What do you think of this MOBO? Can I use it for DAW?

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quattro_xxph

New member
Im planning to step up to P4. I already have an Audiophile 2496 and Im planning to get an ECS P4IBASD motherboard. Its based on the Intel 845D chipset which will allow me to use my SDRAM until I have enough money to go RD. Now it uses AMI BIOS unlike the typical Award. From what I read, AMI BIOS is pretty simplistic and does not have too many options for customization, and it has none for overclocking (which I dont do). Does this have any significant effects on recording audio?

Also, what relatively cheap (>$100) mobo can you suggest for P4 and Audiophile? Please note that I am not in America so I'll just convert that into our currency.

Thanks!
 
This is pretty much outdated technology. It only supports the old P4A chips and the FSB (Front Side Bus) is only running at 400Mhz.

Current systems make use of the P4B Northwood chips and have the FSB running at 533Mhz.

There is no real reason to run RDRAM anymore - DDR RAM (226 and 333) today gives you roughly the same performance for a less money. DDR ram and old SDRAM costs roughlt the same.

I really see no point in running a P4 with SDRAM - you might as well just buy a PIII system...
 
Mr Brzilian:

Thanks for the comment but:

The mobo is supposed to be able to run both SD and DDR (not RD I made a mistake typing earlier). And where Im from DDR costs about double than SD RAM and at the moment my budget wont allow it. With this MOBO I can at least still use the SD RAM I had from my previous PC at least for a few months until I can scrounge up some more cash to go DDR. I was planning to go P3, but its hell finding components here! Its like they disappeared from the local market (damn Intel!).

This wanting to "upgrade" was brought upon by a very nasty click and pop problem I had with my old MOBO which is why I want to replace it. I just want to know if this particular MOBO in question (ECS P4IBASD) can perform stably enough with an Audiophile Card. Given the specs and the SD RAM, can it perform like that. I'm really not asking for much especially since my current system is working OK with an inferior sound card (but I want to use the Audiophile!).

Can it perform stably with Audiophile without the clicks and pops? Thats actually all I want to know. If it can, I'll go through with it and if it works OK, I dont see any reason for me to think of getting a more powerful system for at least another 2 years.

My planned system (at least as my budget can support at the moment)

ECS P4IBASD mobo (Intel 845D chipset IIRC) -Around US$64
Pentium 4 1.7 Ghz
Audiophile 2496
Inno 3D GF2 MX200 32MB AGP Video Card
128 SD RAM PC133

Plus the stuff from my old system:

192 SD RAM PC133
Seagate 5400 RPM 10G HDD (System)
Seagate 7200 RPM 20G HDD (Data)

OS: Im still sticking with Windows 98SE since I heard that XP requires more RAM and stuff. That, and installing it will cost me something and I cant afford it at the moment.

The whole upgrade will cost me around US$279 (roughly converted from local currency excluding the Audiophile which I already have but cant use). Believe me in this country, this is a LOT of money and to be honest, Im even going to loan part of that from my drummer just to get by. Thats how strapped I am.

Do you think this will be enough to run Cakewalk HS2002 stable enough for at MOST 12 tracks with some DX plug-ins here and there? Oh and if there are any better mobos at that range or even just a little bit higher, please suggest me some.

Thanks!
 
I'd stay away from ECS products. They are at the bottom of the cheap list when it comes to cheaper motherboards.

Boards that do both DDR and SDRAM are a narrow niche product.

Spend the extra $70 and buy 256MB of DDR 333 and a better board.

Suggestions for P4 boards:

ASUS P4B 266
ASUS P4B 533
Microstar 6566

If you're considering AMD.

ASUS A7S333
Microstar 6561

Both SIS745 Chipsets, and work fine with M-Audio products.

It is possible to find a cheap board and get it to work. Although, you may find the aggravation getting the cheaper product working isn't worth the extra $30-$50 saved.
 
(I know Im gonna seem like a total cheapskate for asking this but...)

What sort of trouble am I inviting by setting up that particular system?
 
quattro_xxph said:
(I know Im gonna seem like a total cheapskate for asking this but...)

What sort of trouble am I inviting by setting up that particular system?
Click to expand...

You are creating a HUGE bottleneck by using older SDRAM that only runs at 100 or 133Mhz. DDR (Double Data Rate) RAM is at least twice as fast because of the way it interacts with system clock signals - it runs at either 266Mhz or 333Mhz.

You are spending extra $$ on a P4 and pretty much crippling it by using SDRAM.

The rule of thumb when buying computer systems is to either buy the 2nd fastest system available in the market or look at what you think you can afford and go one step higher.

Cheaper motherboards usually equate to bad support in the form of no updated bug free system drivers.
 
How's this?

Hmm... though I'm not that good with PC's the term "bottleneck" hits me with impunity. Thanks for the advice.

I recalculated some stuff and I checked out a config for an AMD processor (as Mr. Emeric suggested). How do you think a system like this will perform:

Processor: Athlon XP 1.7 Ghz

Motherboard: ASUS A7S333 (SiS 745 chipset)or ASUS A7N266VM (NForce chipset IIRC) Both have relatively the same price from this list Im reading from my retailer.

DDRAM: 256MB (list says its PC 266. Does that mean I cant use it on the A7S333 mobo?)

HDD, Tower casing and AGP Video same as above.

I added a Heatsink in my calculations. They say Athlons run hot, but do I still need this when my price guide says that the processor I'm buying has a fan included?

Now this will cost me around US$313. Not that much more expensive than my first query. This even includes labor since I want to blame somebody in case something goes wrong in the installation. =)

Do you guys think a system like this can take at least 12 tracks of audio with an Audiophile Card using Cakewalk HS2002 (with some plug-ins) under Windows 98SE without a hitch or at least without the annoying clicks and pops? This upgrade business is pretty stressing financially and I really want to get it right the first time. God knows I already botched it up when I bought my first system... dont want to botch up again (especially since it seems it will even be MORE costly in the long run if I do)

Thanks!
 
I've never used the nforce chipsets, but have heard they are good as far as compatability goes.


- DDR 266 will work fine with this configuration.
- Make sure your powersupply is a good one, not just 300W, but a good quality one.
- The fan that comes with the retail box AMD products are fine.


This will be more than capable of 24 tracks + with many plug-in effects. Provided it is setup and configured correctly. With windows 98, make sure you enable DMA on your hard drives in device manager.

Good luck.
 
A little louder than a stock P4 fan, but quieter than most OEM - Thermaltake, Globalwin, Vantek 20,000 RPM solutions.

The Zalman is quiet one, that's what I use.
 
listen to Emeric, I listened to his advice and got ASUS P4B533, and I am loving it :)

Thanks, Emeric

AL
 
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