Need MoBo Recommendations

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Sidecutter, Aug 14, 2006.

  1. Sidecutter

    Sidecutter Private E-2

    Hey Guys,

    Well, I went to boot my machine, to work more on trying to make it boot right from the RAID 0 SATA channels. Unfortunately, no video, and after borrowing a video card and some various other testing to find the actual problem, it looks like a dead mainboard.

    So I need some recommendations. Unfortunately, there's a LOT to try and sort through, and with new chips and memory speeds growing more common, it's getting very hard to sort by the tools available. So I'm asking for recommendations while I keep looking. What I need isn't top of the line - I want to keep using my video card if I can until I get a new one in a couple months, I want to keep using my current RAM as I am not going to be trying to replace that until year's end/early next year, and I want to upgrade my processor using one I have lying around that I obtained from work a couple months ago. So here's the needs I have:

    - Pentium 4 Socket T/LGA 775 3.8GHz 800MHz FSB Processor compatible. Preferably with HT abilities on the board that the chip can use if it has that built in (not sure).

    - 4 slot (highly preferred) PC2700/DDR333 and PC3200/DDR400 compatible (currently using 2700, plan to purchase 3200 later - I'd just make the jump to DDR2 now, but I just can't foot the bill for new RAM at the moment, and this thing HAS to function until end of year/early 2007).

    - SATA RAID capabilities. I really just want to boot off two twin 40GB SATA drives in a RAID-0 for speed, and use a seperate 80GB SATA for storage, so I need a minimum 2-drive SATA RAID connector set, and at least one independant (or at least that can be seperated as it's own drive while RAIDING the other two on the controller) connection.

    - AGP8X is desired, but since it's a month or two at most til I get a new video card anyways, I can wait if PCI Express works out as the best solution. The cards cost the same in both formats uisually anyhow, so no big difference on this one. If it IS PCI Express though, I am not looking to be doing multi-card graphics arrangements for some time, so I would prefer to avoid configurations using up slot space in order to offer dual or quad-card graphics abilities. These boards also tend to be higher in cost than I'm looking for, in most cases.

    - Buily in decent audio is fine, it doesn't have to be perfect. I noticed a couple boards have their audio connectors added via a single PCI Express x1 slot near the bottom so that they can isloate and reduce noise normally caused when you have the audio fully integrated to the board from end to end. My case supports front Mic/Headphone though, and ideally, I'd want to hook those ports up while still having the rear speaker ports function for normal use to keep permenantly attached speakers.
     

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