p4 motherboard selection

[lozza]

I'm building a pc around a p4 2gig cpu, - I have no idea which motherboard (for a max of about $300 aussie dollars) would be best however I would like one which uses DDR ram, any thoughts / ideas?

 

[HammerBot]

Some tips: Start by considering what chipset you want. Intel havent made any that (officially) support PC2700. Via does not have a license (so very few bords uses this chipset). So that practically only leaves SIS. So checkout the SIS mobos from various manufactors and compare price/features. The chipset to look for is Sis645DX/961 (The DX version has support for 533 MHz FSB).
Unfortunately the 961 only provides USB 1.0. Sis has made a new chipset 948/962, that will provide USB 2.0, firewire, AGP 8x, PC3000 support and much more. But currently no mobo uses this.

PS: Dont buy, before you have considered Soyo Dragon mobos. They make same awsome feature rich boards. Im seriously considering the P4S645DX (SIS645DX) (533 MHz FSB / PC2700). Soyo has a Dragon with the 648/962 chipset scheduled for september.

 

[lozza]

Doing a bit of research, the i845g is a better chipset option for me - now for a motherboard...........
A little help?<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by lozza on 06/30/02 07:58 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Sabertooth007]

DO NOT RELY ON THG REVIEW OF 845G AND E CHIPSETS.

Tom's Hardware guide falsely and grossly reports that the 845G supports DDR333 (PC2700). If you look at essentially every other site, including officialy news reporting sites that even THG links to, DDR333 support is not official, and is not part of the design.

Don't be fooled like I was and take Tom's word on it. The 845G won't support officially DDR333. That means you will have to overclock or hope your mobo maker will support the memory with the chipset. That still doesn't mean your system will be stable. I am waiting on PC2700 memory I ordered for my Asus P4B533-V. I will then get my first chance with bios 1003 to find out if it is stable or not at the faster setting. Asus still won't answer the question that if the bios supports DDR33, it won't respond whether using a faster memory setting is classified as overclocking and hence invalidates your warranty.

SO think about your choice. It is too late for me but not for you. Sept 2002 will see the new chipsets from Intel that will provide official support. If you can wait till then, I would hold off and wait for official support.

I fear many will be holding G and E chipsets and feeling like the biggest suckers this side of town.