would you own this ASUS MOBO?

[natb1]

I have just given up on a PC and looking for another MOBO/CPU combo. This was cheapest first NON PCchips MOBO with P4 combo I found on Price Watch.

Does this MOBO have any SNAFUs I should be aware of?

ASUS
"P4S333"
SiS® 645 chipset 6 PCI,3 DDR DIMM, ACR, AGP 4X

$199 with cpu - Pentium® 4 1.7GHz 1700Mhz 478 Pin w/ Heatsink & Fan with complete combo kit.

[kato2274]

you can do a lot better on price unless you are specifically committed to a p4. (and maybe even then)

a quick spin on newegg shows you could get a
cooler master athlonXP approved cooler
MSI KT333 mobo
and athlon XP 1700+

for $132

shipping (at least to me, in PA) looks to be only $9

definately check out newegg though. great prices and super service.

[mrwilhelm]

Yeah, MSI is currently my favorite "bang for the buck" manufacturer. I've been continually amazed at the quality and extras these boards provide versus the cost.

On the whole Asus makes high quality boards, but you're much more likely to pay a little extra for that quality.

Regardless, you should do a little research before making a final purchase. Google would be a good place to start. Just type in "Manufacturer", "Model Number", and "Review" for your search parameters, and you should be provided with more than enough information to make an informed decision.

[natb1]

Hmmmm...boy..Im really afraid of GOOD PRICES!

Ive burned myself too often because of "Good Prices"

Theres always been a reason it was cheap!

my last AMD project had "issues" (Irongate, GeForce&AMD, and other subtle compatibility issues). My Intel Boxes had less issues to deal with. I may be goofy or something, but it just seems that way to me.

Ill Check out newegg though!

[mrwilhelm]

There's a HUGE different between cheap and inexpensive. Differentiating between the two is where the research comes in.

Also, don't be so quick to dismiss MSI because of it's price. You can spend tons more money and not get a board even close to the same quality.

The KT333 is a very, very good motherboard (in general, not just for the price).

As far as Intel vs. AMD, I was never a fan of the K6-2's (and to a lesser extent) the original Athlons, but I've never had any issues with the Athlon XP's. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty DV encoding, then by all means spend the extra dough for a P4, but if not, you're just throwing good money away (IMHO of course).

[Budd]

i would stay away from the "combo" deals on pricewatch, the shipping usually ends up killing you. i would agree with Kato tho and check out newegg.com for you mobo and cpu.

[natb1]

Originally posted by mrwilhelm
There's a HUGE different between cheap and inexpensive. Differentiating between the two is where the research comes in.

Also, don't be so quick to dismiss MSI because of it's price. You can spend tons more money and not get a board even close to the same quality.

The KT333 is a very, very good motherboard (in general, not just for the price).

As far as Intel vs. AMD, I was never a fan of the K6-2's (and to a lesser extent) the original Athlons, but I've never had any issues with the Athlon XP's. If you're going to be doing some heavy duty DV encoding, then by all means spend the extra dough for a P4, but if not, you're just throwing good money away (IMHO of course).

Your words are very compelling, lots of people use XPs..hmmm.

Recommend an afordable ASUS or SOYO XP combo ????

Im mostly interested in "NO ISSUES", then speed, then price.

Thanks

[mrwilhelm]

If compatibility issues are your main concern then it would help to know exactly what HW you're planning to pair your new combo up with.

Also, I don't want to sound like I'm pimping for MSI, but as earlier mentioned, the KT333 (actually the correct model number is KT3 Ultra2) is a phenominal board at a great price. I think kato2274 hit the sweet spot with his Kt333/Athlon XP 1700+ combo. I've had two recent experiences with that combination (one MB/CPU upgrade, and one new build) and both went off without a hitch. I'd even go as far to say that they were the most painless installs I've had in a long, long time. I didn't even have to re-install the OS with the motherboard upgrade, and for XP that's a rarity.

Of course there's nothing wrong with Soyo or Asus, so if you're stuck on one of those manufacturers we can easily come up with a few recommendations as well.

[natb1]

I MADE A MISTAKE !!!!!!

I was confusing your "MSI" with the "ECS" I saw on Price Watch....That would make a difference in both of our opinions wouldnt it?

OOOPs!...I may consider this "MSI"

Dang Anacronyms...or whatever you spell

[mrwilhelm]

MSI and ECS are typically light years apart quality-wise, so yes, that makes a huge difference.

You should be able to find a KT3 Ultra2/Athlon XP combo in your price range. Given the fact that you were ready to spring for a P4 you could go even faster than a 1700+ and still come out ahead (I think the 2100+ is probably the sweet spot right now). You would not be disappointed in this board. I'll bet my reputation on that. In spite of the low cost there are absolutely no compromises made in regards to quality. Like I said earlier, I've recently worked on two systems based on this board, and to say it left a lasting impression on me would be an understatement (unlike the Asus A7V8x that I bought for myself that I JUST got stabilized after 3 months of hair pulling).

[ztek012]

i just acquired an asus a7n8x for under $110....put an xp2000
with it and have a lightening bolt ..........and dv editing goes off without a hitch.........pioneer ao5 dvd-r......other machine has an epox k8rda.....both with nvidia chipsets ......AWESOME....no os issues or hardware as a matter of fact.....win2000pro

[Jeff the Brit]

Built half a dozen boxes recently with MSI KT3 and KT4 mobos ... all running sweet and fast, I'd recommend them. Please treat yourself to decent RAM though, the cheapo generic stuff is well dodgy, quality control went out the window when RAM prices dropped.

[natb1]

TWO THings:

Heres my intended usage:

Play online 3D games (D3D & OGL)
Some CAD applications 3D and 2D types.
Using Windows 98SE
GeForce2 or GeForce4 AGP
Sound Blaster Live 5.1 Value PCI
Some kind of PCI LAN

About New Egg:

Sight is kinda clumbsy. I dont get what I expect when clicking links. For instance....Wheres the MOBO/CPU combos???

[kato2274]

Originally posted by natb1

About New Egg:

Sight is kinda clumbsy. I dont get what I expect when clicking links. For instance....Wheres the MOBO/CPU combos???

that's my main complaint about newegg. the site is clumsy, but you can't beat the price and service, so I cut them some slack.

best navigation I've found is to search by catagory.

I don't believe they sell combos, you need to add each individual item to the cart individually.

[Rojacks]

Originally posted by natb1
I have just given up on a PC and looking for another MOBO/CPU combo. This was cheapest first NON PCchips MOBO with P4 combo I found on Price Watch.

Does this MOBO have any SNAFUs I should be aware of?

ASUS
"P4S333"
SiS® 645 chipset 6 PCI,3 DDR DIMM, ACR, AGP 4X

$199 with cpu - Pentium® 4 1.7GHz 1700Mhz 478 Pin w/ Heatsink & Fan with complete combo kit.

Often the solution with the lowest inital price is a poor one its total cost of ownership over its useful life will be excessive.

The most expensive inital price can also be a bad solution as the high price can mask high costs and you may be buying more than you need but its useful life is usually longer.

The best bet usually is something in the middle, slightly more than you want to pay but with slightly better specifications and quality than you need.

-The price is long forgotten while the quality still remains.
-Penny Shy, Pound Foolish
-If it fails to meet expections when new it will never meet them when it is old.

Without getting into a flame - I use Intel chipsets - Intel CPU - leadtek Nvidia Video Cards and Branded Ram. Thats it. This minimises compatibility - simplifys setup and driver issues and has given a very high customer satisfaction level. My choice of Boards are Gigabyte or Intel.

I avoid all the 'Performance boards' as the RAID and Firewire are not used and cost alot.

Forget the likes of ECS and such these are really budget stuff.

I do not and will not supply AMD based systems, I cannot get the stability and reliability that my clients require from them.

Use a Celeron CPU - say a 2.0 or 2.2 GHz - 845 Chipset Motherboard from say GIgabyte and stick some Samsung DDR memory in it with a GForce4-4200 you will build an ultrastable and good system. I use a huge number of celerons and because of the cost vs performance and this allows the use of extra memory.