June 2004 High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Intel Motherboard: ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe

Current Cost: $171
Months on list: 2
Price Change: +$3

Since we are not upgrading our Intel processor this month the new LGA 775 platform will have to wait a bit. The Pentium 4-3.4C GHz remains consistent, so we're sticking with a motherboard based on the i875P chipset, which is the top of the line chipset for Socket 478 processors. The ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe made its first appearance in our last edition, and is basically an updated version of the P4C800. The board includes everything that i875P has to offer such as Hyper-Threading, 800MHz FSB support, PAT (Performance Acceleration Technology), and dual-channel DDR400 memory, which gives our Pentium 4-3.4C GHz a high-end platform base.

The Deluxe version of the P4C800-E has more onboard features than you're likely ever to use. Amenities include GigaBit LAN, Multi-RAID for ATA133 & Serial ATA (max 2 ATA-133 and 2 SATA HD ports), 6-channel digital audio, Firewire, WiFi, and a super overclocking BIOS. The board is very similar to the i865PE-based P4P800 Deluxe, but includes the faster i875P chipset for just a few extra dollars. The P4C800-E Deluxe, which is almost identical to the P4C800 Deluxe, includes a different Ethernet controller and has Intel ICH5R RAID. The board also has various tweaks and improvements from the P4C800 Deluxe making it worth the small price premium over the P4C800 Deluxe.

AMD Motherboard: ASUS K8V Deluxe

Current Cost: $99
Months on list: 6
Price Change: -$20

As we reach the end of the road for the 754-pin Athlon 64 processors, it is unlikely that there will be too many new chipsets and motherboards based on this configuration. Since the 754-pin Athlon 64 3400+ could be upgraded in the very near future, and considering how fantastic the ASUS K8V Deluxe is we have been using is, it is not in our best interest to change our motherboard recommendation until we have to.

The K8V Deluxe has one of the best price-to-performance ratios on the market, and is no slouch when it comes to performance or onboard features. The board includes many of the same extras that you would expect to find on an ASUS Deluxe board, including GigaBit LAN, Multi-RAID for ATA133 & Serial ATA (max 2 ATA-133 and 2 SATA HD ports), 6-channel digital audio, Firewire, and USB 2.0 ports aplenty.

The VIA K8T800 chipset is the fastest Socket 754 platform currently available, and really pushes the framerates with a fully 16-bit, 1.6 GHz Hyper8 HyperTransport link. The board supports dual SATA RAID, Firewire, 6-channel audio, USB 2.0, and a built-in 3COM Gigabit LAN. As usual, ASUS includes a number of BIOS tweaks and overclocking options to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of your system. The price even continues to drop on this board, and at a mere $99 it's no wonder that we have been including this board ever since we started using the Athlon 64.