[linux-audio-user] Motherboard recommendations

I've just managed to lay my hands on enough cash to upgrade to a decent
computer for audio, and I haven't got a clue as to which motherboard to go
for. I'm thinking of AMD64 3700+1Gig RAM (I use big sound fonts). I'm a
little confused by the motherboard blurb, there seem to be loads of boards
with similar specs but very different prices. If anyone could help with the
following questions I'd be grateful (sorry if some of them are a bit OT):

Is integrated graphics still bad ? Will I run into driver availability
problems if I'm stuck with O/B graphics ? Will memory bandwidth be a problem
?

Do I want to pay extra for SATA 2 ?

Is AMD still better for Audio ? I'll be using loads of LADSPA effects. Is
there a value for AMD's advantage with the De-Norm problems ?

Is processor cache size an issue for digital audio ? Do I need to go for the
processors with larger cache's ?

Is NFORCE4 chipset OK now ? It seems to be on alot of the cheap
motherboards.

Can I still use my old ATI Rage Pro AGP on the new motherboards with AGP x4
and x8, is there a bandwidth penalty anywhere for using an older card ?

Cheers, Bruce.
Received on Sun Apr 9 00:15:10 2006