May 2002 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Motherboard

When we assemble a Value Gaming System, an eye is kept on the overall price, but not at the expense of quality, performance or features. No matter your budget, the motherboard is the backbone of your system so you won't find any no-name or last-generation boards here. The main criteria is finding a motherboard that combines high performance, stability, features, expandability and overclocking, all at an attractive price.

Athlon XP Motherboard: MSI KT3 Ultra

Current Cost: $93
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

Yes Virginia, we were able to sneak a fully-equipped KT333 board into our value system. Sure, we could have gone with a KT266A, but for the nominal cost savings, we'd rather stay current. One reason we're able to perform this miracle is because MSI combines all the attributes we are looking for in a motherboard, making their products a natural fit for our value guide.

The KT3 Ultra is a powerful motherboard, featuring support for PC2700, along with a true 166 MHz front-side bus. There is also no need for jumpers or hardware switches, as MSI has included all the FSB and memory settings right in the BIOS. This board also performs very well, has features to spare (including 6-channel audio) and will serve both basic use and overclocking with ease. We have also installed and used this board with the Volcano 7 cooler without any issue.

Pentium 4 Motherboard: ASUS P4S533

Current Cost: $104
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

One of the keys to our Pentium 4-1.6A processor selection is to find a motherboard that will overclock it like a charm. The logical choice is a product based on the SiS 645DX chipset. This is certainly the best chipset SiS has produced and provides high-end PC2700 performance (on par with I850/RDRAM) and a true 533 MHZ FSB, all in a low-cost package.

ASUS is the first out of the door with a SiS 645DX motherboard, and it is heating up the sales charts and is already part of many pre-tested Pentium 4-1.6A/motherboard combos. The lower cost of the SiS 645DX chipset should be quite evident by the $104 price tag, as ASUS boards usually command a stiff premium. The P4S533 doesn't stop there, and also includes on-board 10/100 LAN and audio, as well as support for ATA133.