HI everyone,

I would like to buy an ATX motherboard for my existing system - the mb I have seems to be faulty.

These are my requirements for the new motherboard:
+I have a CPU Socket 478 and I would like to keep it,
+it needs to have slots for DDR PC3200 DIMM,
+I do not want an onboard graphic card,
+onboard sound card can be but I probably wouldn't use it anyway,
+It needs to support AGPx8,
+4 - 6 PCI slots,
+usb ports
+Serial ATA,

Please help me choose as there are so many of them on the market - my budget is up to £100 [$165].

Thanks!

Hey kilo,

Personally, I quite like ASUS boards. They are a good manufacturer, and I've never once have a problem with them.

This one should fit your needs, well within your budget: ASUS Motherboard P4S800D-X Socket 478 ATX MB SiS 655FX 800FSB Dual DDR400 AGP 8X-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com

hi again, thanks.

I just wonder: how far will this one get me. I cannot find any data which CPU it will support - I mean if I decide to upgrade the CPU - will it support 3.6 or 3.8 Ghz?

Another thing - is it good, very good . I would like to invest my money well - so that I do not need to change the motherboard in 2 years or so.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

PS. I cannot find a single retailer in UK that sells it. DO you know any website? [I am based in the UK]

Hey kilo,

Have a look at: P4S800D-X Motherboard (Asus-P4S800DX) - PriceGrabber.com - UK

Normally, the maximum a socket 478 can handle is 3.4. I would personally save a little more if you can, and get a socket 939, but it would mean switching your processor to AMD, and using a PCI-E graphics card instead of AGP, which is much faster.

Example:
A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard (Asus-A8NSLIPREMIUM) - PriceGrabber.com - UK

hi again,

I appreciate your help,
i still have a few Qs:
From my limited understanding I know that AMD cpu's are 'weaker' or 'slower' than Intels. Let's say i wanted to buy a new 939 socket motherboard with a cpu that would be an eqivalent to Intel 3.4Ghz. What would you recommend?

My thinking is that I don't want to invest in something is being rather rapidly phased out by something perhaps better/cheaper. What about 939's - are they not going to be phased out by Intel in let's say 6 months by a completely new motherboard generation? I guess Intel is smart enough to be thinking of getting on top of the market ASAP.

So anyway, what 939 would you recommend for me - a user who has got little time to learn about all the new hardware available [I use my comp mainly for entertainment purposes - but it must be very stable as I also use it for academic work].

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yes, your right in a sense, AMD processors are generally considered weaker built. Intel are better quality but generally slower than AMD. I've personally never had a problem with AMD.

New motherboards are coming out all the time, and I wouldn't be suprised if, in 6 months time they do bring out another generation of motherboards. I've just realised that socket 940 motherboards are out! 10 years from now, our PC's will probably look like Specrum's or Amstrads in comparison!! However, i think socket 939 should keep you going for a few years!

This one is 939:
A8N-SLI Premium Motherboard (Asus-A8NSLIPREMIUM) - PriceGrabber.com - UK

Hi again,
the one you suggested looks good. What about ASUS A8V Deluxe,

I still would like to know what CPU I would need to have to almost 'match' the Intel 3.4. Is there a website that explains the frequencies of AMD's?
Thanks.