i wholly reccomend intel mobo's

try one of these:

---

Intel Desktop D865GBF Bayfield 865G "Springdale" (Socket 478) Motherboard - Retail (MB-009-IN)
Prepare for the future with the Intel® Desktop Board D865GBF, a platform that is truly a generation ahead. This ATX board features next-generation processor and dual-channel DDR400 memory support, integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics 2, an AGP 8X slot, 8 USB 2.0 ports, integrated 6-channel audio, a Gigabit Ethernet connection, and next-generation storage device support.

- Hyper Path Technology
- Intel 865G Chipset
- Front Side Bus 800 / 533 / 400 MHz
- 4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB PC3200/2700/2100 non-ECC DDR SDRAM
- Dual Channel Memory Architecture
- Expansion Slots 1 x AGP8X (1.5V only), 6 x PCI
- 2 x UltraDMA 100/66/33
- 2 x Serial ATA, RAID 0 (Microsoft WinXP only)


Price: £59.95 (£70.44 Including VAT at 17.5%)

---

but Esq will have a wealth of suggestions too...
i say wait some time, till Taw, Esq or Indy11 suggest something.

The Angel of Darkness, lock evader extraordinare!

Fight Like Warlord

Having just built5 pcs in the last few weeks i came across 2 makes of mobos
that i hadnt tried before
matsonic avoid like the plague they got stung for bios chips and you may have to flash the bios just to get a humble 2400xp to boot (for this you need an even older cpu)
and the other make asrock (should be as rocks) £29for a board with a great chipset vgood bios will take up to 3400xp at least with a x8 agp slot 5 pci slots
3 ddr slots
i assume they are available in the us as well and also i assume they do intel boards (im a diehard amd fan and i know taw is going to recommend intel )
but the barton 3000xp i built with the asrock is like lightning and ive only put 256 of 333ddr in it so far (50 % THAN MY 2.6 P4 IN ALL TESTS IVE TRIED AND ON SETI AS WELL)
bottom line check out asrock for a mobo as ive paid a lot more for a lot less before (and i hadnt heard of them either till a couple of weeks ago)
ps for gods sake get a good cpu fan and some arctic silver
i would not go 64 bit for the forseeable future btw either make


Edited by - [steel on 4/27/2004 12:38:13 PM

Edited by - [STEEL on 4/28/2004 7:12:54 AM

Well, you can't wait for PCI Express to roll-out, right? And you prefer Intel/Pentiums? Well, aside from Intel, I've been following Chaintech
as I have their video card (nV 4600 TI) and it really is a good card, very speedy and the write-ups for Chaintech are consistently good.

Here's a Socket 478 Intel, Prescott ready mobo from them as an alternative to buying Intel made. Chaintechs are much more o'c-able than Intel mobos is what I have been told... don't know from experience ... yet: Chaintech 9CJS ZENITH

<Edit>

PS: Although the next technology generation P4 Presoctts are socket 478 cpu chips, it already has been reported that the "truer blooded" Prescotts will not be socket 478 but something else, either back to a slot card or a different pin-count socket. So, the Chaintech and Intel Socket 478 mobos that are Prescott ready most likely won't be TRULY Prescott ready... if you know what I mean.

If you remember (I do because I got burned by it) the first P4s were Socket 423 chips. However, the REAL P4s, the smoothe running 2gHz chips were Socket 478 P4 Northwoods. I got left eating the dust on that one.

Edited by - Indy11 on 4/27/2004 11:21:52 AM

<Edit 2>

Also, the current word on the socket 478 Prescotts is that they are running very very hot. AND, in case you didn't know, while they do have 64-bit extensions built into them (to be activated how?) they are selling as 32-bit cpus.

IF you MUST HAVE 64-bit NOW, AMD is the better way to go and the non FX 'd AMD64 chips are thought to be the better value (although clock locked).

Edited by - Indy11 on 4/27/2004 11:26:19 AM

there is an unlocking kit for the amd 64 bit cpus but i havent heard anything about how or the risk involved
indy is right prescotts are hot as hell and you will need serious cooling on them

first question should be: how much money have you got to spend and how much are you prepared to spend?

Indeed it should, Taw. *Shakes head* Amateurs .

@Esq you will note my asrock suggestion with a barton 3000xp would only cost about $150 if thats not in the affordable range its not worth suggesting ANYTHING

That's a good price Steel, but he may be able to afford more than that .

Although price may be important, I don't understand why one would want to skimp on the motherboard. The Chaintech Zenith for P4s is around US$250 so
that does make it pricier but, at the same time, its the platform for your PC, why skimp on that?

Of course, if don't have the scratch, that's another story. But I didn't get that impression from this thread.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and please continue. As to price I can save for as long as it takes but I'm mainly looking at quality.

Asus.....but i am biased...

ABit, Asus, Gigabyte, they're all pretty good. I think the Abits have the edge at the moment, although myself I'm going Gigabyte when I upgrade.

Look here for prices and specs on tons of motherboards. Prices are in pounds though (grrr Brits ) so use this to convert...Or just know one pound equals about a $1.75

Edited by - parabolix on 4/28/2004 10:42:56 AM

If you are going AMD 64-bit, Asus seems again to be top quality.

I must admit, I am beginning to look at AMD's myself ... but that's just because I am twitching with upgrade fever again!

PS

Here's something on Chaintech's Zenith mobos.

Edited by - Indy11 on 4/28/2004 11:02:09 AM