Need to get a good, cheap MB. Suggestions?
I know a guy who wants to build a new computer, but he knows nothing about how to do it. So I'll be doing it IF he comes up with the cash.
He wants it for doing music composing and editing. He plays guitar and knows people in bands. He'll do some internet stuff, but nothing big. No game playing as far as I know.
So far all he's told me is that he wants a big hard drive. No problem there, I'll get him a 60 GB or 80 GB Western Digital or Maxtor brand new.
But I need ideas on what would be a good motherboard for a 478 pin Pentium 4. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a reliable motherboard that won't have problems. I'd prefer to stick with Abit or Asus, but will consider other suggestions also. I've looked at the websites for Abit and Asus, and they have the specs, but I'd like some outside opinions.
As for the rest of the setup, it'll probably be something like a 1.7 to 2.2 P4, 512 MB RAM, the hard drive, and a CD burner.
He might want some kind of fancy sound system. Any ideas for that? Either something that just plugs into the MB or a PCI card or something.
EDIT: DAMMIT! Why is it that everytime I try to type "good" quickly, I end up typing "god"? And I can't edit the topic title.
(Moderator Edit: 'god' is now "good". But for us religious types, that's not exactly news.
)
He wants it for doing music composing and editing. He plays guitar and knows people in bands. He'll do some internet stuff, but nothing big. No game playing as far as I know.
So far all he's told me is that he wants a big hard drive. No problem there, I'll get him a 60 GB or 80 GB Western Digital or Maxtor brand new.
But I need ideas on what would be a good motherboard for a 478 pin Pentium 4. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a reliable motherboard that won't have problems. I'd prefer to stick with Abit or Asus, but will consider other suggestions also. I've looked at the websites for Abit and Asus, and they have the specs, but I'd like some outside opinions.
As for the rest of the setup, it'll probably be something like a 1.7 to 2.2 P4, 512 MB RAM, the hard drive, and a CD burner.
He might want some kind of fancy sound system. Any ideas for that? Either something that just plugs into the MB or a PCI card or something.
EDIT: DAMMIT! Why is it that everytime I try to type "good" quickly, I end up typing "god"? And I can't edit the topic title.
(Moderator Edit: 'god' is now "good". But for us religious types, that's not exactly news.
) 0
Comments
stay away from intel (and i say this running a 2.8c p4)
If you would want to consider an AMD XP proc, you could save a bit of money on the proc and they Barton 2500+ overclocks real easily to past the 3200+ rating of AMD's highest performing XP. The retail 2500+ is only $90 at Newegg. The Abit NF7-S mobo for it is in the same price range as the IS7 and the other components listed above would also be good choices for the AMD setup.
Hope this helps you out.:)
Look at an MSI KT4VL or MSI KT4 Ultra and Barton combo for decent board set, and if you do not want DDR333 but can live with a DDR266 board look at an MSI KM2M Combo-L. Right now, the best use for a Pentium is with video editing, for sound you really do not need much capacity in FPU which is what the newest processors stress a lot.
What I tell folks on limited budgets is this:
RAM is dropping, buy best bang for buck RAM, best mobo, best case, and best PSU you can afford. Mobos that are really good stay stable in price for a longer time than do CPUs, as CPUs are constantly being updated. Slow mobo and fast CPU will not get you huge amounts of performance, but fast mobo and what you need for CPU and RAM (probably PC2100) are more easily upgradeable over long haul.
I do graphics work, for my uses the P4 rocks and the Barton 2500+ is about even in actual work thoughput. Most games are biased AMD right now, because that is what a lot of gamers can afford. Lots of Pros in business in video use P4s instead. Web surfing is not high video, really.
So, sscrimp a bit on video card get best sound you can get, decent case (ChenMing has a decent case line), decent PSU (Codegen or better yet Antec), and decent to good mobo. The KT4VL will run PC2700 or PC2100 RAM, you could get by with a lesser than Barton AMD chip also. The one thing I will say, check out the software he wants to use, see if they recommend a P4 for that and if so get a P4 2.26 GHz and maybe a Soyo Fire Dragon mobo.
John.
Batron 2500+
Twinmos 3200 ram (50 bucks a stick for 256MB)
thats what i would get
These guys are giving you good advice. Right now, the AMD XP (Barton series) with an Abit NF7-S is a high performance, relatively low-cost option. For equivalent Intel performance, your friend is going to have cough up a couple more $20 bills.
If your friend only knows of one processor (Intel) and insists that you use it, then the Abit IS7 with a P4C (make sure it's a 'C') 2400 or 2500 would be a good choice.
Go with the Barton 2500+, NF7-S and TwinMOS suggestion, it's so fast and amazingly good value
If his friend only knows of one processor (Intel) and insists that he use it, then his friend needs to go to a good proctologist- maybe they'll be able to find his head.
So have I!
But that's not the point is it. Tim I believe, is not building an overclocked system for his friend. That is something I would never do - provide someone an overclocked system. If they want to overclock, then it's up to them.
Now on a system for myself, I'd overclock it almost to the point of burning it up!
I suppose I could use an AMD processor in his computer. I'm just used to Intel chips.
I do a lot of digital video editing for my weekly Webshow, and people say P4's are the thing for video work.
These are the prices last time I checked . . . they could have changed or could change between now and when you check NewEgg.Com
ECS K7S7A2 - $53
Athlon XP 1800+ Retail (Heatsink + Fan included) - $56
<strike>512MB (2x256MB) PC2700 - $160</strike>
That the prices for 1GB (2x512MB) My bad.
1x512MB stick would be, obviously, $80.
The 1800+ runs @ 1.53GHz, but if it's a DLT3C stepping (like the one I received the other day) then it should reach much higher than 1.53. Not quite sure how high you could go with stock cooling, but if you go to SVC.com you can check the pricing on the SLK-7 and an 80mm fan. Should be around $30 with shipping and I would imagine that would allow you to push 2GHz or so with that chip. You would need to cut some bridges, though, which might be difficult. Going with the NF7 (around $100 @ NewEgg last time I checked) will automatically unlock the chip and let you choose the VCore. It's about $50 more for the board than the ECS, but it might be worth it to get 30-50% more out of the CPU.
As previously mentioned, make sure to utilize a matched pair of high-quality PC3200 DDR SDRAM modules. Corasir, Kingston or Crucial come to mind.
As your friend is not overclocking, don't worry about purchasing a third-party heatsink. The retail heatsink works wonderfully well at stock speeds.
If your friend ever decides to overclock, I know you can lock the memory divisor @ 5:4 and run a 250 MHz FSB (3.0 GHz Proc) and still have his memory operating at a 400 Mhz frequency without requiring a change in voltage to any of the motherboard components (ie. No CPU Vcore uppage, No AGP volt uppage & no VDIMM uppage). Even the stock heatsink works fine at this level of overclock, even running the CPU @ 100% with dual folding clients doesn't induce a crash.
The P4 2.4C is the value Intel chip and could be considered the Intel equiavlent to the AGOIA Athlon's.
Why pay $171 for a 2.4C Pentium4 when you can purchase an 1800+ Athlon XP for $56 or a 2500+ Athlon XP for $90. Not only that, but the Athlon motherboards are less expensive too. Save the money and purchase high quality RAM or a larger hard drive, or POCKET THE CASH and let it earn interest in the bank.
The 200 bones Mackanz talks about is $200 for JUST the CPU and cooling. He's not accounting for the extra $ the motherboard costs. Save $100-200 on the total cost of the system and get an Athlon. That's my opinion. And just like I disagree with SimGuy and Mackanz, I'm sure they disagree with me.
$90 for Barton..bump the FSB up to 200 easy and you effectively got a $450 CPU
Partial agreement here. You just can't compare an 1800+ to a 2.4C. Get real. Keep in mind, this needs to be a system that is fast without overclocking, so comparing an 1800XP with a stock 2.4C is moot.
The direct comparison between the 2500+ and the 2.4C is valid though. And yes, you get equivalent performance with a wad of cash left in your bank account.
But, yes, if we're not O/C'ing, then the 2500+ is the chip to get and just use the HSF AMD includes in the Retail package. That's why I included both. A chip to O/C like mad and a chip to be a decent match for the 2.4C with both @ default settings.
Thanks for the answers, though.
What also gets me is my uncle will call (actually, he normally has his slave^H^H^H^H^Hwife call) and have me try to trouble-shoot some computer problem over the phone. The thing is, they are always screwing up their computer and they don't know jack squat so asking them to do something is like talking to a retard about the nucleous of an atom. A retard may know OF an atom, but has no idea what it is comprised of. Then, after I've spent 15 minutes on the phone we'll hangup, only to have them call back 10 minutes later and have me tell them the same thing again. I normally tell him to bring his computer over and I'll check on it when I get a chance. (Hey, he claims it doesn't allow him to open any programs, so why not bring it? It's already down so it's not like bringing it to me causes him more downtime) but he doesn't. Then he'll take it to the place he purcahsed it from, which is a 60-minute drive (or more, depending on traffic) ONE WAY and pay $35 for them to check it, whether they fix it or not. THAT CRAP PISSES ME OFF.
Typical....5 bucks on that he ends up with a Dell in the end.
A overclocked 1800 compared to a overclocked 2.4C with the same quality cooler is like comparing Porche with a Volvo.
The 1800 @ lets say 2.4 doesnt stand a chance against a 2.4C @ an easy 3.5. I actually havent seen any 2.4C that isn´t a good overclocker but i have seen several 1800 that is.
Keep in mind, we're talking about a person who is pinching his pennies because of Taxes and whatnot. I know if I were in financial hardships I would give up 10% performance for an extra $100 and possibly $200 in my pocket.
But, anyway. We'll just agree to disagree. It's ok.
Hell, my P4 2.4C does 3.2 GHz on the Intel Stock Cooler, and with the SLK-900 mounted onboard, does just shy of 3.5 GHz.
However, we all forget that this system would be built for a computer n00b. He wants it only to work. No FSB O/C'ing, no timings set to 2-2-2-5 on RAM. He simply wants the computer to work and perform the tasks that he asks of it. Whether its Intel or AMD powered is simply a matter of personal choice.
I'll close on this: If you are going to go the Intel route (whenever buddy makes up his mind), grab a Springdale powered motherboard. The Canterwood (i875) performs a little faster, but is not worth the extra $100.00 they usually tack onto the price. The Canterwood is really for system enthusiasts (like all of us here) and for low-end workstations, not really a home-based solution for mainstream & value customers.
If I were pinching my pennies because of having to pay taxes & shop for Christmas gifts, I wouldn't be purchasing a system. I'd be more worried about getting Uncle Sam off my back before I build a new system.
Know what he said? "Nah, I'll hang onto them in case I need them sometime in the future". This guy can't even identify all the parts of the computer, much less do anything with them! They're gonna sit and gather dust for 10 years!
They're nothing great. One is a 200 Mhz P1, and the other is a 366 Celeron that has no hard drive or memory. He's pissed because he runs a junkyard and someone gave him the computers (on 2 seperate occasions) for payment for parts, and he got ripped off big time!
I was going to use one of the computers as a dedicated system for uploading stuff to Kazaa.