Intel and PCI Express killed my plans for a computer!

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Ok, I was planning on building myself the ultimate gamming/multi-media PC based on a 3.4GHz P4 Extreme Edition, a Abit IC7-G Maxx3 mobo, and a ATI All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro card.

My new problems are:
A. That mobo can only support up to a 3.4GHz CPU and has the old socket 478...the new Intel cpus have a LGA775 socket...thanks a lot Intel!
B. ATI has a All-In-Wonder X800 XT card listed on their website, but nothing about when it will be released...but I'm 90% sure it will be a PCIe card.
C. Abit doesn't have any LGA775/PCIe mobos that I like/want, so I'm looking for another quallity board form another company...

So if any of you guys know of a good mobo (not Asus) that can support LGA775 cpus and PCIe...or if you know anything about the new AIW X800 XT card, then let me know!

 

Kitrax - I would really consider this one. MSI makes pretty good stuff, IMO.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-130-464&depa=0

 

Here's one from Intel:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20040810/intel_925_915-19.html

As for the AIW X800 Pro, here's what I dug up:
http://store.wholesaler-depot-2.com/100714200.html

Edit: What's with the P4EE, Kit? Those things really aren't worth the dough.

 

I'm starting to think the same thing Rednik...I've been looking them up and I see no real advantage of getting one.

I like what I'm hearing about Intel's new Dual-Core CPU...bye-bye HT, hello the real deal! I just hope it will continue to use the LGA775 pin package...otherwise I'll have to continue looking for a good mobo.

@Chandos the Red, that board is way too colorful! The IDE cable headers are in a weird place too...same for the 20-pin ATX connector, and the P4 12V connector. And why is one of the PCI slots orange?

Also! I forgot to mention that I prefer active cooling for the northbridge chip and any other extra active cooling that ships with the mobo...I know I could go out and buy an after-market cooler, but I prefer them to ship with the retail model. (That's what I liked so much about the IC7-G Maxx3 board.)

 

forget about the p4ee kitrax, that's just money going down the drain

 

You should wait for the N-Force 4 mobos to come out, which support PCI-E, and get either an FX-55 or a Athlon 64 4000+. I think that those are due out by the end of January.

 

AMD is ONE step above MAC-in-the-trash computers, so please, don't foul this thread by mentioning AMD again.

@Nightwood: Like I said, I'm thinking about dropping the P4ee for either a P4 3.8GHZ, or Intel's new dual-core processor...which will most likely be under 2GHz to begin with.

 

Ever considered www.michaelscomputers.com ?

Always worth a laugh.

 

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=239

If you're so much into cooling and money is not an issue, then why not an Abit Fatal1ty AA8XE?

Hm. Why an Asus P5AD2 Premium is not good enough for you is beyond me.

 

@ Darkthrone

I heard the Fatal1ty mobo isn't that good from Tom's Hard ware, so I'd be reluctant to recommend it. It's only good for overclocking, otherwise it's suboptimal.

http://www6.tomshardware.com/motherboard/20041208/index.html

 

I looked at the Fatal1ty, but it would look out of place in my Rig that has a pure blue theme going...I'm going to submit it to Maximum PC as soon as all the case modding is finished...a mobo with red LED backlighting just wouldn't work in that case...maybe I'll get it once I'm ready for a new case mod project.

Really? I read the review from Anandtech and it seemed quite in favor of it, as the review considered it to be the best Intel mobo on the market...although it has a few downsides (like the 2 LAN ports being on the PCI bus and not the PCIe bus). Still a cool mobo, but not for me...at least not right now.

 

That's why I'm in favour of the Asus board. It's one of the fastest, most reliable Intel boards out there with a nice layout. No active cooling, though.

Anyway, I'd go with NForce and Athlon time and again, so I'd best shut up now...

 

Well, I have another question in the back of my head that has been bugging me for a little while, but I don't think I should start a new thread...so I post it here.

I've been thinking that an ATI A-I-W 9800pro wouldn't be the best choice for a video card. Now I'm thinking that an X800 teamed up with a TV Wonder Pro, "Remote Control Edition" would be a better choice.

But my goal here is to have the fastest possible gamming PC that will last well in to the future...so should I wait for the A-I-W X800 to be released and hope that it will be offered in an AGP platform? I have decided that I'm going to stick with theAbit IC7-G mobo, so I'll need an AGP video card. I'm not ready to jump on the PCIe bandwagon just yet.

 

If you don't want PCIe but still want a LGA775 socket chip, check out the SOLTEK "SL-865Pro-775". Built a machine for my dad using this mobo and had no problems with it.
Specifications:
Supported CPU: LGA 775 Intel Pentium 4(HT)
Chipset: i865PE + ICH5
FSB: 800/533MHz
RAM: 4x DIMM for Dual Channel DDR 400/333 Max 4GB
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x LPT, 2xCOM, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1xIEEE1394, 1x RJ45, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 100 up to 4 Devices by ICH5, 1x ATA 133 up to 2 Devices by Promise PDC20579
SATA/RAID: 2x SATA by ICH5, 2x SATA by Promise PDC20579 supports RAID 0/1/0+1 and JBOD
Onboard Audio: 6-CH Audio
Onboard LAN: Gigabit LAN
Onboard IEEE1394: 2x ports supported by VT6307
Form Factor: ATX

 

Hmmm...nice board, but I've made up my mind that I'm going to go with the Abit IC7-G MAX II Advance mobo. It has the Intel 875P NB chip, and although it doesn't have a LGA775 socket, the Socket 478 is still easier to find fittings for.

I wonder why that board has 3 lagacy ports on it? That's like wasting the $15 to get a floppy drive. Companys need to let go of the past...you can fit a lot more on the rear I/O pannel without an LPT and 2 COM ports! Speaking of the rear I/O pannel, I wonder when/if motherboards will add a DVI port to the roster for those people who need to rely on the onboard video, but still want to use a flat pannel monitor.

 

I've actually got the IC7-G Max II in my current machine and love it. It still has a COM port and an LPT port though. And though I will probably only use the floppy drive once or twice during the life of my machine, I picked one up just in case (it was only wasting $6.00 for me).

 

I'd give you my two cents worth, but that comment about AMD and Mac means you'd probably argue about it.. Don't let brand prejudice stop you from getting a good PC. The FX-55 beats p4 EE in every test I've seen. And they cost the same. Here's some benchmarks:
[H]ardOCP UT2k3 CPU test:
P4EE 3.46 ghz Socket 775 : Average 143 FPS
Athlon 64 FX-55 @2.6 Ghz: Average 190 FPS.

3DMark05 CPU test:
P4EE 3.46 ghz Socket 775: 4991 3DMarks
Athlon 64 FX-55 @2.6 Ghz: 6290 3DMarks

3DMark 03 CPU test:
P4EE 3.46 ghz Socket 775: 1037 3DMarks
Athlon 64 FX-55 @2.6 Ghz: 1207 3DMarks

Comanche 4 CPU Test
P4EE 3.46 ghz Socket 775: 79 FPS
Athlon 64 FX-55 @2.6 Ghz: 83 FPS

Considering they're the same (exorbitant) price: The AMD chip consistently OWNS the P4. And I say this as someone who has never used one. But you may well just ignore this. Anyway, Intel and AMD are going to 90 then 60 nanometer production soon, and dual-core systems are in the works- Wait a year, and things will be a lot better.