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

Motherboard

Even when assembling a value gaming system, buying a high-quality motherboard is still the best route to take. The motherboard provides the base for your entire computer and will either aid or impede its overall performance. It is important that the motherboard combine high performance, stability, features, expandability and overclocking, all at a price that won't break the bank.

This month also marks the start of our totally-DDR systems, as many value-priced i845D motherboards are now on the market. Although there are other DDR motherboard chipsets out there, we feel the combination of price, compatibility and performance make the VIA KT266A and i845D the right choices for our needs.

AMD Motherboard: EPoX EP-8KHA+ - $90

Motherboards using the VIA KT266A chipset have a great combination of price, performance, features and expandability. Sure, the nForce may give it a good run in the performance end, but we'll have to wait for the 415D until we have a bare bones nForce platform at a similar price point. If you're looking for one of the best KT266A motherboard deals, then the EPoX EP-8KHA+ makes a very compelling choice. It features excellent performance, tons of overclocking options, and comes in at under $100 to boot.

Pentium 4 Motherboard: Pentium 4 Motherboard: MSI 845 Ultra - $105

It seems that when value and performance are mentioned in the same sentence, a motherboard from MSI soon steps to the fore. With our Pentium 4 choice, the MSI 845 Ultra makes a great choice for those who want top-end performance, but on a beer budget. This board supports Pentium 4 478-pin models from 1.5 GHz to 2.2 GHz and beyond, so future upgrades won't be a problem. The 845 Ultra also includes 3 DIMM sockets, though single-sided DDR will need to be used in a couple of slots to max the board memory out. Overall, this is a prime Pentium 4 DDR motherboard at a price that literally can't be beat.