I'm thinking of getting a new PCI-E graphics card to replace my Radeon 9800
pro but I'm not sure which motherboard would be a good replacement.
Offhand I"d suggest one with a PCI-E slot or two?
You haven't limited the selection process any more than that
with the info you provided.
I currently have the Abit IC7 with an AGP Radeon 9800 pro.
It has to be a Pentium 4 compatible motherboard
Which P4 do you have?
Is it really going to be worthwhile to buy something
supporting same CPU or is this not the plan?
and onboard sound would be a
bonus as I only use headphones at the moment so I'm not buying a seperate
sound card!
Not really true. Headphones actually reveal the flaws of
onboard audio more than amplified speakers do, AND they make
it far more important that the sound have a good output
opamp (a buffered output might be too much to ask for?).
Further, onboard sound limits system performance in gaming.
Since you seem willing to spend a fair chunk of change for a
motherboard just so you can spend another $200+ for a new
card to get any significant boost over a R9800 Pro, IMO it's
money well spent to at least get a middle-grade Creative
Labs sound card. I dislike CL's overall pricing, deceitful
specs/advertising and drivers, but for gaming audio they
have a reasonable product support.
What else do you need from the board and what's the budget?
I may not know the best board for your needs but getting
these details out there may help someone else provide part
#s.
