need recommendation on motherboards

[Guest]

I'm looking to build myself a system, PIII 800Mhz or above. Would like to get ATA-100 but it's not essential.
Lots of PCI slots is a must, an ISA slot or two would be nice to have as well but also not essentaial. This will be a general use sytem for graphics work, office apps and games, but I may eventually also set this system up to be a video editing system (I'm an editor by trade).

My question is, am I best off getting an Intel motherboard for compatibility or does it really not matter? I used to hear horror stories about non-Intel boards but that was long ago.

What's the latest and greatest chipset(s) I should be on the lookout for, Intel or otherwise?

Are there any other musts or must-nots I should be aware of?

Any recommendations or thoughts would be appreciated.

Gary

 

[yoda271828]

Are you hell-bent on an Intel computer? I would recommend, as will most people, an AMD Athlon based computer. They perform (on average) better than intel PIII comuters, plus they are cheaper! AMD also just released their 760 chipset, which uses the latest and greatest DDR-SDRAM.

IMHO, get an AMD Athlon processor, with a motherboard with the AMD 760 chipset (search for it here: <A HREF="http://www.pricewatch.com" target="_new">http://www.pricewatch.com</A>), and some DDR-SDRAM (only Crucial is selling this right now: <A HREF="http://www.crucial.com/store/ddrlistmodule.asp" target="_new">http://www.crucial.com/store/ddrlistmodule.asp</A>).

 

[Guest]

I prefer to get an Intel processor because I'd like to have maximum compatibility (especially with games and video editing software and hardware). I just don't know if I should go for the Intel mainboard.

 

[yoda271828]

I don't know of any software compatibility issues with AMD chips. Read up on some CPU reviews before you decide. If you decide that Intel fits your needs better, fine, but don't just buy it for the Intel name. AMD has been cranking out some quality products lately.

As for the Intel motherboards, Asus makes the most stable boards. You should probably get the CUSL2 (that uses the Intel 815 chipset). Don't get a motherboard that used RDRAM. It's too expensive for its <i>far from stellar</i> performance.