Biostar Combo Motherboards

I recently decided to upgrade my Pentium III 800 MHz machine, which at the time was being used as a gentoo server. I am and most likely will always be a very big fan of Abit and Asus motherboards. Simply because their robust features, scalability and just all out performance. However at the time I did not feel like spending more than $200 to upgrade this old server that hardly runs anything anymore except as an archive for older files which I don't use anymore either. So I opted out to go a different path. I strolled about a computer store and came about a Biostar P4M800-M7A Motherboard combo.

Now being in the computer industry for about 15 years, biostar unfortunately in the early years had quite a few too many problems for me and I completely left them out. However I finally decided to give it a shot. The motherboard comes bundled with an Intel Celeron D Processor, which is pre-mounted on the motherboard. I walked over 3 feet picked up a good cpu cooler. Then walked 5 more feet and picked up a stick of 512MB DDR ram. And a new ATX Power supply. Motherboard was $80, Ram was $45 CPU Cooler $25, and the new power supply $40. All out I spent just a little less than $200 for a practically new machine.

Very skeptical I now head home to install this new hardware. Very easy installation as with most. Installed the CPU cooler with the heat transfer gel it was supplied. Mounted the motherboard in the case and installed the power supply. Then installed the RAM and all the cables. I was now just about done. I started the machine up went through the basic CMOS setup and configured everything as it should be. At this time I was using all motherboard based resources. Sound is a 16 bit full duplex AC'97 Rev 2.3 compatible six- channel audio system. I set that up and also ran the cat 5 cable to the motherboard. Now with past experience I normally never use motherboard based networking due to so many issues and problems that come about when doing so. However it was a test run so I figured it would be worth it to see how things run.

Went to my online store ordered a new copy of Windows XP Professional, and used my current stock copy of Windows XP Pro to install it on the new hardware. Everything went smooth and easy. Now my type of testing is not quite the same as that of most by using utilities to test the machines. I rather use a real environment test. For this I decided to use Dark Age of Camelot - Darkness Rising expansion. Why would I do this you might ask? Well if you log 2 accounts into Camelot by alt tabbing it creates a small memory leak. The better motherboards that I have tested run about 8 hours alt tabbed on 1 gig of ram without crashing or major lag etc. Where as machines with 512MB take about 2 to 3 hours to fail. Installed Camelot and noticed that the onboard screen card was not at all sufficient, which by any means I should have expected. So I installed a Radeon 9600 Card into the machine for the test 256 MB DDR version. It should be more than sufficient to run this. Keeping in mind that this machine is still only a Celeron with 512MB ram. My Pentium 4 3.4 Gig HT rig sometimes has problems playing 2 accounts Alt Tabbed.

Drivers installed and I log in to the first account, once in game everything looked great, it was smooth no problems what so ever. I then ran the second copy of camelot and logged in. Things became a bit choppy but nothing that I didn't expect. I left the machine on and started the timer. Here is some information for you on the background networking of MMORPG games. These games are pretty network intensive and unless your network card runs well you will go linkdead often. Wether you have a fiber connection or a DSL line it does not matter. I started doing laundry and inbetween had the characters run around through heavily populated areas. To check on the memory leak as well as to prevent from the accounts logging out automatically due to leaving them unattended. After about 4 hours of testing the machine was still up and running, suprized by this I started running the characters around more and testing frame rates etc. I could notice a bit of graphics and video lag, this was not at all bad however since I have seen much worse in much shorter times on higher level machines. 2 Hours 19 minutes later the machine crashed while going through 2 zones at the same time.

This now has completely surpassed my expectations of my new machine which I paid less than 200 dollars for. Before the video card install that is.

Bottom line for this article is : If you can't afford to spend the big bucks to get the biggest and the best, then the Biostar Combo Motherboards might be what you need. So far I now own 2 of these combo motherboards, I had been so impressed with it that 1 was not enough!

The Motherboard Model and Information follows below :

Biostar P4M800-M7 A

VIA P4M800/VT8237R+ Socket 775

Micro ATX

FSB 800

DDR 400

Video

6 CH Audio

8 USB 2.0

Lan

3 PCI

ATA 133

2DDR (2 gig max)

2 SATA/RAID

AGP 8X

If I had to give this motherboard a score I'd give it 9 out of 10 for price versus performance.

So far I have been unable to find any more of these motherboards however you can find some of the similar combo motherboards from Biostar from my web store at Biostar Motherboard section [http://www.nitecon.com/cgi-bin/store/products.cgi?SearchIndex=Electronics&Operation=ItemSearch&Manufacturer=Biostar]

WJ Hattingh

http://www.nitecon.com

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The Best Motherboard CPU Combo For Intel Sandy Bridge Processors

Intel released their latest Sandy Bridge processors earlier this year in a new socket 1155 platform. Computer enthusiasts and gamers are started to find the best motherboard CPU combo for their new computer project. Let me help you to give some ideas to be smart in choosing which one is the best for you.

There are two chipset currently available out there to support these new processors the P67 and the H67. The H67 doesn't have the capability to overclock the new i5 and i7 processor. Also it does not support the multi GPU graphics, not a gamer stuff. It would be wiser if you choose a motherboard that has the P67 chipset.

ASUS offers different types of P67 board, the P8P67 Deluxe, P8P67 Pro and the P8P67. The Deluxe version is the ASUS high-end follow with the Pro and lastly the P8P67. All of these boards have the same state of the art technology features from ASUS and it differs only in some points. The Deluxe version has 2 Gbit LAN and the Pro has only 1. Both of them are great performer and easy to overclock but has an $80 price difference. If you don't need the extra Gbit LAN the Pro would be a better choice.

The P8P67 is the lowest price. For another $40 cheaper than the Pro version but lacks of eSATA and SLI support. It shows a bit slower in a CrossfireX configuration but very good in a single GPU card. If you don't have any applications for the Multi-GPU and eSATA port this board is perfect for you.

The best choice for the processor would be an i5 or i7. There's only $15 difference between the i5 2500 and the 2500K. If you want to do more overclocking to push you further go with the K version to unlock more potential speed. If you're happy to throw in another $90 for the hyper threaded i7 2600K nothing can stop you. Set your own records!

Read the full review of these boards and Discover more of the Best Motherboards for Intel and AMD processors.

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The Mach Speed Matrix P4M800 CPU Motherboard Combo

But we assure you that the ASUS A7N8X Deluxe nForce2 motherboard is different and it has a strong reputation to support it. It's one of the most solid and feature-rich units out there.

Backed by the good people at ASUS, this motherboard is capable of the supporting the most demanding users - from gamers to desktop video enthusiasts to all kinds of intensive professional applications.

Design and Construction

This motherboard features a Socket 478 design and is available in an attractive red color. The Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) style socket makes it easy to install and upgrade your processor. Mach Speed has always delivered great looking circuitry and this product is no exception.

Chipset and Memory

The Mach Speed Socket 478 CPU motherboard combo is based on the Via P4M800 Northbridge chipset and the Via VT8237 Southbridge chipset. It supports Intel Pentium (up to 3.40GHz; Northwood & Prescott) and Celeron D Processors, with 400/533/800MHz Front Side Bus support.

The combo package includes an Intel Celeron® D processor, best suited for desktop applications. It has a 533MHz FSB and a 256K cache within the 478-pin package. Along with an integrated L2 cache, this combination is a killer package.

Also, there are 2 DIMM sockets using 184-pin DDR with a total capacity of up to 2GB. You can install DDR 266/333/400MHz memory.

Overclocking Features

Overclockers will be delighted with the Mach Speed Socket 478 CPU motherboard combo. You can tweak settings in voltages, frontside bus and memory bus in a number of different increments -- making this one of the best motherboards out there for overclockers.

Performance

Reports have shown that the Mach Speed Socket 478 CPU motherboard combo delivers sensational performance to systems running on Intel Pentium 4 processors up 3.4GHz and with FSB up to 800MHz.

Other Features

The Matrix P4M800 motherboard combo provides one 8X/4X AGP slot. You can easily include an AGP 8x video card to get a more realistic graphics experiences while gaming or movie watching.

The board also supports Serial ATA technology. The SATA specification allows for thinner, more flexible cables with lower pin count, reduced voltage requirement, and up to 150 MB/s data transfer rate.

Sound-wise, There's also a Realtek ALC655 audio codec which supports high quality 6-channel audio.

Shortcomings

No product is absolutely perfect in every respect. The Matrix Mach Speed P4M800 CPU motherboard combo does not come with integrated graphics built in. This may be a problem for some who do not want to buy a separate video card. It's no issue for those who already have existing video cards or for those who intend to buy new ones.

Conclusion

The Mach Speed Socket 478 CPU motherboard combo is one heck of a value deal. Here are some sample specs: try it with an Antec mid tower case, 1 GB Rosewill memory, 80 GB Seagate SATA, ATI Radeon 9550 and a Creative Soundblaster soundcard. It will run great.

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How to Choose the Best CPU Motherboard Combo For AMD Processors

Are you struggling in finding the best CPU motherboard combo for you to build own computer? Let me help you to find the perfect CPU motherboard combination for you to build your computer for AMD processors.

Let us find first the perfect CPU. The reason we choose the AMD processor because it is much cheaper than Intel's equivalent processors and for some gamers they find it faster. The Athlon II X3 435 triple core AM3 priced at $85 and the Athlon II X4 630 AM3 quad core priced at $96. If you need more core for fast performance in multi tasking applications like video editing and for heavy programming you better get the Athlon II X4 630 for only $11 price difference. If you plan to use it for a game choose the Phenom II processors.

Now let's find the perfect motherboard that supports your chosen processor. AMD processors uses socket AM2, AM2+ and AM3. AM3 is the latest therefore we go for it because it supports all of them. Although AM2, AM2+ and AM3 are all the same socket it differs in a way that socket AM2 doesn't supports the AM3 processors.

Choose a motherboard that can handle the maximum speed of processor for your future upgrade. The type of memory it can handle usually DD3 for newer motherboard but choose the higher speed available like 1600MHz. Most motherboard nowadays supports dual channel memory having two identical memory sticks. If you plan to use it for games choose a motherboard that supports multi GPU. Some motherboard supports SLI for NVidia video cards and some of them are CrossfireX for ATI Radeon cards. You may also consider other expansion slots and ports that you may need to connect other peripherals like the PCI and PCI-E slots, SATA, USB, firewire and other ports. And don't forget the speed of these ports because it affects how fast your data can transfer.

You may also consider the chipset that are being used because it greatly affects your system performance. It also indicates the type of processor and video cards it can support. The last thing you may consider here is the price. You don't need a high priced motherboard as long as it meets all your needs.

I have listed 2 of the best CPU Motherboard Combo for you to build your own computer. Pick your best choice.

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How to Choose the Best CPU Motherboard Combo

Finding the best CPU motherboard combo is a tough decision to make. This article will help you by giving you ideas on how to be smart in choosing the best motherboard CPU combo.

The first thing we have to consider in finding the best processor is the type of socket. Today's most popular socket being used by intel is socket 1366. This socket supports the intel i7 quad core and the latest 6 core for your future upgrade. Of course you don't have to choose the older socket like the LGA1156 and LGA775 because there's no one is going to use it in the future. Although there is a core i7 version of LGA 1156 but still the LGA 1366 is the best choice.

Second is the price difference. Intel 6 core priced at $999 in a few months expect a big price drop on this processor. It's not a good idea buying this tag price for now and the best thing to consider is a quad core processor. Core i7 960 3.22MHz is at $569 which is still high and core i7 950 3.06MHz is available for only $289. Therefore, Core i7 950 is the best buy.

After we have chosen the right processor we have now to select the best motherboard that supports your processor. Here are some things to consider in choosing the best motherboard.

The type of memory you have to choose should be DDR3 either dual channel or triple channel. Dual channel uses 2 memory sticks and triple channel needs 3. But triple channel motherboard can be run using only two memory sticks. The latest memory speed out there is at 1600 MHz and I suggest you go for it if your chosen motherboard supports that.

If you're planning to build a gaming PC choose a motherboard that supports both ATI CrossFireX and Nvidia SLI. Choose a greater number of ports Such as the USB and SATA ports for your future expansion needs. And also don't forget the speed of the ports for faster data transfer like USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s.

Since we have chosen the core i7 processor socket LGA 1366, the best chipset that supports this processor is the X58 and the P55 chipset is design only for processors with socket LGA 1156. The best cpu motherboard combo is that it truly meets all your needs and really worth the price you pay.

I have listed 3 of the best CPU Motherboard Combo pick your best choice and discover more of the Best Motherboards for intel and AMD processors.

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