March Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide - Page 3

Motherboards

When selecting a motherboard for our Value Gaming System, it is important 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 combination, the motherboard needs to be affordable, but also have 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: $69
Months on list: 5
Price Change: -$1

Last month's upgrade to the Athlon 64 3400+ did not entail a change to our platform base, and we see no reason to switch now. The K8T800 is the best value for the Socket 754 market, and its performance is also top-notch. The MSI K8T Neo-FSR is a perfect match for our value system, and with a price that has dipped below $70, we're not looking a gift horse in the mouth. The K8T Neo-FSR offers a great combination of price and performance, and makes a perfect base for our 2.4 GHz Athlon 64 processor. This motherboard is the little brother to the high-end K8T Neo-FIS2R, but keeps many of the features and onboard options. MSI continues to deliver motherboards with high-end performance and features, but with a retail price that easily fits our budget.

The MSI K8T Neo-FSR is powered by the VIA K8T800 chipset, which is still a great performance choice for Socket 754 systems. This chipset offers a full 16-bit, 800 MHz HyperTransport connection and really keeps the CPU and system bus performance levels high. 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: $80 + $4 for 24-pin Cable
Months on list: 2
Price Change: -$4

When we moved to the LGA 775 platform last month, we not only upgraded the processor, but snagged a new motherboard as well. The Intel 915P is the obvious choice, as 925X/XE boards are still a too expensive and rely on costly DDR2 memory. The i915P motherboards can be found with either DDR or DDR2 memory support, thus making an i915P/DDR platform a quite inexpensive choice, especially when coupled with an LGA775 Pentium 4 processor. This remains a key element in our overall strategy for the Intel system, as the motherboard is slightly more expensive than an equivalent i865PE model, but the LGA775 and PCI Express format allows us to make hay in terms of the processor and video card components.

The EPoX EP-5EPAJ motherboard is our selection again this month, and it offers a very attractive 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. The standard DDR support is a requirement for our value systems, as DDR2 is not feasible with a $1K budget. Intel i915P motherboards like the EP-5EPAJ support standard DDR memory, which gives us a value-priced platform, while gaining the benefits of lower-cost LGA 775 processors and PCI Express video cards.

The EPoX board also has a 1x PCI-Ex16, 2x PCI-Ex1, 4x PCI layout, and there is not an AGP slot in sight. The EPoX EP-5EPAJ also features only a single PATA connector, but looks to the future with 4x SATA ports. The remaining onboard options are also high-end, with Realtek ALC850 8-channel audio and Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit LAN. This motherboard is a basic version of the higher-end EPoX 5EPA+ 915P model (with ICH6R), without the costly features such as SATA and PATA 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.