I currently have an ECS 648fx-A and it is falling apart! Had problems with this MOBO for years, finally I can't stand the half-broken Video output anymore.

I would like to simply swap my MOBO out for a new one. Can anyone recommend a MOBO for a P4 2.8Ghz that will actually last, and not start falling apart in a few years?

Also, does anyone know what company, in general, makes reliable MOBO's that last for more than 5 years?

Thank you

ECS is a low end manufacturer. Good companies are Asus, Gigabyte, Abit, Evga, Intel, DFI, et al. The best motherboard for Socket 478 is the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe (P4P800-E Deluxe is also very good) but the only way to find one of those is through E-Bay. There are very few motherboards available anywhere the support the Northwood since the last one was released about 5yrs ago.

I would say your best bet would be to think about a new build but if you really want to keep what you have then look to the auction sites for a new board.

I am still using an Intel 845PERL mobo with a P4 3.0, DDR 400 RAM, and an AGP slot. Is that the type of mobo you are talking about? No one makes one that takes DDR memory anymore.

If you get a new mobo, you will need to also get DDR2 memory for it. If it is the onboard video that is the problem, why not just get a cheap AGP video card?

I have 2 GB of DDR400 SDRAM, so I would like to get a MOBO that supports it.

Onboard video is the problem with my current MOBO, but the problem is upstream from where the signal splits off to AGP/PCI Slots. So, it's messed up no matter whether I use AGP or PCI video card.

I will look for the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe or the Asus P4P800-E Deluxe. Does everyone else agree that these are the best MOBOs for socket 478?

EDIT: I don't need fancy onboard audio or the ability to run fancy graphics cards. I would like to find a MOBO with onboard firewire, that uses a Texas Instruments Chipset. (This computer is only used for Audio Production, which uses external firewire sound cards, which are best compatible with Texas Instruments chipsets.)

But if the only MOBOs that last are the ones that come with fancy onboard audio etc., I'll pay for it.

I want to avoid building an entirely new system because I know that 8 core processors are on the way, and my current system meets my needs well enough for the moment.

Thanks for replying

maxplank I would have thought the institute would be able to afford better than a replacement board for a skt 478, J/K.
Right now it seems that anyone with a new skt 478 to sell that supports AGP, wants a premium price for it.
Hell DXRick' Intel board is selling for $340 of a site from Pricegrabber!
You might be better looking at a replacement where you can use PCIe.
Anyway heres the link for the boards available on Pricegrabber, and NewEgg.

PriceGrabber: http://preview.tinyurl.com/5s8bz2

NewEgg: http://preview.tinyurl.com/3ye7yy

Good luck

I built a system with the Asus P4C800-E Deluxe but it went down after a big power surge. I picked up an Asus P4V800D-X to rebuild the system. This is a socket 478 MOBO with both AGP and PCI Express. This is a rock solid MOBO.

Asus P4V800D-X ---- VIA PT880 Ultra Chipset 800MHz FSB Dual Channel DDR400 Socket 478 ATX Motherboard w/ AGP 8X & PCI-Express X16 Graphics, Audio, LAN, SATA, RAID, USB 2.0

Newegg Asus P4V800D-X comments at:
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813131147

One on ebay at US $129.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/ASUS-MOTHERBOA [...] dZViewItem

"I want to avoid building an entirely new system because I know that 8 core processors are on the way, and my current system meets my needs well enough for the moment."

Yes, that's true, 8-core processors are on the way.

But my question is, if your 2.8GHz P4 is good enough for you, why would you wait for an 8-core solution? A low-end dual-core AMD processor, motherboard, and DDR2-800 RAM would cost nearly half as much as a new P4 board at $350. If you're not waiting for an 8-core solution, why mention it? lol. Basically any change you make with hardware that's 2 years old or newer is going to be faster than what you've got, and a lot cheaper than what you'll spend on a board for your P4. It just seems odd why you'd want an 8-core rig when a single-core P4 is good enough for now. You should really be looking at a dual-core IMO.

Board: Asus with Firewire and onboard video
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131174
$79.99

Processor: 2.4GHz Athlong 64 X2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103064
$66.00

RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820609027
$39.99

Total: $196.20 with shipping.

Not worth spending the $$$ on such old crap, ebay whatever works and invest in a new system for the time - even a Celeron 420 M would destroy your P4.

No motherboard will last that 5 years your expecting, let alone the rest of your components.

As for your "sufficient" - you'd think that till you used a Quad Core system with 4gb, and realize how blind you were about "sufficient" - but no need to go that far, as others have suggested, get a cheap dual core to keep you going.

One tip for a long lasting system - get a branded psu - things last ALOT longer.

I agree with the new power supply.You can get an antec or fortron fsp for around $50. And I would limit your board to about $50. You can find refurb boards at computer geeks or mwave. The 865 chipset is the best for overall value and performance.

P4??


Replace the whole computer.

I'm posting from a year 2002 Mac Powerbook G4 667 MHz. In 6 years, not a single hardware failure.

I really hate OS X, and I hate Macs in general, but if no PC components on the market are going to last more than 5 years, then perhaps I should buy a Mac and run XP on it.

Is that really true, that even high grade PC components don't usually last 5 years?

It's not that good components can't or won't last for 5 years - They very well can and do. Rather, it's a matter of practicality: a Pentium 4 is no longer worth upgrading since there are *much* better alternatives for equivalent money.

From experience it seems to make a 5+ year pc you need to meet the following critearies:

Intel or AMD processors (depending on series and platform options, Intel has the stronger platform)
Gigabyte motherboards (socket7 motherboards still working anyone? - got 3 of the same model that will not die)
Intel Chipsets (nvidia and via are horrid for long term, cant comment on ATi chipsets...)
Kingston for memory(or other high end names)
AcBell PSU's (dont ever doubt them)
WD or Seagate HDD's (maxtor and samsung = rubbish)
Cooling - sufficent but not over the top to flood the system with dust

Anything from MSI, ECS/EliteGroup/PCChips, Maxtor, Spectek, PowerTec, HEC and a few other brands will just cause headaches.

Believe it or not if you put one of those dry bag thingys into the case it drys up the dust in the case and makes the pc last alot longer, dust doesnt stick and attract moisture etc.

I think intel and gigabyte are the good company. You can get mother board from this company but pentium is out of fashion and not reliable one while comparing with latest stuffs. So, better get latest stuff instead of upgrading pentium 4.

Its super super super super super rare to see a dead CPU in a normal environment - iv seen Intels with burn marks and it still worked, and hammered them (overclocking) and never killed one (cant say that bout AMD - too many v's took out a few easily, seen a few too many dead from mis-handling etc but its easier to kill an AMD full stop - all deliberate ofcourse), but motherboards made from hundereds of components like regulators, capacitors, transistors etc - easy to bend boards, short things (static through usb, spikes through power etc) and heat and power for extended periods of time causing rapid ageing on the capacitors etc.

What do we all think of ATi chipsets for Intel and AMD cpus - the ones iv seen seem aok? Iv seen an ATi based motherboard from Intel (branded) - odd but true.