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Overclocking Part3 -- Motherboard selectionOct 02 '00 Write an essay on this topic.Ok, now you've got a good idea what processor you want, so now what? You need a slot or socket (or slotket!) to park that puppy for a year or so, right? Since I broke the processor selection down the way I did, I'm gonna hafta do it with the motherboards as well (referred to as mobos-no, it's really not a curseword, well not without the F in there anyway :). Mobos (don't say it) come in probably ten times the flavors from 5 times the manufacturers as the CPUs do. Confusing, eh? What's a budding overclocker to do? Well, for one thing, you can start by reading as many reviews as you can get you eyeballs around. Read up on what has been successful and well-liked in the overclocking community in general for your particular selection of CPU. Look for what options the motherboard supports in BIOS. Can it support APG4x? (come to think of it, does anything actually *use* APG4x?? lol). WIll it support future peripherals like DDR RAM, VirtualChannelMemory, UltraATA100, etc.? In otherwords, is this motherboard going to last at least 1 more processor upgrade? If not, you might want to do a little more research. While I stated in the previous section that the CPU was the heart of a PC, then the motherboard would be akin to the vascular system--ya know, the parts that sends out and brings back what the heart pumps to other systems? Ah, ya like that analogy eh? So in that light, it's obvious we need a quality peice of kit to bolt to that big plate in the case. And here's where we are--my picks for our four systems; Systems1and2: El Cheapo and MidLevel (Intel) For balls-out, take-no-prisoners performance *and* stability, a board based on the BX chipset is for the most part unbeatable. You will be very pleased with offerings from both Asus (P2B and P3B series) and Abit's in the i440BX arena--they are proven performers and have been around long enough that any problems have been more then worked out. BX is just about the fastest motherboard you can base a P2 or P3 on. The downside to BX today is that what you buy is what you get. What you build with it now, will probably not go much faster with another processor down the road. Bummer. On the other hand, we have new motherboards based on the Via ApolloPro133a chipset that might not crush the BX when it comes to benchmarks, but they are close enough, and have a little more to give when it comes to the future. Via based recommendations; a very easy Asus P3V4X or Soyo 6VCA--both have gotten great reviews, and I am currently using a P3V4X with great results. For even more future-proofing, you might also consider the i815 chipset. Designed as a OEM value chipset integrating sound and video into the northbridge, it's actually a smoking performer--close to BX without tweaks. Not bad for a value motherboard. Companies like Asus are also targeting boards with this chipset towards overclockers by removing the onboard sound and vid support, throwing in a gaggle of FSB settings and fsb/pci ratios that make it easier to eek the highest possible frequency outta your P2/P3. CUSL2 is a hands down recommendation, but read up on as many reviews as you can on i815 mobos--there could be an even better choice out there. System3: iL Monstro (Intel) Hard call -- I'd never spend that much on a CPU, ever. But If someone *gave* me one, I'd surely plop it into a P3V4X, CUSL2 or 6VCA happily and unreservedly.... System4and5: El Cheapo and MidLevel (AMD) Hmmm -- hard for me to say since the only SlotA board I've ever owned was an Asus K7M--I fried not one, not two, but three Athlons in attempts to overclock--they get that hot (although 1 of the 3 "incidents" were decidedly my fault) Did I like it? Yes--typical Asus build and quality. Would I recommend it? You could probably do *alot* worse--but you might be able to do better for the money. Abit has a rep of being on par, and sometimes better than Asus for a bit less dosh. MSI, Iwill and quite a few others are turning out surprisingly good products compared to their respective track records as well and are worth investigation. I just happen to be an Asus fan... System4: iL Monstro (AMD) <shrug> I have yet to even *see* a 1Gigger -- what do I know?? LOL. Popularity and web articles would lead me to believe that the FIC AZ11 is the hot ticket for anything TBird and Duron. Abit's KT7 and Asus's A7V should not go without investigation either. Just make sure to do some extra research, m'kay? Next installment -- RAM! woohoo am I going to get slammed... Feedback as always welcomed  |
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