Need board for 2.53 P4

[Alienware_Dude]

I need a mainboard for a 2.53GHz P4. I prefer Asus. I need good performance and overclocking capability. No onboard video. Anyone?

[reboot]

Asus P4G8X.

[Alienware_Dude]

Thanks. Is this board better then the P4PE?



Edit: The P4G8X is out; too pricey. Which is best out of these Asus boards?


P4PE\L
P4S8X
P4SDX



Would you recommend any of these boards? Thanks in advance.

[skeeter]

What about the Albatron PX845PEV PRO? Overclocks, no video built in, sound is though and built in LAN. Only $82 from Newegg.
I have built two systems with this board so far. Really seems stable.

[Alienware_Dude]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it. In the meantime, can I use two 512MB DDR333 DIMMS in dual-channel mode with the P4SDX?

[reboot]

There's a ton of boards we could recommend, but if it's an Asus you want, just check the specs on the board at http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4sdx/overview.htm
It does support dual channel DDR.

[Alienware_Dude]

That's the one I'm looking at. However, I can't find out if I can run a GB of RAM(512MB DIMMSx2)in dual-channel mode. Does anyone know?

[wolfie]

i got my eye on this one:D

http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4c800-d/overview.htm

wolfie

[SARGE]

Originally posted by Alienware_Dude
That's the one I'm looking at. However, I can't find out if I can run a GB of RAM(512MB DIMMSx2)in dual-channel mode. Does anyone know?

Does this help? :

"To utilise Dual Channel DDR, the channels on both banks must have a corresponding equivalent memory capacity RAM. e.g. on both blue slots or on both black slots. "

Appears you have to "enable" the dual-channel and have all banks filled and since it supports up to 4gb, well...
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1786&p=5

[Alienware_Dude]

Thanks for all your help! I think I'm going with the P4SDX, but I'll check out the SiS655 offerings from a few other companies before making my final decision. Thanks again!

[glc]

In my opinion, it's just a bit early to jump on a SiS 655 - the 645 and 645DX were good, but the 648 had some nasty issues. I think if I just had to have cutting edge technology with a P4, I'd stick with the Intel chipsets for right now.

[Tuf]

The P4G8X may be a little pricey but it will offer up more performance off the bat. Remember the Granite Bay chipset will on average give you 12-15% more performance than the 845 chipset. So that's free even before you start overclocking. SO if you really "NEED" all the performance you can get it is the best option that is out today.

[reboot]

Hence my first recommendation, thanks Tuf :D

[Alienware_Dude]

Hmmmmm, I *did* read a few sketchy reviews of SiS655 boards, most notably from THG. Maybe I can eke out the extra cash for the P4G8X, but I have no need for Serial ATA RAID; does the non-Deluxe version come without Serial ATA? Is there even such a thing? NewEgg only carries the Deluxe version. What would be my second choice after the P4G8X? Thanks for your help! :D

[Alienware_Dude]

Heh, the P4G8X it is! I mustered the extra $$ after replacing the DDR333 Corsair XMS RAM I had planned on getting with Samsung DDR266(which is the fastest that you can use in dual-channel mode with the P4G8X). I will be ordering on Monday, most likely. Thanks for all your help!

[reboot]

Good choice!
Now you won't have to upgrade it for at least a year ;)

[Alienware_Dude]

Don't you mean six months? :D

[Xayd]

SiS may have had one good P4 chipset, but generally you wanna wait til everyone tells you how good it is before buying one.

SiS historically has produced crap for chipsets.

[Alienware_Dude]

I do admit, the thought of dual-channel DDR333 had me going, but I decided on the P4G8X because I have not had much luck with SiS in the past. I got to order everything today(Friday), so I'll let you all know how it goes when I get everything installed. :D

[Tuf]

Sounds like a winner! That board is is as good a choice as you can make for a single CPU system. You can see the extra speed when doing anything even remotely CPU intensive. I don't think you'll be sorry.

[Alienware_Dude]

I hope I purchased the correct memory for the board; I've been hearing that it is very picky about the RAM. Can anyone supply me with a list of supported modules? I got 2x 512MB Samsung PC2100.

[reboot]

That should work fine. Just make sure you read the manual for Dual DDR. I think it's slots 2 and 3 you need, with slot 1 empty...

[Alienware_Dude]

Well, after reading that the E7205 isn't compatible with memory made in a x16 configuration, and then seeing the specs for my memory read: "Component Composition: (32Mx8)x16", I'm a little worried. Can anyone verify? glc?