Motherboard For Intel Processor

[mwillo]

I am thinking of upgrading my pc so that i can move upto a SLI Setup.

I currently have the following processor:-

Intel Pentium 4 640 "LGA775 Prescott" 3.2GHz (800FSB)

And i dont really want to have to purchase a new cpu as that one is only 4/5 months old..

Can any one recommend me a board in the £100 Bracket.

I would be willing to spend a bit extra..

thanx.

mark

 

[AWPC]

Wait a few more weeks as the Intel975X chipset should have an update which means it can also run Conroe when it is released in 4-6 months.
Current 975X chipsets do not support Conroe as they lack 3-4 extra capacitors. It will not be cheap @ approx £175 but @ least future proof for 18 months.

Otherwise go for:

Asus P5ND2 SLi nForce4 SLi (LGA775) PCI-Express Motherboard (MB-116-AS)
If you are a hardcore gamer looking for the industry's best graphics motherboard with extreme performance, then the P5ND2-SLI is the best choice. To accommodate two NVIDIA SLI-ready graphics cards, it comes with the exclusive two-slot thermal design to ensure efficient airflow, PEG Link technology for graphics card performance enhancement, and a host of unique features such as AI ***, CPU Lock Free and Precision Tweaker to maximize 3D video performance.
- NVIDIA™ NFORCE4 SLI - Intel Edition
- Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 CPU
- 64bit CPU support
- NVIDIA™ SLI Technology
- Dual-Channel DDR2 667/533
- Fanless Design
Full Specification
Price: £64.95 (£76.32 Including VAT at 17.5%)

 

[WJA96]

I would wait if you possibly can until the Conroe chips and the matching boards come out. AFAIK none of the current SLi setups work with 9xx series processors (although the high frequency of BIOS updates could make a liar of me). Otherwise I have good personal experience of the Gigabyte 8N-SLi Pro nForce4 SLi. It's stable and has EVERYTHING including firewire onboard. The ASUS P5ND2 is also very good (but no Firewire). I know 2 people who bought the Abit NI8 nForce4 SLi (not the GR) and had no end of problems with the BIOS on them. The GR is a bit of a mystery as it seems pretty much identical (except the cooling) to the NI8 but it was £20 cheaper (now the same price).

If you do decide to go with the ASUS, you should check prices as there is a very wide range from £60 (incl. VAT) to £85 depending on where you look.

 

[mwillo]

thanx guys..

i think i will wait for a couple of months..

although the Gigabyte 8N-SLi Quad Royal does look very tempting.

mark