September High-end Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Intel Motherboard: ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe

Current Cost: $174
Months on list: 3
Price Change: +$3

As we are not moving to a LGA775 processor this month, any serious upgrade to our system platform will have to be put on hold. Since we have no compelling reason to move past the top of the line i875P chipset, we are sticking with the same motherboard recommendation as in the previous guide, but be rest assured that there are no concessions being made. The ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe includes everything you could hope for in a high end i875P chipset motherboard, 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 very 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 superb 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: MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum

Current Cost: $140
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Since we moved to a Socket-939 Athlon 64 processor this month, the motherboard needs to be upgraded as well. The NVIDIA nForce 3 Ultra chipset offers more features and higher performance when compared to VIA K8T800 Pro, so this is the natural upgrade for a high-end gaming system. However, a good chipset means nothing without an equally good motherboard, and as far as 939-pin nForce 3 Ultra motherboards are concerned the MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum is our top pick. The board features support for dual-channel DDR memory, HyperTransport, can handle up to 4 SATA drives with RAID support, dual Gigabit networking, not to mention a number of USB 2.0 and IEEE firewire ports.

The nForce 3 Ultra chipset includes all of the usual Socket 939 Athlon 64 goodies such as HyperTransport and dual-channel memory, but also a number of other exclusive features. The nForce 3 Ultra has support for NVIDIA RAID software, Gigabit Ethernet with a built-in firewall, as well as the NVIDIA system utility that allows on-the-fly adjustments to FSB, while constantly monitoring voltages and temperatures. Unlike the VIA K8T800, the nForce 3 Ultra is a single chip solution which allows motherboard vendors more freedom in component placement and cuts down on overall board cost. We are very pleased with the MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum, and priced at $140 it remains very competitive with other Socket-939 motherboards on the market.