Good Motherboard for P4 3.06GHZ?

Hello all,
This is my first post so please be gentle.
I am getting ready to build a new system and have the following specs in mind:
P4 3.06 GHZ
1-2GB DDR (not really sure just yet)
ATI Radeon 9700 PRO
200 GB IDE HDD w/8MB Cache
Pioneer a05 DVD Burner

My question is, wich would be a good motherboard for this type of setup? I would like to be able to have the 8x AGP (even if it doesn't show a great increase in performance yet, I am hoping it will in the near future) as well as being able to overclock fairly well. Hyper thread support is a must as well. The memory is also a concern, I would LIKE to be able to use DCDDR but it is not absolutely required.
The only requirement I do have is that I do NOT want a board with the VIA chipset (past personal problems with them, still tastes bad).
Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to know if anyone has any personal experience with this CPU and how well it overclocks.

Thanks in advance,

Sandman

Hey Sandman,
I too am about to build a new machine and i'm going to get the Asustek P4T533 RAID motherboard. It doesn't support AGP 8x, but AGP Pro, which i'm not sure means, but i'm guessing its better than just 4x. It fully supports hyperthreading and P4s 3.06Ghz and above w a 533mhz FSB .
The motherboard is also designed for overclocking, via a jumperless setup, making overclocking a cinch. With a proper cooler like a Thermaltake A1545, you'll easily sqeez 3.5Ghz out of it.
Instead of DDR, it supports 1066mhz RDRAM, the fastest RAM on the market, despite its comparitively expensive tag. Add on to this super-fast ATA-133 RAID support for your hard-drive and 6 channel sound, this is one hell of a setup, and is considered by many to be the highest performing board on the market, and its not to expensive either.
The link below has a few details on the board. Good luck!
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Intel_Motherboards_67.html

Voodoomelon,
Thanks for the reply, however, I have read that while RDRAm may perform better while not being overclocked, it starts to choke at the higher FSB settings, thus actually decreasing performance. Yet, the DDR gets faster. Otherwise this board would be a great buy (forgiving the lack of 8x AGP).

Well if your budget allows it get a granite bay board like the Gigabyte 8INXP or the Asus P4G8X but you will pay a premium and finding them in stock is very tough.

I second the Gigabyte 8INXP!! heard many, and i mean many great things about this board

Welcome to the forums, Sandman.

Picking the best board for a 3.06GHz processor reminds me of an old joke about what a 500 pound tiger eats for breakfast? The punchline is, anything it wants.

The 3.06 P4 has the same kind of dominant power as that 500 pound tiger. You'll have to go out of your way to find a truely bad board. The worst boards will only let this proc run at its default speed, which is a speed most overclockers would be very happy with it.

The other side of the coin is, that tiger isn't going to get a lot bigger no matter what you feed it. Your list doesn't have a lot of overclocking potential because you are buying at the very top of the curve. Getting a ten percent overclock out of that 3.06 (taking it to 3.4GHz) on air cooling would be a very good overclock for that chip. But its horrible compared to other P4's that can run 50% (or faster) than their advertized speeds. Ditto for the 9700 Pro.

With the system you have listed, I'd be more concerned with stability and the feature set than its overclocking potential. I like the Gigabytes for this role, particularly the GA-8PE667 Ultra.



BHD

Thanks for all the replies thus far. Does anyone know where to get that Gigabyte 8INXP motherboard? I know you said they are hard to come by but am hoping to find either that or the ASUS P4G8X.

Thanks again!

Sandman23 said:

Thanks for all the replies thus far. Does anyone know where to get that Gigabyte 8INXP motherboard? I know you said they are hard to come by but am hoping to find either that or the ASUS P4G8X.

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Yes here but your gonna PAY lol

Also it would be a crying shame to me NOT to go with anything other then a Granite Bay board since you already spent money for top of the line products. Now dont forget you need 2 sticks of memory for the Granite Bay cause your not going to get the most out of the boards dual channel DDR without 2 sticks.



http://www.directron.com/8inxp.html

Go for the 8INXP when it becomes available. I got mine and I am very impressed with the quality, speed and expandability of this board. The P4G8X is not so expandable, due to it's antiquated power supply. If Intel were able to produce a 10 GHz Northwood, the 8INXP would be able to run it. But the point is that no matter what CPU Intel produces for Socket 478 P4, the 8INXP will be able to run it easily, where the P4G8X would be unable to run the same chip (insufficient power).

The 8INXP also uses Intel Gigabit LAN which is a plus over the Broadcom on the Asus.

I agree with the other people here who recommended a Granite Bay motherboard. Considering that you're willing to shell out major greenbacks for a PIV 3.066, it seems fairly obvious that money isn't much of an issue for you. If you want the best overclocked performance right now, Granite Bay is hard to beat.

I believe the Gigabyte GB motherboard is currently available at http://www.gamepc.com ($275 !!! ). Good luck with your KILLER system and let us know how it works out!

Definitely a Granite Bay board - I've heard great things about the Gigabyte and Asus boards. Personally I am an Asus guy but look for articles on both and draw your own conclusion - I currently am ticked w/ Asus cause this is thier 3rd board in the last 4 months. P4S8X (sucks) P4PE and now P4G8X - I can't justify another mobo swap already.

Ok, based on the replys from this thread, I ordered my 8INXP board today and the guy said it will be here tomorrow. I will let you all know how I fair after my parts all arrive (the last of them, wich is the ram won't be here until thursday) at the end of the week.


Thanks again for all of the information.

Good buy man enjoy.

Welcome!

The Asus P4G8X supports 2 firewire, and I don't think the Gigabyte 8INXP does. They both have gigabit LAN. Also, the price for the Asus is listed as $30.00 less, but that won't be confirmed until the boards are actually in stock at Newegg.