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Back to UserFriendly Strip Comments Index
| Shopping for mainboard/processor |
by rorajoey |
2006-11-19 12:55:59 |
I'm looking for something with a E7221 or equivalent chipset, that will support the P4 Prescott processor. I'm going with Intel over AMD because I understand that AMD chips tend to run a little hotter, and I'm looking to minimize fan noise on this system (it's for editing A/V, though it might also end up as a file server for an A/V editing system). Though liquid cooling for the CPU might be an option to minimize noise. I do intend to use large (120mm) fans with a fan speed controller on the case, unless someone has a better/quieter suggestion.
I've looked at offerings from Tyan and Abit. I don't like the Tyan Tomcat i7221 because it has a proprietary peripheral connector taking up much of the space that could be used for PCI slots, and it has onboard ATI Rage video. The Abit AA8-3rd Eye does look nice on paper, but I don't really need the on-board dolby 7.1 audio, and I'd like the option to upgrade from first generation SATA to second generation without replacing my mainboard.
Most critical would be the ability to connect up to ~12 SATA devices, and the flexibility to split them into different groups: for example, one bootable striping array (3 HDDs) for the system/OS, one RAID 5 array (5 HDDs) for the audio/video files, and 4 standalone slots (for DVD writers). I see that some new mainboards include onboard SATA-II, and at least two manufacturers (Samsung and Hitachi) are making compatible drives; does anyone have comments/experience with these?
The availability of PCI Express™ and/or PCI-X slots is another important consideration. I'll also need IEEE 1394 and USB 2.0 for capturing digital video/audio, and probably a separate video capture card to grab analog video/audio.
I don't need or want on-board sound or graphics, because I want the flexibility to choose my own (Tyan boards generally use ATI, and I want to use nVidia), and to upgrade them independently from the mainboard.
I do think a pair of onboard Gigabit ethernet controllers would be nice, but I'm also open to using separate NICs.
Current budget for this board is ~150-200 USD. Any feedback would be welcome. |
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[ Reply ] |
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Prescotts are the exception. | by themadkansan | 2005-05-07 17:27:35 |
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mcuh worse, in fact. | by astro-g | 2005-05-07 18:31:51 |
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A couple of comments | by Arachnid | 2005-05-07 17:31:35 |
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