PC Motherboard Chipsets and Parts Vendors

It's been time to update my old 266 MHz Pentium studio computer for a
few years now. After years of indecision and not being able to find out
enough about what was available to decide what components to buy, I bit
the bullet and bought a ready-to-go brand new Dell for $400 at Micro
Center. It had enough power to do everything I needed, came with WinXP
so no Vista hassles, and all the software I loaded on it ran just fine.
But the rub was that it was shy on ports that I needed to integrate it
into my working environment and the short story is that I eventually
gave up filling holes and finding "should work" solutions that didn't,
and my neighbor bought it from me for the price I paid for it.

So I'm back in the market. What is there to know about "chipsets" and
why should I choose one over another? We have P31, P35, G33, X38, X48
and probably some others. One difference seems to be that some include
VGA graphics and some don't, requiring a separate graphics board. There
also seems to be a difference in what types of memory they'll talk to.
Do I need to care?

Also, are there still motherboards to avoid, either because of
reliability or incompatibility with certain software? I know there was
an issue with some electrolytic capacitors (apparently made with the
wrong formula for the electrolyte) that failed in a short time, but
apparently they've all vanished from the market. Anything else?

I'd really like to buy everything from a local vendor so it'll be
convenient to return anything that doesn't work right but all we have
around here is Micro Center. They turn over their stock so fast that by
the time I research what they have and decide to make a purchase, they
no longer have it in stock. So I'll probably have to buy from an on-line
vendor. I know that NewEgg.com is pretty popular and has a good
reputation for fair prices and good service.

I've been looking at MWave.com, the attraction there being that when you
order a motherboard, memory, and processor from them, for ten bucks
extra, they'll put them together and test the assembly. And if you buy
enough stuff to make up a full computer, for $80 they'll put it all
together and test it. I'm sure I can put it all together myself, but
knowing that I won't have to send something back is probably worth the
extra $80.

Yesterday's shopping list (which might be good for a week or two before
something goes out of style <g>) is:

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
E6750 CPU
Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply

The motherboard has the two PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports that I need
for compatibility with my KVM switch and Mackie HDR, a parallel port for
my Sequoia dongle. Those were the biggest hangups with the Dell, which I
couldn't resolve with several different adapters. There are three plain
PCI slots so I can install my Lynx L22 card and a Firewire card that
works with the Firewire audio devices that I have (I put that in the
Dell and they were all happy there) and still have one PCI slot left
over if I need it.

The whole thing comes out at about $615 without assembly or OS, another
$165 ready to go, which seems pretty fair to me. MWave is in California
so it'll have to come all the way across the country. Their shipping
charge is $45, more than the local tax would be (I guess it's not
expensive enough to be the other way around).

Does any or all of this makes sense? If I were to get one of the "Audio
preconfigured" systems from places like Sweetwater, Rain, or that other
place that pops up often that's the same name (but completely different
company) as the company that makes microphones, that I don't remember,
I'll get what they want to give me, and the price seems to be 25% or so
higher than choosing the parts and paying for assembly.

Is this as good a motherboard as any other one? If not, why (other than
that YOU chose something else) would another one be better? Is the 2.66
GHz CPU a reasonable level between bottom of the heap (which the Dell
had) and cutting edge? And does the P35 chipset do what it needs to do?



--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
(mriv...@d-and-d.com)

On May 13, 8:09 am, Mike Rivers <mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
> It's been time to update my old 266 MHz Pentium studio computer for a
> few years now. After years of indecision and not being able to find out
> enough about what was available to decide what components to buy, I bit
> the bullet and bought a ready-to-go brand new Dell for $400 at Micro
> Center. It had enough power to do everything I needed, came with WinXP
> so no Vista hassles, and all the software I loaded on it ran just fine.
> But the rub was that it was shy on ports that I needed to integrate it
> into my working environment and the short story is that I eventually
> gave up filling holes and finding "should work" solutions that didn't,
> and my neighbor bought it from me for the price I paid for it.
>
> So I'm back in the market. What is there to know about "chipsets" and
> why should I choose one over another? We have P31, P35, G33, X38, X48
> and probably some others. One difference seems to be that some include
> VGA graphics and some don't, requiring a separate graphics board. There
> also seems to be a difference in what types of memory they'll talk to.
> Do I need to care?
>
> Also, are there still motherboards to avoid, either because of
> reliability or incompatibility with certain software? I know there was
> an issue with some electrolytic capacitors (apparently made with the
> wrong formula for the electrolyte) that failed in a short time, but
> apparently they've all vanished from the market. Anything else?
>
> I'd really like to buy everything from a local vendor so it'll be
> convenient to return anything that doesn't work right but all we have
> around here is Micro Center. They turn over their stock so fast that by
> the time I research what they have and decide to make a purchase, they
> no longer have it in stock. So I'll probably have to buy from an on-line
> vendor. I know that NewEgg.com is pretty popular and has a good
> reputation for fair prices and good service.
>
> I've been looking at MWave.com, the attraction there being that when you
> order a motherboard, memory, and processor from them, for ten bucks
> extra, they'll put them together and test the assembly. And if you buy
> enough stuff to make up a full computer, for $80 they'll put it all
> together and test it. I'm sure I can put it all together myself, but
> knowing that I won't have to send something back is probably worth the
> extra $80.
>
> Yesterday's shopping list (which might be good for a week or two before
> something goes out of style <g>) is:
>
> Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
> 2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
> E6750 CPU
> Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
> ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
> 250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
> Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
> Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
>
> The motherboard has the two PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports that I need
> for compatibility with my KVM switch and Mackie HDR, a parallel port for
> my Sequoia dongle. Those were the biggest hangups with the Dell, which I
> couldn't resolve with several different adapters. There are three plain
> PCI slots so I can install my Lynx L22 card and a Firewire card that
> works with the Firewire audio devices that I have (I put that in the
> Dell and they were all happy there) and still have one PCI slot left
> over if I need it.
>
> The whole thing comes out at about $615 without assembly or OS, another
> $165 ready to go, which seems pretty fair to me. MWave is in California
> so it'll have to come all the way across the country. Their shipping
> charge is $45, more than the local tax would be (I guess it's not
> expensive enough to be the other way around).
>
> Does any or all of this makes sense? If I were to get one of the "Audio
> preconfigured" systems from places like Sweetwater, Rain, or that other
> place that pops up often that's the same name (but completely different
> company) as the company that makes microphones, that I don't remember,
> I'll get what they want to give me, and the price seems to be 25% or so
> higher than choosing the parts and paying for assembly.
>
> Is this as good a motherboard as any other one? If not, why (other than
> that YOU chose something else) would another one be better? Is the 2.66
> GHz CPU a reasonable level between bottom of the heap (which the Dell
> had) and cutting edge? And does the P35 chipset do what it needs to do?
>
> --
> If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
> me here:
> double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
> (mriv...@d-and-d.com)

Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
GREAT motherboard. I would suggest the DS3 (R) if you want your HD in
RAID (google RAID 0 or 1 if you don't know what it is - VERY cool)

2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
2GB should be way enough (you don't need 800, more like 667 mhz since
that's the speed your CPU needs)

E6750 CPU
I'd change that CPU to the newer (and better one - also lower priced)
the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
You don't need this if you don't overclock... spend your cash
elsewhere

ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
Whatever... for audio you don't need a good card (this is NOT a good
card, but will do if you don't play games)

250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
Try this TIMES 2 for raid :)

Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
Why lightscribe? anyway that's up to you. That said, you need special
lightscribe disks to have that feature enabled. (they cost more)

Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
Great case :) Same as me.

On May 13, 9:06 am, Julien BH <julie...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On May 13, 8:09 am, Mike Rivers <mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > It's been time to update my old 266 MHz Pentium studio computer for a
> > few years now. After years of indecision and not being able to find out
> > enough about what was available to decide what components to buy, I bit
> > the bullet and bought a ready-to-go brand new Dell for $400 at Micro
> > Center. It had enough power to do everything I needed, came with WinXP
> > so no Vista hassles, and all the software I loaded on it ran just fine.
> > But the rub was that it was shy on ports that I needed to integrate it
> > into my working environment and the short story is that I eventually
> > gave up filling holes and finding "should work" solutions that didn't,
> > and my neighbor bought it from me for the price I paid for it.
>
> > So I'm back in the market. What is there to know about "chipsets" and
> > why should I choose one over another? We have P31, P35, G33, X38, X48
> > and probably some others. One difference seems to be that some include
> > VGA graphics and some don't, requiring a separate graphics board. There
> > also seems to be a difference in what types of memory they'll talk to.
> > Do I need to care?
>
> > Also, are there still motherboards to avoid, either because of
> > reliability or incompatibility with certain software? I know there was
> > an issue with some electrolytic capacitors (apparently made with the
> > wrong formula for the electrolyte) that failed in a short time, but
> > apparently they've all vanished from the market. Anything else?
>
> > I'd really like to buy everything from a local vendor so it'll be
> > convenient to return anything that doesn't work right but all we have
> > around here is Micro Center. They turn over their stock so fast that by
> > the time I research what they have and decide to make a purchase, they
> > no longer have it in stock. So I'll probably have to buy from an on-line
> > vendor. I know that NewEgg.com is pretty popular and has a good
> > reputation for fair prices and good service.
>
> > I've been looking at MWave.com, the attraction there being that when you
> > order a motherboard, memory, and processor from them, for ten bucks
> > extra, they'll put them together and test the assembly. And if you buy
> > enough stuff to make up a full computer, for $80 they'll put it all
> > together and test it. I'm sure I can put it all together myself, but
> > knowing that I won't have to send something back is probably worth the
> > extra $80.
>
> > Yesterday's shopping list (which might be good for a week or two before
> > something goes out of style <g>) is:
>
> > Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
> > 2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
> > E6750 CPU
> > Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
> > ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
> > 250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
> > Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
> > Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
>
> > The motherboard has the two PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports that I need
> > for compatibility with my KVM switch and Mackie HDR, a parallel port for
> > my Sequoia dongle. Those were the biggest hangups with the Dell, which I
> > couldn't resolve with several different adapters. There are three plain
> > PCI slots so I can install my Lynx L22 card and a Firewire card that
> > works with the Firewire audio devices that I have (I put that in the
> > Dell and they were all happy there) and still have one PCI slot left
> > over if I need it.
>
> > The whole thing comes out at about $615 without assembly or OS, another
> > $165 ready to go, which seems pretty fair to me. MWave is in California
> > so it'll have to come all the way across the country. Their shipping
> > charge is $45, more than the local tax would be (I guess it's not
> > expensive enough to be the other way around).
>
> > Does any or all of this makes sense? If I were to get one of the "Audio
> > preconfigured" systems from places like Sweetwater, Rain, or that other
> > place that pops up often that's the same name (but completely different
> > company) as the company that makes microphones, that I don't remember,
> > I'll get what they want to give me, and the price seems to be 25% or so
> > higher than choosing the parts and paying for assembly.
>
> > Is this as good a motherboard as any other one? If not, why (other than
> > that YOU chose something else) would another one be better? Is the 2.66
> > GHz CPU a reasonable level between bottom of the heap (which the Dell
> > had) and cutting edge? And does the P35 chipset do what it needs to do?
>
> > --
> > If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
> > me here:
> > double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
> > (mriv...@d-and-d.com)
>
> Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
> GREAT motherboard. I would suggest the DS3 (R) if you want your HD in
> RAID (google RAID 0 or 1 if you don't know what it is - VERY cool)
>
> 2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
> 2GB should be way enough (you don't need 800, more like 667 mhz since
> that's the speed your CPU needs)
>
> E6750 CPU
> I'd change that CPU to the newer (and better one - also lower priced)
> the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
>
> Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
> You don't need this if you don't overclock... spend your cash
> elsewhere
>
> ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
> Whatever... for audio you don't need a good card (this is NOT a good
> card, but will do if you don't play games)
>
> 250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
> Try this TIMES 2 for raid :)
>
> Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
> Why lightscribe? anyway that's up to you. That said, you need special
> lightscribe disks to have that feature enabled. (they cost more)
>
> Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
> Great case :) Same as me.

P.s.: The P35 chipset is nice. Not top of the line, but a great all
rounder.

>
> Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
> GREAT motherboard. I would suggest the DS3 (R) if you want your HD in
> RAID (google RAID 0 or 1 if you don't know what it is - VERY cool)
onboard RAID is software controlled .. if you want real RAID get a
hardware controller like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816116030
>
> 2 GB DDR2/800 RAM
> 2GB should be way enough (you don't need 800, more like 667 mhz since
> that's the speed your CPU needs)
>
> E6750 CPU
> I'd change that CPU to the newer (and better one - also lower priced)
> the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
I have this chip and the xeon 3110 (which is the same chip that's been
sorted for server use .. presumably more reliable) the benefit of these
new 45nm chips is less heat and they have the new instruction set for
future applications to take advantage of. Plus the bigger cache couldn't
hurt (6MB) and they're relatively cheap for the performance. One other
benefit is they overclock close to 4gigs on air no sweat so if you need
more power down the road get a better then stock fan and clock up.
>
> Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
> You don't need this if you don't overclock... spend your cash
> elsewhere
the only reason you may want a new fan is noise. i always get an
aftermarket fan so i don't know how loud the stock fans are.
>
> ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
> Whatever... for audio you don't need a good card (this is NOT a good
> card, but will do if you don't play games)
sometimes graphic cards can limit the accessability to the adjoining pci
slot. make sure it's not one that takes up two spaces. Also if noise is a
consideration .. look for a passive cooled card.
>
> 250 GB SATA 7200 RPM hard drive
> Try this TIMES 2 for raid :)
i also think it's a good idea to have a seperate hard drive for files in
a RAID 1 (mirror) in case a drive fails your data is safe. this is not
however a back up scenario .. just redundant protection from failure.
If you go raid0 for the os and use the onboard controller i think that's
ok if you're prepared to reload the os and proggies when a drive fails.
this is why it's good to have a seperate HD for files. normally i
wouldn't suggest raid if you have a good back up procedure but i don't
trust the current QC of todays manufacturing. you can up the reliability
odds by getting enterprise quality drives made for severs.

>
> Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
> Why lightscribe? anyway that's up to you. That said, you need special
> lightscribe disks to have that feature enabled. (they cost more)
lightscribe labeling is a good idea but last i remember it's pretty slow.
i get the printble cd's and either print on them or write on them with a
sharpie.
>
> Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
good case but it's a little shallow. i like the server models.. i have
one like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129020

it's really deep so if you have any full length cards they won't run into
your other components. These aren't made to be quiet though. i used some
construction material (ice dam preventer) to dampen the vibration from
hard drives and fans. they sell the same stuff specifically for this
purpose.

> Great case :) Same as me.

"Steve L." <email@myeamail.com> said in response to my bewilderment

>> Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
> good case but it's a little shallow. i like the server models.. i have
> one like this:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129020
>

actually i have this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129027

Julien BH wrote:

> Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L (P35 chipset) motherboard
> GREAT motherboard. I would suggest the DS3 (R) if you want your HD in
> RAID (google RAID 0 or 1 if you don't know what it is - VERY cool)

That's the kind of stuff that I'd like to know. I thought about the RAID
option, but I really don't think I'll be using the computer enough to
justify the redundancy of RAID1, and I definitely don't want RAID0.

> 2GB should be way enough (you don't need 800, more like 667 mhz since
> that's the speed your CPU needs)

That'll save a couple of bucks

> E6750 CPU
> I'd change that CPU to the newer (and better one - also lower priced)
> the Intel Core 2 Duo E8400

the MWave price is actually $20 more for the E8400, though it's faster
(3G vs 2.66 G). But you know "prices subject to change" at any minute.
Is 667 MHz RAM fast enough for the E8400?

> Zalman CNPS7700-CU fancy fan
> You don't need this if you don't overclock... spend your cash
> elsewhere

Since it's got thermostatic speed control, a larger fan blade and big
copper heat sink, I was thinking that it might make for quieter
operation, though I suppose I could always add this later if it's too
noisy. The new reject Dell was mighty quiet and that was in just an
ordinary light duty case, so noise with the standard fan might not be a
problem.

> ATI Radeon HD3450 PCI-e16 graphics board
> Whatever... for audio you don't need a good card (this is NOT a good
> card, but will do if you don't play games)

No games, just waveform displays and maybe watching the occasional
tutorial DVD. It's inexpensive and it doesn't have a fan. ATI isn't ATI
any more so I don't know how solid the design and construction is but
it's hard to find a cheap graphics card these days if you don't need a
lot of power.

> Cheap SATA Lightscribe DVD drive
> Why lightscribe? anyway that's up to you. That said, you need special
> lightscribe disks to have that feature enabled. (they cost more)

You don't have to use Lightscribe disks if you're not using Lightscribe
(I hope!), but it does look rather cool for the occasional CD that I'll
want to give to someone. I never print labels because it's just too much
trouble, and I've never had a problem with disks being destroyed with a
Sharpie. And the difference between a LiteOn with and without Litescribe
is less than $10. My conscience tells me to get a Plextor, but my heart
tells me that I'm not really in the CD-making business.

> Antec Sonata Designer 500 case/power supply
> Great case :) Same as me.

Only problem with it is that it's 1/4" too wide to fit the computer case
cubby hole in my desk, so I'll have to modify the desk. I think I've
figured out how to do that, but the worst part will be removing
everything from the desk (including the hutch which has some gear and
wiring in it), turning it over, disassembling part of it, making a
couple of saw cuts, adding a piece, and putting it all back together.
It's too heavy for me to handle by myself, so I've got to factor in the
cost of dinner for a friend. ;)



--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
(mriv...@d-and-d.com)

"Mike Rivers" wrote ...
> So I'm back in the market. What is there to know about "chipsets" and why
> should I choose one over another? We have P31, P35, G33, X38, X48 and
> probably some others. One difference seems to be that some include VGA
> graphics and some don't, requiring a separate graphics board. There also
> seems to be a difference in what types of memory they'll talk to. Do I
> need to care?

Here where we make the chips, we have favorite chipsets.
The current favorites are: P35, X38 and X48

> Also, are there still motherboards to avoid, either because of reliability
> or incompatibility with certain software? I know there was an issue with
> some electrolytic capacitors (apparently made with the wrong formula for
> the electrolyte) that failed in a short time, but apparently they've all
> vanished from the market. Anything else?

And our long-time favorite motherboards are ASUS.
Currently P5KC & P5KE

> I'd really like to buy everything from a local vendor so it'll be
> convenient to return anything that doesn't work right but all we have
> around here is Micro Center. They turn over their stock so fast that by
> the time I research what they have and decide to make a purchase, they no
> longer have it in stock. So I'll probably have to buy from an on-line
> vendor. I know that NewEgg.com is pretty popular and has a good reputation
> for fair prices and good service.

I'm getting a Yorkfield Quad Core Extreme chip and having a
system assembled by my local shop. Here are the current
recommended budget and high-end system configs...
(without the CPU of your choice)

Budget PC Parts List
Antec ATX Case (with 400W PS) - $100
Mother Board (ASUS P5K-V with Video built-in) - $150
CPU Fan (Zalman CNPS9500 AT) - $50
Memory DDR2 800 2GB unbuffered (two 1GB modules) - $ 50
Hard Disk (160G SATA300 7200RPM 8Mb) - $60
DVD-ROM X16 - $26
DVD X16 Dual Layer burner - $45
Keyboard PS2 - $6
Optical Mouse 3Button + scroll - $6
Speakers (2.1 Altec Lansing) - $20
MS Windows XP full version (Home Edition)
or Window Vista Home Edition (Upgrade) - $99
Total $ 552

High Performance PC Parts List
ATX Case (Antec 900 ) - $115
Power Supply (Antec Truepower 650w ) - $127
Mother Board (ASUS P5E X38) - $225
CPU Fan (Zalman CNPS9700) - $68
RAM 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1066 SDRAM Unbuffered - $115
Two Hard Disks (320G SATA300 7200RPM 16Mb)
RAID0 for best performance - $180
DVD-ROM - $26
DVD X16 Dual Layer burner - $45
Keyboard (Logitech Gaming) - $68
Optical Mouse (Logitech G5) - $55
Speakers (5.1 Altec Lansing) - $60
MS Windows XP Pro or Vista Business Edition - $150
Hi Performance Video Card (NVIDIA 9800GTX) - $350
Total $1,584

Disclaimer: These are compilations of our current personal
preferences and not official recommendations of our employer!

Mike, I just built one. I recommend AMD chipsets because they support ECC
memory. Intel consumer level offerings do not.


This is my new HT PC. I think that with one alteration, one could record in
the same room. The Zalman CPU cooler is running at 1400 rpm, which is the
minimum achievable with motherboard control of the fan voltage at a minimum
of 4 volts. The cooler is a very efficient heatpipe design that could run
slower. The case is made of a composite of plastic and steel, and appears to
be far more efficient at noise damping than previous efforts employing
absorbent foam. Samsung drives are known to be the least audible of current
hard drives, although they must be shock mounted because they do vibrate.

1SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822152100
Limited 30-Day Return Policy $129.99

2Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185004
Standard Return Policy $29.98

1Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129041
Standard Return Policy $159.95

1Scythe KM01-BK "KAZE MASTER" 5.25" Bay Fan Controller - Retail
Item #: N82E16811998038
Standard Return Policy $42.99

1SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822152100
Limited 30-Day Return Policy $129.99

2Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail
Item #: N82E16835185004
Standard Return Policy $29.98

1Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129041

1AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model
ADO5400IAA5DO - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103242
Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
For Retail AMD processor, please call 408 749-3060 for service after first
30 days. For OEM AMD processor, we will service for 30 days only. Please
verify the Processor matches your order Prior To installation. IMPORTANT:
Always pack your CPU well for return. We will refuse your RMA if we received
it as DAMAGED! $77.99

1Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) ECC
Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit Server Memory Model CT2KIT25672AA667 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820148115
Standard Return Policy $102.99

1ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm 2 Ball Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835118020
Standard Return Policy $64.99

1Nippon Labs HDMI TO HDMI v1.3 - A/V Gold Plated HDMI Cable Version 1.3 -
10 ft. - Retail
Item #: N82E16812816003
Standard Return Policy $11.99

1Nippon Labs HDMI TO HDMI v1.3 - A/V Gold Plated HDMI Cable Version 1.3 -
15 ft. - Retail
Item #: N82E16812816004
Standard Return Policy $12.99

1ASUS M3A78-EMH HDMI AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail
Item #: N82E16813131273
Limited 30-Day Return Policy
For Asus Tech Support, Please Call 502-995-0883 or http://helpdesk.asus.com/
$94.99

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511

"Soundhaspriority" <nowhere@nowhere.com> said in response to my
bewilderment

> Mike, I just built one. I recommend AMD chipsets because they support
> ECC memory. Intel consumer level offerings do not.
>
these will accept either ecc or non ecc
Chipset Desktop Board
X38 DX38BT
975X D975XBX2; D975XBX
955X D955XBK; D955XCS
925X D925XCV ( AA# C57587-403 and later ); D925XBC ( AA# C59590-306 and
later )
875P D875PBZ

"Steve L." <email@myeamail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9A9D6C2D11D1Femailmemyemailcom@208.49.82.60...
> "Soundhaspriority" <nowhere@nowhere.com> said in response to my
> bewilderment
>
>> Mike, I just built one. I recommend AMD chipsets because they support
>> ECC memory. Intel consumer level offerings do not.
>>
> these will accept either ecc or non ecc
> Chipset Desktop Board
> X38 DX38BT
> 975X D975XBX2; D975XBX
> 955X D955XBK; D955XCS
> 925X D925XCV ( AA# C57587-403 and later ); D925XBC ( AA# C59590-306 and
> later )
> 875P D875PBZ

Steve,
This is good news to me, but can you give me some links to detailed
specs?

TIA,
Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511

"Soundhaspriority" <nowhere@nowhere.com> said in response to my
bewilderment

> Steve,
> This is good news to me, but can you give me some links to detailed
> specs?
>

It's from the intel website

Here's one
http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/D975XBX2/index.htm

Steve L. wrote:

> Here's one
> http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/D975XBX2/index.htm

I think I was looking at that board last time around. It seems to have
everything that I need, though two PCI slots (I'm pretty sure the
Gigabyte board I had on my current shopping list has three) might be a
bit tight. Also, it's kind of expensive. Any other reason to get it than
it's an Intel and it supports ECC memory? And how important is that? How
often does memory fail these days?



--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
(mriv...@d-and-d.com)

Mike Rivers <mrivers@d-and-d.com> said in response to my bewilderment

> I think I was looking at that board last time around. It seems to have
> everything that I need, though two PCI slots (I'm pretty sure the
> Gigabyte board I had on my current shopping list has three) might be a
> bit tight. Also, it's kind of expensive. Any other reason to get it
than
> it's an Intel and it supports ECC memory? And how important is that?
How
> often does memory fail these days?
>

well ... i wouldn't spend the extra cash on a mobo just for the sake of
ecc memory .. as a matter of fact the only memory i had ever had that
failed WAS ecc .. go figure... i think it was my fault though... but
still...
I tend to get ASUS boards and i have three now ticking along nicely..
the last one i got was a gigabyte similar to the ones mentioned here but
without RAID ... kind of a stripped down version and it's chugging along
just fine too.

If i were to build one today i'de probably go with a Gigabyte board.. a
souped version of the one i have now maybe... like the ones mentioned
earlier..
they seem to have a lot of good reviews around.

Steve L. wrote:

> well ... i wouldn't spend the extra cash on a mobo just for the sake of
> ecc memory .. as a matter of fact the only memory i had ever had that
> failed WAS ecc .. go figure...

Probably because it has more parts to it.




--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
(mriv...@d-and-d.com)

"Mike Rivers" <mrivers@d-and-d.com> wrote in message
news:rbBWj.309$LL.221@trnddc04...
> Steve L. wrote:
>
>> well ... i wouldn't spend the extra cash on a mobo just for the sake of
>> ecc memory .. as a matter of fact the only memory i had ever had that
>> failed WAS ecc .. go figure...
>
> Probably because it has more parts to it.
>
There are no additional parts on the motherboard. There are a few additional
traces. A non ECC DIMM has 64 data lines out of either 8 or 16 chips. An ECC
DIMM has 72 data lines out of 9 or 18 DIMMS.

Bob Morein
(310) 237-6511