Is7 Gat/pat

I'm about to purchase parts to assemble myself a new computer. After tons of research, I think I've decided to go with the IS7. I have a few questions concerning it though; hopefully you guys can help.

I have read in many places that the GAT/PAT is included on the IS7 865PE board, others say it isn't. What's the truth? If it is on the board, how do you activate it?

Also I have read many places that the IS7 outperforms the IC7, though I have also read otherwise many places. Again, what is the truth?

I would like to have a mobo with the PAT/GAT feature on it and im on a slightly limited budget. If the IS7 doesn't have the feature, what mobo do you guys recommend?

Here is my planned setup...

P4 3.0c
Abit IS7 mobo
2x 256 MB OCZ pc3200 performance series
WD Caviar SE 80 GB ata/100
420 watt Thermaltake PS
Thermaltake Xaser III V1420A
MSI Ti4200 8x

WELCOME TO THE FORUMS!

the IS7 i own has the GAT feature. there are talks about Intel disabling
that feature on the 865 (IS7 springdale) chipsets. the 875 (IC7 canterwood)
has these features (PAT). they basically are memory timing tweaks.
Intel takes the chipsets that aren't quite up to par for the 875 and
you get the 865 chipset. on the other hand they might take chipsets
from the 875 bin to fill the demand for the 865. the PAT functions are
hidden in the BIOS, but Abit "unlocked" it (bios 13+ i think). you activate
it in BIOS. the performance of GAT (865) varies, but the PAT
of the 875 should be more stable. and is a guarantee of getting the
tweaks. this is assuming you have good memory.

these boards are a little finicky when it comes to memory. they seem
to like BH-5 modules (chips on memory). the newer CH-5 are problematic.
i would highly recommend Kingston HyperX 3000 memory. they have the good BH-5
chips. ignore the speed rating. 3500, 3700, 4000 memory ratings
are the same chips with slooow latency timings. you will want to set
the timings manually anyway. larva has had great results using
2x512 sticks of Buffalo 3700 (BH-5).

if your on a budget and want a guarantee of PAT. don't waste
your money on the 3.0 and get a 2.4C. take the money you
saved and get a IC7. the performance gain in my opinion doesn't
justify the price of the IC7. thats why i got the IS7.

i dunno anything about Thermaltakes PSU's. i'm a Antec true power,
sparkle/fortron fan.

cooling. i use a Thermalright SLK 900U and love it. the Thermalright SP-94 Heatpipe
looks awsome. the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu is popular too. these are all great coolers.

HTH

c_h

Are these OCZ modules CH-5 or BH-5? How do I go about telling? I hear a lot of chatter about these HyperX 3000 modules. What is so great about em? I just need memory that is cheap, performs well, and can run at 400MHz. I don't plan on overclocking anytime soon; though I do plan on adjusting the timings.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=1&submit=Go&description=OCZ400256R2

i really love my is7 it overclocks very well and is very stable (which most abit boards are) id recommend this board

You can get some good performance from some of the Geil Platinum series, even though I would have to reccomend Mushkin if you want to do a moderate clock at the best timings. My IS7 will run 223 1:1 2-2-2-5 GAt f1 with the mushkin and it flys, but I like to oc and it really flys at 247 5/4 2-3-3-6 Geil with n/b strap set to 667. I get equivalent mem performace to the 1:1 and the cpu is rocking.

The IS7 is one of the best oc boards I have ever owned.