Intel jockeys?

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Battle Pope

Well-Known Member
Okay, so I know basically crap about P4s.

My brother is graduating (high school) and the family's putting together an upgrade package for his computer. I'll be doing all the installation/setup.

I don't entirely know the specifics of his current setup. I know the general specs, but as far as the processor core I have no idea. It's an HP WalMart box. :shudder:

P4 (gonna say 2.8 but I'm not sure)
512 DDR333
80GB drive
onboard everything except modem which isn't used.

The damndest thing is that the machine has NO AGP SLOT. That's right. I was shocked too. We had to get him a PCI GeForce FX5200 that is an absolute DOG when any game is running. It doesn't even do games from like 1998 that well. So the whole point is to get him into something with an AGP slot that performs better.

SO. Since I know crap about Intel chips, I figured I'd ask the "nerd herd" here.

What does everyone recommend for a budget board (under 100 shipped) that will run decently and have an AGP slot? I'll be giving him my Radeon 9800XT so video card won't be a problem. Thanks guys.
 
dude you might have a tough time getting an "aftermarket" motherboard t fit right in that HP tower....those things are not made to swap out boards that are not specific to that model....and finding a mb/processor combo thats SEMI GOOD for under 100 shipped is like asking for a nice porshe under 10k...its just not gonna happen..

best bet...tear out his internals(hd, flopply, ram, etc) and get a barebones kit....

Barebones kit

I actualy run the same board with 1gig ram and same processor...its totaly adequate and i play Everquest all the time, its pretty much the most demanding PC game on the market and it runs smooth as hell
 
I forgot to mention they're getting him a new case, mobo and psu. He doesn't need a mobo AND processor, he just needs a mobo to fit the existing proc.
 
First find out what kind of socket it is. Then just search the nerd pages like tomshardware, anandtech, etc... Usually stick to the name brands like ASUS, DFI, MSI, etc...

Good luck... Shouldve went AMD........ :p
 
well number one...you gota crap deal if you have a 2.8 GHz P4 on DDR333 RAM instead of DDR400.

but there are atleast 100 boards that are pimped out for under a hundred bucks for socket 478. the question is, will a standard ATX board fit into your HP tower? Will a MicroATX board fit in that tower? Is it a proprietary (sp) standoff layout.

there are a lot of suprises out there in the Intel world. The biggest on i have found is the motherboard that is in my computer. Its a Foxconn 655 and its only 39 bucks. The real problem with it is that you have to use special drivers to install SATA HDs because the 964 chipset isnt supported in windows XP.

The really suprising one is a small company called ECS. A lot of people might have heard really bad things, but they have regained my trust. Last year i built computers to get me through college and ECS was a life saver for those non technogeek customers. The ECS 865PE-A is strangely good for a low priced board. No problems at all with 5 setups with it. You cant overclock and its REALLY difficult to jump the CMOS clear pins. But it works really well.

If you want my suggestions for ATX under 100 bucks, those are it. For mATX, i have more interesting ones, again from lower end companies due to the price restriction (although ASUS and ABIT make a few that are in the 90s)

The first is from ASRock (owned by ASUS) ASRock P4I865GV AMAZINGLY rock solid board, but it does have intel extreme 2. If you are putting a AGP card in it, then youll be fine.

Finally my boys at ABIT. I was finishing this up and i just couldnt do it without pluggin my boys. This is the board that is in my dad's computer. He plays all sorts of flight sim games and he has an RADEON 9800 Pro. ABIT IS-10 With a P4 3.0 Prescott, 1GB of Corsair XMS RAM and the 9800 this thing is a GREAT performer. Never had a hardware problem and it is probably the easiest setup.

If you havent noticed the trend all of these boards have the I865 Chipset. Next to the SIS655 (which has an easily fixed software compatability issue because of its southbridge) it is DEFINITELY the best bang for the buck. You asked for suggestions, there are mine.
 
Originally posted by reikoshea@Jun 2 2005, 08:25 PM
well number one...you gota crap deal if you have a 2.8 GHz P4 on DDR333 RAM instead of DDR400.

but there are atleast 100 boards that are pimped out for under a hundred bucks for socket 478. the question is, will a standard ATX board fit into your HP tower? Will a MicroATX board fit in that tower? Is it a proprietary (sp) standoff layout.

there are a lot of suprises out there in the Intel world. The biggest on i have found is the motherboard that is in my computer. Its a Foxconn 655 and its only 39 bucks. The real problem with it is that you have to use special drivers to install SATA HDs because the 964 chipset isnt supported in windows XP.

The really suprising one is a small company called ECS. A lot of people might have heard really bad things, but they have regained my trust. Last year i built computers to get me through college and ECS was a life saver for those non technogeek customers. The ECS 865PE-A is strangely good for a low priced board. No problems at all with 5 setups with it. You cant overclock and its REALLY difficult to jump the CMOS clear pins. But it works really well.

If you want my suggestions for ATX under 100 bucks, those are it. For mATX, i have more interesting ones, again from lower end companies due to the price restriction (although ASUS and ABIT make a few that are in the 90s)

The first is from ASRock (owned by ASUS) ASRock P4I865GV AMAZINGLY rock solid board, but it does have intel extreme 2. If you are putting a AGP card in it, then youll be fine.

Finally my boys at ABIT. I was finishing this up and i just couldnt do it without pluggin my boys. This is the board that is in my dad's computer. He plays all sorts of flight sim games and he has an RADEON 9800 Pro. ABIT IS-10 With a P4 3.0 Prescott, 1GB of Corsair XMS RAM and the 9800 this thing is a GREAT performer. Never had a hardware problem and it is probably the easiest setup.

If you havent noticed the trend all of these boards have the I865 Chipset. Next to the SIS655 (which has an easily fixed software compatability issue because of its southbridge) it is DEFINITELY the best bang for the buck. You asked for suggestions, there are mine.
[post=507116]Quoted post[/post]​


1) No, we got a crap deal because we bought an HP from walmart with no gatdamn agp slot.

2) If you'd read the posts, we'll be replacing the case, mobo, and psu. Everything else will carry over.

3) Thanks for the suggestions. Really I'm more interested in which chipset I should look for.

endlesszeal: It's not my machine. My comp is an AMD, but we picked up the best package we could find for my brother.
 
oh...i guess i should read the entire post next time.

If you are replacing everything that kicks your options up.

If you want chipset recomendations id say for stability the SIS 655 is your key. A lot of people disagree, i was just really impressed and suprised in what i got outa my bargain board.

I865PE is gonna be your best bet for bargain if you want full compatability, and if you go with someone like ABIT or ASUS you are also more likely to have the ability to over clock.

The BEST chipset for P4 Sock 478 is the I875, but the problem is the price. The IC-7 from ABIT is 145 bucks the AOpen MAX II is 146 bucks, and the P4C800 is 170 somethin. Now Foxconn makes one for 78 bucks, but i am not sure on the stability or the quality of the board. I wont recommend it until i or a friend have tested it, but it is a I875 board.

Hope that answers any questions.

Ive used the IC-7 to OC a 2.4 P4 (Northwood) to 4.2 GHz using a BIG copper block and tube, alchahol, and dry ice.
 
Thanks for those recommendations. Matches up with everything I've heard saying that other chipsets are fine but Intel ones are better.
 
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