Motherboard Suggestions

[CeleronXT]

I'm looking into getting a new motherboard now, does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap motherboard that should fit into a standard Antec case? The case will be $99.99, and I'd like to get a motherboard not far over $100 if possible.... I just bought a brand new video card, great specs and everything because it was on sale $70 off of the original price, so it was only $99, but when I get home I find that my computer's case is much too skinny for the card to fit in. This is a standard size card, but my case is very skinny, you can reach two fingers around each side. So now I'm going to see if I can get a new chassis and motherboard so I can actually use this new card.

EDIT: Probably this chassis: http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...ct_code=286479

[Scott MacVicar]

Originally posted by CeleronXT
I'm looking into getting a new motherboard now, does anyone have any suggestions for a cheap motherboard that should fit into a standard Antec case? The case will be $99.99, and I'd like to get a motherboard not far over $100 if possible.... I just bought a brand new video card, great specs and everything because it was on sale $70 off of the original price, so it was only $99, but when I get home I find that my computer's case is much too skinny for the card to fit in. This is a standard size card, but my case is very skinny, you can reach two fingers around each side. So now I'm going to see if I can get a new chassis and motherboard so I can actually use this new card.

EDIT: Probably this chassis: http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...ct_code=286479

I'm using an Abit IT7 MAX v2 i've had no problems with it, comes with 10 USB 2 ports and 3 firewire.

[P.Jackson]

depends what cpu your using im using the ABIT AT7 MAX2 mobo obviosly steve is using pentium

[CeleronXT]

Originally posted by Scott MacVicar
I'm using an Abit IT7 MAX v2 i've had no problems with it, comes with 10 USB 2 ports and 3 firewire.

Really, cool how much? (approx)

[NetherChris]

He forgot to mention it's legacy free... any parallel or serial devices you have (short of the PS2 ports for mouse and kbd) are removed. All thats on the rear panel is audio/network/usb/firewire/PS2.

AMD Motherboards (per test reviews and performance)
KT400 (these are the VIA ones)
AT7 max2 (this one has EVERYTHING integrated, not good if you have a good sound card/etc but need a good video card to bring out the perfornamce)

ASUS A7V8x - probably the best legacy-included KT400 motherboard out there. Good hardware monitoring, good compatibility (some radeon 9700 issues, as with most Asus boards), and great performance. If you don't want integrated peripherals, this board is the way to go. Also includes bluemagic slot (blue PCI slot, functions as a normal PCI slot but also has support for upcoming riser /w bluetooth/802.11a/b/g supposedly, details to come)

nVidia nForce2 motherboards (DON'T GET NFORCE1, these are the ones TESTED and known to be stable. Most are NOT good at this point, but the ones listed here are SCREAMERS with GREAT memory bandwidth, but for all of these you will need TWO sticks of DDR RAM to bring out the potential)

ASUS A7N8X - one of the best NF2 mobos out there. No integrated video, you'll want to opt for the Deluxe version which includes the nVidia Soundstorm audio API (which has been known to sound better than Audigy) and a suite of addon ports and goodies like raid and serial ATA

ABIT NF7S - also a great board, tested pretty well, not quite up to the ASUS's level but good overall.

Intel Boards..
well I don't know much about them but my two recommendations would be
Intel i845PE - DDR consumer chipset

Asus P4PE - new bios to support hyperthreading in the new 3.06G HT intel proc (although the tag on that sucker is $700-ish) and the usual features

intel Granite Bay

Asus P4G8X - granite bay chipset, also features Dual Channel DDR, this board absolutely smokes the Intel front, its fast as hell and beats most of the other board. This is also the first board that WILL beat most RDRAM scores with two sticks of good PC2100 DDR RAM set in Dual Channel mode

[Joe Gronlund]

1-Asus
2-Abit

I just got a Asus - P4PE-GBL-R , Gigabyte onboard 100Mbps Lan, 6 - USB ports (2 are USB 2.0) , onboard Raid and a P4-2.53 clocked at 2.82ghz

http://www.asendtechnologies.com/P4P...P4PE-GBL-R.JPG

filling an Antec PLUS 1080AMG - SOHO File Server

http://www.asendtechnologies.com/P4P.../AMG_Antec.jpg

[Guest]

Not as well known but Tyan makes *****in mobo's, i switched from abit last year to them after two abits died on me in 8 months time. My current board is just over a year old. Check out www.tyan.com

[P.Jackson]

who said that the ABIT AT7 wasnt good with a good sound card i use a sblive platnum on mine works perfect and yea the AT7 is made too enhance video card performance tis recommended for gf4

[vBR]

Originally posted by P.Jackson
who said that the ABIT AT7 wasnt good with a good sound card i use a sblive platnum on mine works perfect and yea the AT7 is made too enhance video card performance tis recommended for gf4

I think it was that A good sound card is not needed as the AT7 has it built-in.
If you have one you are just duplicating hardware.

[P.Jackson]

not if you disable it

[NetherChris]

Originally posted by P.Jackson
not if you disable it

It defeats the purpose of buying an AT7 if you don't want to use the integrated peripherals. You buy the clean version of it, the non MAX, if you want to add in your own soundcard/etc.. becuase it is duplicating hardware (its still there!)

If you want to waste the $50 you could save... fine by me

[vBR]

Originally posted by NetherChris
It defeats the purpose of buying an AT7 if you don't want to use the integrated peripherals. You buy the clean version of it, the non MAX, if you want to add in your own soundcard/etc.. becuase it is duplicating hardware (its still there!)

If you want to waste the $50 you could save... fine by me

Yeah. I wasn't going to say it, but I thought...

[CeleronXT]

Just for the record, I'm using a P4 proc @ 1.6 GHz. So only Intel mobos. ^_^

EDIT: Do legacy free mobos have printer ports, or is it only USB for that too? I'm not sure if my printer supports a USB connection, and I'm too lazy to attempt to turn it around to check. It's big. :P

[Joe Gronlund]

Originally posted by CeleronXT
EDIT: Do legacy free mobos have printer ports, or is it only USB for that too? I'm not sure if my printer supports a USB connection, and I'm too lazy to attempt to turn it around to check. It's big. :P

not the new ones, the new legacy free MB have no serial, PS2 or parallel.

[Scott MacVicar]

Originally posted by Asendin
not the new ones, the new legacy free MB have no serial, PS2 or parallel.

The second version of the motherboards have PS2 ports, they realised their mistake

No parallel or serial as basically that was the slowest part of the mobo.

In that case you want the IT7, its got basically everything you need. Built in soundcard and nic too which saves you some money, and the firewire and usb 2.0 ports are the best.