGHT run fine the first time IF you use only 2 or three PCI cards and all the most common new equipement. But as soon as you start trying to use less common stuff, say, from your last system, and some older programs, POOF no more operation. Try running a Diamond Viper 770 Ultra on one with the included drivers, or an MX 300, or any Vortex 2 cards for that matter, or a 3-com TX series NIC in combination with a SB 64AWE, or an Adaptec 2940 controller with an old Umax SCSI scanner under Windows 98, you need to know how to configure things manually and be very skillfull. I can do all that, but then again there are simply a few programs I tried that simply WOULD NOT WORK. Of course I can't remember all the details, I neve made a list of problems that had to be sorted out from my last system for a falming contest, and it has been 7 months now since I switched over to the blissful tranquility of the CUSL2. Sure, I would have put a T-Bird in it if I could have, but that is not possible, and, at the time, VIA was the only option for Athlons. So in order to go with the superior in every way Intel chipsets, I had to use an (inferior in some ways) PIII. Now there is the ALi MAGiK 1 chipset, but guesse what? I already own a perfectly good system and would not be willing to upgrade to that, or even to take the risk! BTW I get a lot of free software from the University. Some of it is older, but still fun to play with. Some of it will not even run if it does not find the work "pentium". OH, and I install and uninstall parts and programs frequently, and I simply don't get system freezes. Period. And FLy was asking about PII systems, not looking for flames. So I will add one more idiot to my list. Firt there was Fugger, then tbirdinside, then viper, now you. BTW, I considered meltdown for the list, but he is only being sarcastic, which I can put up with. You see, it does not matter which side your on, you can still be an idiot!

Suicide is painless...........

 

[amdchuck]

Yikes!!!! Well Fly, if you can wade through all the crap, you will find that the Asus board stands head and shoulders above the rest. My personal system is an AMD but that is not what you are asking about. All of the PIII's I have built recently have been on either the CUSL2 or the CUSL2-C.

 

[pvsurfer]

One of my two systems has a Coppermine on a CUSL2 (i815 chipset) mobo and has always been rock-solid, not to mention that it is 100% Win2K/device compatible. My other system uses a T-bird on a VIA KT133A chipset mobo.

It seems to me that Intel CPU's have but two advantages over Athlons. Perhaps its greatest advantage is the opportunity to avoid VIA chipsets! The second advantage is that Coppermine CPUs run a lot cooler than Athlons (and the Tualatin will run even cooler).

IMHO (as well as that of many others) the CUSL2(-C) is one of the most stable mobos ever. If you desire stability and compatibility over sheer performance, I would highly recommend a Coppermine-CUSL2 combo!

 

[Guest]

First of all, THANKS everyone!
I can see the CUSL2-C is highly recomended everywhere I look so it seems like the best choice for me.

Thanks!