January Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Motherboards

When selecting a motherboard for our Value Gaming System, the main goal is to find the best overall value, while ensuring you get the most future-proof and high-performance hardware possible. Naturally, these goals are often at odds with each other, and the sticker price is usually the main stumbling block. To find that right mix, we need to insure that the motherboard is affordable, but also includes a nice mix of performance, overclocking, and onboard features. Whether you're buying a low-cost gaming system or an ultra high-end powerhouse, the motherboard is still one of the most important components, as it provides the backbone for your entire computer and determines your potential upgrade path.

Athlon 64 Motherboard: MSI K8T Neo-FSR (K8T800)

Current Cost: $70
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$9

Once again we upgraded by 200 MHz with the Athlon 64 3400+, but we are not switching platforms. The K8T800 still offers the best value for Socket 754, and the exceptional MSI K8T Neo-FSR is a perfect match for our value system. This motherboard offers the great combination of price and performance (even better with the price break), and makes a perfect home for our 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 processor. The K8T Neo-FSR is the little brother to the high-end K8T Neo-FIS2R, but maintains many of the features and is a perfect match for our value system. Going this route was the natural choice, as MSI continues to deliver motherboards with high-end performance, an excellent feature set, and at a retail price that fits our budget.

The MSI K8T Neo-FSR is powered by the VIA K8T800 chipset, which is still a top choice for Socket 754 performance and features. This chipset offers a full 16-bit, 800 MHz HyperTransport connection and really keeps the CPU and system bus performance levels humming along. The System BIOS is another high point of this MSI board, and overclockers will be pleased with the features and options present. The MSI K8T Neo-FSR also offers a potential upgrade path, with CPU support up to the Athlon 64 3700+, although with our 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 3400+, this is mostly just for show.

The MSI K8T Neo-FSR is designed for Socket 754 AMD processors, and features single-channel DDR266/333/400 memory support through the Athlon 64's integrated memory controller. Other onboard features include AGP 8X, Parallel ATA133, 8 x USB 2.0, 6-channel audio, integrated Gigabit LAN, and 2 x SATA. This is also a CoreCell board, and supports Speedster (overclocking), PowerPro (powersaving), LifePro (constant temp control, smart FAN) and BuzzFree (noise management) features.

MSI has also included a lot of overclocking options on the MSI K8T Neo-FSR, including full FSB selections, and CPU, DDR and AGP voltage options. There is also a Dynamic Overclocking feature, which offers a military like progression (Captain-Colonel-General) up the chart from nominal to higher-end overclocks. With the K8T Neo-FSR, MSI has created a motherboard that rivals more expensive models, with a ton of high-end features for those on a slightly lower budget.

Pentium 4 Motherboard: EPoX EP-5EPAJ (i915P)

Current Cost: $84 + $4 for 24-pin Cable
Months on list: New
Price Change: N/A

The shift to the LGA 775 platform not only entails a change of CPUs, but also switching out the motherboard as well. The Intel 925X/XE boards are still a little pricey for our budget, not to mention their reliance on DDR2 memory, so the 915P is the natural fit. These motherboards are usually found with DDR support (but can handle both types) and are much less expensive than the 925X-based alternative. This is a key element in our overall strategy for the Intel system, as the motherboard is slightly more expensive than our previous i865PE model, but the LGA775 and PCI Express format allows us to save big time in terms of the processor and video card components.

The EPoX EP-5EPAJ motherboard gets the call this month, and this offers a very nice combination of price and performance. The EP-5EPAJ is based on the 915P/ICH6 chipset, supports LGA 775 Intel processors (533/800 MHz), and features 4 DDR sockets with dual-channel DDR333/400 support. This is very important, as we cannot get into the DDR2 area right now, especially with only a $1K budget. Many i915P motherboards support standard DDR memory, which allows us to really save cash at the entry level, while also gaining the benefits of less expensive LGA 775 processors and PCI Express video cards.

The board also has a 1x PCI-Ex16, 2x PCI-Ex1, 4x PCI layout, and there is nary an AGP slot to be found. In terms of storage, the EPoX EP-5EPAJ also includes a single PATA connector, along with 4x SATA. The remaining onboard options are decidedly high-end, with Realtek ALC850 8-channel audio and Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit LAN. This motherboard is a basic revision of the higher-end EPoX 5EPA+ 915P model (with ICH6R), without the costly features such as SATA and Parallel IDE RAID.

EPoX is a well know name in system overclocking and the EP-5EPAJ has a robust System BIOS, complete with a range of processor frequency selections and a variety of voltage controls. This is pretty standard for an EPoX motherboard, but there is also the valuable PCI and PCI Express bus lock, which really increases the overclocking potential of any system.

* Note - The new LGA 775 motherboards utilize a 24-pin power connector, and although these can be run safely with a standard 20-pin unit, we recommend purchasing a basic 20-pin to 24-pin adapter cable ($4) for the PSU. We have used these in system testing with no problems whatsoever, and many 24-pin compatible PSU units ship with them.