February 2003 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Pentium 4 Motherboard: ASUS P4PE/L

Current Cost: $121
Months on list: 3
Price Change: $0

For the past two months we have included the ASUS P4PE/L motherboard in our Intel setup, and if it ain't broke, why fix it? The P4PE/L supports HyperThreading on compatible processors, as well as single-channel DDR333 memory. For now, we prefer to stay with the Intel chipset than some of the newer SiS based ones for one reason, stability. There have been some mild issues with some newer AGP 8X boards on the market, and while we are awaiting the release of Intel's 8X AGP Springdale chipset, the i845PE will suffice as it is one of the most affordable, solid and powerful chipsets Intel has produced yet for the Pentium 4 processor.

The ASUS board remains our favorite due to its excellent overclocking features, and ASUS' careful attention to quality. In fact, we like ASUS so much this month that they have also included their nForce2 based board in this month's guide for the Athlon XP. If you're willing to throw down the extra money, and feel you need the features, a more expensive version of the board can be found with Serial ATA RAID and FireWire ports.

Athlon XP Motherboard: A7N8X nForce2 Motherboard

Current Cost: $115
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$5

While NVIDIA has been experiencing some challenges with their GeForceFX line of products, their engineers have done an exceptional job with the latest chipset iteration: the nForce2. With true dual-channel DDR400, HyperTransport, and AGP8X support, this is the most powerful solution for AMD Athlon XP based systems.

We are sticking with the ASUS A7N8X as this month's nForce2 board of choice. The A7N8X includes three DIMM slots for a total of up to 3GB of DDR400 memory, with up to two sticks running in dual-channel mode. The onboard amenities are nice, though a Deluxe version can be found for a bit more cash. ASUS has also gone above what many other nForce2 board makers are offering and included the four mounting holes that have been removed from the AMD specification sheet, making owners of high-end heatsinks very pleased.

Despite a few hiccups in various beta BIOS revisions, the A7N8X with the 1002 final BIOS is an excellent choice (even allowing multiplier selection with some Athlon XP processors) and overall board quality is top notch.