chipsets

[Hap]

what's your recommendations for chipsets?

Hap

[Lephturn]

Wait for nForce 2.  I've had many problems with VIA in the past.  I've just recently built an nForce board and it has been flawless.  Great onboard sound, good onboard LAN, and tons of USB ports.  (4 x USB 1.0 and 2 x USB 2.0)  Good performance, great stability.  I'm using an Abit NV7-133R.  I'd recommend the nForce 2 version when it comes out, along with one of AMD's new super-fast Athlon XP's.  Not as fast as the P4, but a heck of a lot cheaper!

[jonnyb]

VIA has definitely taken it in the backside for some of their horrible chipsets in the past.  Their USB controllers on the Southbridge have up until recently been a joke.  That being said, they have made some positive strides.  It only took a decent competitor (namely nVidia) to really give them the boost they needed to start producing quality.

Lephturn makes a good recommendation with the nForce chipsets.  I'd also recommend the KT400 with some pc3200 RAM.  I'd also recommend the Athlon processors.  Sure, they don't pack as much punch as the P4, but they are a bucketload cheaper.  Also, I don't think AMD will sit back on their laurels and let the boys in blue run away with the title.  There's something on the horizon...