DDR Memory

[ADWHITE]

Hi Guys
I'm in the process of ordering the components to build a new computer. I've not built one from scratch before, but I've messed around alot with other PC's (I've got a few).
The mobo I'm getting is an Intel S478 875P ATX A R. I know that it takes 184pin Dual channel DDR400 memory and I'm gonna get 1Mb, but I don't know which memory to get. I've seen Non-parity CL2, CL2.5, CL3 and ECC Reg CL3. Need some advice on that and which manufacturer to go for.
Oh yes! I need some help with installing both Win 98 & XP as dual boot (I need win98 for some older CAD programs which I can't afford to update). If you can direct me to a previous post or a web site on this subject it would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help and I'll post the full specs as soon as I know what they're gonna be.

AD
Liverpool

Edit- just seen the post from Krakee, ECC mem not neccessary

[miguel]

Hi.
Good mobo. If you don´t want problems ,read this: http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/bz/bz_internalmem.htm

I bought two modules of 512, from INFINEON CL3 DDR400 (INTEL´s list), and work like a charm. No need to buy CL2 and CL2,5 , which some people have reported serious issues.Read carefully the D875PBZLK requeriments, only 2,6V.
Be careful with W98 and 1 GB of memory. You could have problems with more than 512 MB.

[TheFlightMan]

Although Intel makes solid boards they are by far not the fatest. If you are going to invest in a new setup, I highly recommend Asus or Abit MB for solid performance and stability. I've been using these two brands forever, specially Asus, never had one bit of a problem with their boards.

Look into these brands before jumping into an Intel MB, you will remember these words. I built a PC for a friend and another one for my Dad's neighbor using Intel boards, again, not slow but not fast at all. Just plain old stable like Asus and Abit.

TheFlightMan

[miguel]

Hi.
I don´t want to advice anyone about any brand to buy, but I have an ASUS P4C800 and the INTEL D875PBZ. Both are fantastics and stable boards, but I don´t overclock and I can tell you that the INTEL is faster in normal conditions. This is visible from SANDRA memory scores (Intel 4789-4754 and ASUS 4584-4523) to FS2004 with a same situation (5 fps more with the INTEL).
I repeat, in normal conditions and of course with the same CPU,HD, VGA, memory, sound card,... except the lan controller wich is different , Intel uses CSA technology and ASUS don´t.
I you wan´t overclock, there´s no discussion, go for the ASUS.

[Qballbandit]

I second the vote for ASUS! Switched from an Intel board, to n ASUS A7N8X Ultra 400, and that's not even their top-of-the-line mobo, and with 512 PC3200 ddr, it is a screamer!! Rock solid, great support, very easy to use bios and chipset updating tools included on the CD. No need to be in DOS to update bios which I love. :7

AMD Athlon XP3000+
ASUS A7N8X nvidia nForce2 Ultra 400 mobo
ATI Radeon 9600 pro, 128mb
512 PC3200 ddr
WINXP Pro

http://www.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3f295fda5ad61e56.jpg

[TheFlightMan]

Yes, that is another reason why to go with an Asus or Abit. Updating a CMOS on an Intel board is a bit of a pain. Asus and Abit now have utilities that allow you to do it from the Operating System. Honestly, do some research before you jump into a new board.

TheFlightMan

[miguel]

I think you are a bit outdated, or don´t know the actual motherboards from INTEL, its technology updating BIOS and utilities, monitorings, quality components...
Pain updating Intel mobos? in my job, I have updated hundreds of ASUS and INTELS, and only had three issues and all were from ASUS.
It doesn´t matter. Buy ASUS or ABIT.
Regards.

[TheFlightMan]

Miguel,

Don't get your point but anyways, yes, some of the Intel boards I have dealt with require that you boot off a floppy in order to update the CMOS. Maybe you are referring to recent boards which may have been updated to use the same methods Asus and Abit use today.

By the way, any problems updating a CMOS is usually caused by the end user performing the task. My Dad's neighbor has an Intel board and went to update the CMOS about a month ago, it bombed. He blamed it on himself to later find out from Intel that it was an issue with their boards and they knew about it. Whenever you would use the latest CMOS revision, it would kill the board.

Like I said in the my post, it's not that they are bad but they are not the best products out there just because Intel makes them.

TheFlightMan

[miguel]

I have here some facts to show you:
In my job, last year: 586 Intel mobos bought and 513 ASUS boards bought.These numbers are from last year.
INTEL RMA: three defective mobos (direct from INTEL,next day, here in Spain from Ireland with DHL, without sending the broken mobo and of course they send you a free shipping paper for the mobo to send)
ASUS RMA: 18 defective mobos ( from 19 days to two months to get the new one here. You pay one sending.
I´d tell more things about that, but I don´t want to defend any brand, because I am only interested in the best hardware avalaible (we live from it, We build about 1300 computers a year and don´t want problems.We need reliable stuff).
One last thing. I think that the first mobo to update BIOS from Windows were fom INTEL with the 810 or 815 chipset.
Please don´t get this as a INTEL-ASUS war.Both are very good and reliable.
From ABIT we only bought for a few weeks the old BH6 (good enough).
Regards.

[ADWHITE]

Thanks for the advice guys.

From what I can gather,the Intel is a pretty good board and stable. The ASUS boards are also good so I'll have a rethink on the mobo. Thaks to miguel for the link to intel compatible memory.

I've seen in another post that the P4 processors are likely to drop in price significantly in the next few weeks so perhaps I should hold off on that purchase until then?

A few other queries:-

Still need some advice on installing W98 & XP as dual boot- Is it quite straight forward?

Will I get away with an upgrade version of XP or will I need the full product?

Any advice on the brand of DDR memory, I know Kingston is good but it's a bit pricy.

Will 1 GB memory cause problems in W98 or will it just not be completely recognised?

Should I stick with 512MB of high quality memory or go for 1MB of a lower quality?

I think that's about it for now!!!:-)

Sorry for all the queries but this will be the first PC I've built from scratch and I wanna get it right.

Thanks again

AD

[miguel]

Hi.
-I´d go with W XP.
-Kingston is a known memory assembler-manufacturer, and its modules work very well with the D875PBZKL, but here un Spain isn´t expensive. I you buy brand on brand memory like Samsung, Micron, Hynix or Infineon, their modules are more pricy.
-Anyway, buy the best memory possible (same brand, same chip, same specs).Don´t buy low quality memory for this chipset.
-W 98 and W ME , theorically, can see 1 Gb of memory as maximum , another thing is that can be problematic in some scenarios. Go to Microsoft Knowledge base and look into it.
Regards.
-In February will be a price drop. Better wait, because the 3.0 and 2.8 with 800 FSB and HT and 1 MB cache, will be at very good price. If you can get the right revision 206 ( I think) or higher, you won´t have any problem to run them.
Regards.

[TheFlightMan]

Miguel,

Again, with all due respect, you can't compare the services you get in Spain versus here in the states. So to say that Asus takes forever to send you a replacement part is not a valid statement for US based users. I've returned their parts and within 3 to 5 days, I've had a replacement board and if you are willing to give them a credit card they send you a replacement up front. So again, tone down your criticism because you are not being accurate. You happen to live in another country and because of this, it might be more difficult for Asus to get parts out to you. Asus has their US headquarters in California and I believe they also do some manufacturing from there or if not, they carry a hefty inventory to maintain the US.

I know you work for a company that assembles a lot of systems and as I mentioned in another post, I've been using Asus for years and never had a single issue with them. The boards that you returned, what was the main factor for them going bad?

Regarding the dual boot scenario, if you want to avoid having both OS installed on your machine you can purchase VMWare 4.0 which goes for about $200 and you can run any OS within your Windows XP operating system. Take a look at their website for more info http://www.vmware.com By the way, there are tons of dual boot articles on the web that explain the process in detail. You can also get some from MS Knowledge Base or Technet.

TheFlightMan

[miguel]

Hi, I think you haven´t undersdtood what I mean. It´s very simple. The RMA problem is not from the customer, it´s my problem (from my company).In my country are three official importers from ASUS. It´s your advice that makes me wonder that you have not tested an INTEL mobo seriuosly. We buy more or less 50/50 from INTEL and ASUS. Yes I like ASUS, but with the D875PBZKL, for me, for us (my company), is better than the P4C800 ( I have both). Do you know which is our unofficial test to know the power of some hardware? Yes, Fligh Simulator. For this I can tell you that in normal setup the Intel is faster. Nothing more, nothing less.
One last thing, don´t get me wrong. Your statement about the difficult to get ASUS parts in my country , well, believe me, my country , yes the country with the most stupid president in the world , Mr. "Ansar" , is a modern country, more than you can imagine, and we have a fantastic way of life.
Think that some hardware , very new hardware is avalaible,here before than in yours one (many mobos and CPU among others). So it´s an ASUS RMA policy.
Regards.

[TheFlightMan]

Miguel,

Since you guys don't have Asus based locally in Spain and depend on vendors to import the product, it could take a bit longer than expected. With that said, I emphasize the fact that we don't have that problem here in the US. By the way, I'm Cuban and if had a portion of my family living in Spain years ago and can related to the country. So you don't need to tell me that you guys are up to date on a lot of things, I know for a fact.

On the weekends, there is a restaurant here in my area called Delicias De España which I visit on occassion, very good place. I've bought several products which are important from Spain and are delicious.

TheFlightMan