Intel MotherBoards

[EastAmherst26]

I have yet to see any reviews of Intel Manufactured motherboards. How do they compare to in both fabrication quality and performance to other manufactures? I am going to split this question into two parts: Fabrication and Performance.<BR><BR>Fabrication:<BR>I have been told that Intel's fabrication quality is superior to other manufactures (i.e. superior components integrated into it's design such as the use of tantalum capacitors instead of ceramic, etc) but I have yet to see something in writing confirming this. If there is someone out there with a working knoweldge of circuit board design that can answer this question I would appreciate it.<BR><BR>Performance:<BR>How do Intel boards peform against other manufactures with regard to Speed? What manufacturer consistanly produces the fastest motherboard?<BR><BR>Finally, if money was not an issue, what motherboard manufacture would be considered the "best of the best"?

[EastAmherst26]

I guess I should mention what applications I would be using this motherboard for...<BR><BR>AutoCAD (3D computer aided design)<BR>Gaming<BR>Music<BR><BR>Eventually it will be converted into a server that become the backbone of my LAN and host MS Exchage, and a print server.<BR>

[Colin]

Hey EastAmherst26 welcome to PCStats! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0"><BR><BR>Intel does tend to use "superior" parts on their motherboards, but in the long run I don't think that makes a big deal unless you plan to keep a computer for 5 years or more. You also pay quite a bit more for an Intel motherboard then for other teir 1 mobo manufacturers which I would say are just as good.<BR><BR>In terms of performance, Intel mobo's tend to be more in the middle of the pack. Not exactly the best performers but not the worst either. <br><br><< <i>What manufacturer consistanly produces the fastest motherboard? </i> >><br><br>Asus boards tend to be the fastest, however they usually run their FSB at stock higher then most other manufacturers. What I mean by that is, if you set your FSB to say 133 MHz on an Asus board you may actually be running 134 or 135 MHz. Personally I've always liked Abit mobo's... They're usually not the fastest at stock, but they're usually one of the best overclockers. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"><BR><BR>How much do you have to spend on a mobo and what chipset did you want it to use?

[Avid6eek]

Like Colin said Intel does make superior boards in terms of quality and stability. You may get to see the stability part, but as for the quality, unless you run your system for 10 years straight, I don't think you'll notice a thing. As for performance, Abit and Asus are usually found running in the front of the pack. Personally I'd go with MSI or Gigabyte. Their boards are usually much cheaper, and come with tons of features. They don't run as fast, or overclock as high as Abit, or Asus, but they are just as stable, and will save you a bunch of money. I guess Colins advice is pretty good, I'm just reinforcing it.

[EastAmherst26]

Colin,<BR><BR>Thanks for the information. As far as my mobo budget - it is pretty much unlimited. I am willing to spend a good buck as long as I get the features I want. I am not interested in any onboard video or sound support as I already own a very good sound and video card and I plan to update them in the near future. I am going to wait for Intel's release of the 800 MHz FSB and then make my choice. Features I am interested in is 800 MHz FSB, 8x AGP, USB 2.0, on board SCSSI controller, and on board Serial ATA controller. I have yet to decide what RAM I will choose. The RAM market fluctuates so frequently I will see what prices look like when the 800 MHz FSB is released and then make my decision.<BR>

[Colin]

EastAmherst26 it sounds like you're going to be in the market for a Canterwood based mobo. That will support 800 MHz based P4's and will have native support for everything you're looking for except SCSI. It'll be almost impossible to find a <b>desktop</b> mobo with onboard SCSI options because most desktop users will not need it. As for memory, RDRAM is dead, all the new P4 chipsets will be dual DDR. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

[Avid6eek]

Now may be no time to make predictions, but, your PCI will be stretched to the max and is going to be your system bottleneck. Your going to have at least your SCSI controller, NIC, and Sound card on there, plus whatever else you have that I don't know about. Are you looking for a board with 64bit PCI slots?

[Colin]

Hmm... I don't think all those devices running at full capacity will saturate the Hub architecture because 266MB/s is still quite a bit, but then again it will be tight...<BR><BR>Perhaps Intel will increase the pathway with their new chipsets.

[EastAmherst26]

Thanks guys! I may not even need the SCSI controller since the cost of large capacity SCSI HDDs are so damn expensive. Chances are I'm just going to use a serial ATA HDD. Once the canterwood core is available I'm sure I'll be back asking questions about specific models and get your input again. I am a definite fan of MSI mobos, but that mostly becasuse they look so cool. Thanks again.

[Colin]

EastAmherst26 don't be shy, come visit us more often! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

[Juggles]

Hiya Colin..&nbsp; Well I have just bought my first Intel Motherboard, the D850GB.&nbsp; I needed to replace my old Asus P4T-m as it sort of died on me 12 months and 1 day after I bought it! :ö(&nbsp; Intel boards have a "look but dont touch" type of approach to Computing.&nbsp; The Bios shows a load of info, but you can only change the basics!&nbsp; One thing that I will say is that if you intend to overclock your processor or graphic card, then think about another board..&nbsp; The cooling system on the motherboards are great in the fact that they have 4 power supplies for fans, but the motherboard switches them on and off when it sees fit!&nbsp; That means on my littel machine, with the P4 1,3 and 2 extra blowers, the motherboard decided to switch off the processor fan!&nbsp; Thankfully I installed the Intel Speed controller software, and it gave me a warning that the rev's of the fan had fallen "under my specified value" and I could Quickly remedy the situation.&nbsp; After talking to Intel, the informed me that the boards sometimes only update temperature and fan speeds every 5 seconds or so, and the fan would have come back on by itself!&nbsp; Ordered a Gigabyte today.. Not going to take the risk of losing my Socket 423 processor, and then have the hassle to find another one, or another new board that supports rambus!&nbsp; <BR><BR>Greets from Germany<BR><BR>

[Colin]

Juggles thanks for the info... Hmm, that's an interesting problem, never heard about that one before! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> Well you're getting a better board now anyway... <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"><BR><BR>Actually if I remember correctly, Asus motherboards have a <b>3</b> year manufacturer warranty! It usually takes forever to RMA a board (took me 3 months to RMA a P3B-F) but you should still give it a shot!