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Is this motherboard over-kill? Thinking out loud [Archive] - PCMech Forums

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pam123
02-20-2005, 01:57 AM
A friend who mostly does business apps is finally in the market for a new computer and the budget is $800.
It should be a no brainer but ... .
He just got a new mega featured digital camera for his birthday and in the next half a year or so the computer will be put on a Wi-Fi network that will link both home and business computers (No. I didn't suggest he do that. ).
So I'm looking at this : http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-151&depa=0
The fact that it could run a home theater PC is really besides the point as long as it runs stable for him.
He'll need the firewire,the USB ports and the Wi-Fi slot.
He has clients who still use zip drives and floppy drives so he'll need to use both as well as USB keys ( this is a non-negotiable ).
A large SATA drive goes in and his ATA drives will be hooked up for him to transfer data at his leisure ( he wants to do it himself ) and may, or may not, remain connected later..
The OS will be XP Pro ( I'm pushing for him encrypting all business data. ).
I'll also add a gig of ram in dual channel, an all-purpose CD/DVD burner and an Intel cpu around the 2.4 - 2.8 range.
The only games he plays are those on-line poker sessions where no real money (ahem) changes hands, they're not casino links, and an old copy of The Sims.
Have at it.
All suggestions get serious consideration.

glc
02-20-2005, 02:13 AM
No way will I put an Intel processor on an ATI chipset.

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec.hmx?scriteria=BA19319

No Firewire, but cards are dirt cheap. So are PCI wifi cards.

If you don't need onboard video, get this one:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-121-184&depa=0

That has the Firewire.

You can NOT beat an Intel brand motherboard for stability, and you can NOT overclock it. That's what you need for a business machine. Put a Northwood "C" processor in for minimal heat issues.

Cricket
02-20-2005, 02:24 AM
I have no experience with ATi based P4 motherboards and really haven't heard much about them, but the specs on that motherboard look pretty good...just don't know what the performance will be like.

If you're looking for other recommendations, I've used the Intel D865PERLL in a couple of business type builds 2 years ago and I haven't gotten any calls from the owners about problems since I delivered them.

I also used the ASUS P4P800-MX in a couple of business builds last year. Doesn't have on board FireWire though. But I've installed ATi DV Wonder (FireWire) cards in the past for people doing video work and they seem happy with this add in card.

:) Cricket

pam123
02-20-2005, 02:59 AM
Thanks !
This feed back is just what I need.

glc
02-20-2005, 11:58 AM
The D865GBFL (my mwave link) is essentially a D865PERLL (my newegg link) without the Firewire and with onboard Intel Extreme Graphics.

The reports I've seen on the ATI chipset are lukewarm at best. The P4P800-MX is a good board, but it is micro ATX, only 3 PCI slots.

I'm doing a build this week with an Asus P4P800-E Deluxe. This is a higher end board with all the bells and whistles, but no onboard video. The only reason we went with this is onboard Firewire was mandatory and Newegg was out of the D865PERLL at the time.

I've used a bunch of cheap Koutech Firewire cards, never had a problem yet.

pam123
02-20-2005, 02:10 PM
It looks like the newegg D865PERLL is going to be my first choice .
It's a pity about the ATI board, it looked so promising on paper. I was over at FiringSquad to read their review and "ho-hum" would be the best summation.
I'll keep Koutech Firewire cards in mind, cheap and good is a great combination.

glc
02-20-2005, 02:41 PM
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=15-104-218&depa=0

This is the Koutech I recommend. It's totally OHCI compliant - the cheaper model uses a Via (ugh) chipset. It even comes with OEM Ulead Studio DV.

If you get the PERLL, budget 40 bucks or so for a Radeon 9200SE. The onboard Firewire will save part of this for you.

Yeah - having an onboard 9100 graphics processor is great on paper, it's just too bad the rest of the chipset is so poor. Besides, for stability and compatibility, you can't beat an Intel chipset.