333 Motherboards - onboard extras or not?

Bluehawk wrote on 5/11/2002, 7:00 PM

Greetings,
I am a new user of VV and I'm building a new rig. I'm looking at various 333 motherboards to use with an AMD XP 1800+ processor. I know there were concerns in the past about onboard sound. How are things looking now with the new Via 333 chipset and onboard features? Having some of these on the motherboard can really save some money if they function properly (audio, 1394, nic, etc.).
Any thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.

Bluehawk

Comments

BillyBoy wrote on 5/11/2002, 8:52 PM

I just built a Iwill XP 333 a little while back. AMD XP 1900+ CPU, Raid, on board audio, support for 6 channel sound, 512 DDR memory, on board support for the new 133 Ultra IDE drives, pretty cool. There are some new cases out that through a custom cable bring all the most used connectors from the back to the front of the box. So I got 2 USB ports, a 1394 firewire, audio in, out, mic, even a volume control and game port all at the bottom front of the case. This is the third PC I used on board audio. Works fine. No real need to waste a slot for an external sound card. Some of the newer cases also have a bar where you can slide an additional fan to posiition it anywhere you want. I got mine right next to the CPU, so with a huge heatsink a heat sensentive variable speed fan on top of that the tempature really stays cool. During that long render the "heat" was only 105 F. for 22 plus hours straight of rendering. :-)

Bluehawk wrote on 5/12/2002, 7:52 AM

BillyBoy,

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad the motherboard makers have figured things out. How about a little more info on the custom cases you refered to. I've been looking at Antec cases, but need more ideas.

Thanks,
Bluehawk

BillyBoy wrote on 5/12/2002, 11:52 AM

I've seen several case manufacturers add the type of feature I mentioned to their higher end cases. I've also seen simple interface cards that take up a slot in the front of older cases that can do the same thing. Try a seach for computer case reviews where several sites pick cases apart and offer lots of close up pictures. I would buy the power supply seperately so you get a premium one.

Me, I went with a Eagle aluminum case for two reasons. My first AMD system ran hot, so I figured a aluminum case would keep things a little cooler (it does) and I liked the overall look and the convience of having easy access to a firewire and other ports on the front of case as oppossed to the back.

Anyhow: http://www.skyhawkgroup.com/products/

While cheaper, this line uses much thinner aluminum (some would say flimsy) so be aware of that. It good cool, but I wouldn't sit on the case or put anything on top of it. It is that lightweight, which may be a plus or minus depending on your needs and how much you mess with it once you build a system.

BillyBoy wrote on 5/12/2002, 12:06 PM

One thing I should clear up. These cases do NOT come with a firewire interface. Just the firewire and other connectors. Note the cable details in the upper right hand corner of the page I referenced. These plug into the back of your PC the normal way and a special cable feeds the whole bunch to the ports mounted at the front bottom of the case. So you still need firewire, USB, etc., built into the motherboard or the usual IDE card. The advantage is the ports are up front which saves you from crawling around and or groping in the back of the case which I really hate doing.