ECS RS480-M(1.0) Socket 939 ATI Radeon Graphics Xpress 200 Chipset Dual-Ch DDR 6 Ch-Audio IEEE 1394 microATX form factor

what does microATX form factor mean? I want an ATI certified motherboard to install an ATI Radeon graphics card in. This looks good and pretty cheap at 70 CANADIAN $$. Can i install it into a standard ATX case or do I need to buy a MicroATX case. IS THIS GOOD OR what should i consider??

please help

P4 D - 2.66GHz
1024MB DDR2 RAM
ASUS A8N-SLI Motherboard
Gigabyte Nvidia Geforce 6800 Ultra 256MB PCI-E
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB

That's not a good idea.

NVidia chipset based motherboards perform better even with ATI video cards.

Go for something with an NF4 Ultra based motherboard.

I'd also advise against ECS. They're not particularly reliable. DFI, Gigabyte, or MSI would be better choices.

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I agree. Avoid boards based on ATI chipsets. You do NOT need a board based on an ATI chipset to run an ATI graphics card. Boards based on the nForce4 Ultra or SLi chipset are the way to go for the S939...they perform much better than ATI based boards.

microATX form factor = smallATX form factor.

Also any board that accomodates a discrete graphics slot need not be "ATI certified" in order to accept a corresponding card from any manufacturer for such a slot. Now ECS indeed used to be a name that was synonymous cheap crap but they have been on a clean up campaign for a while now & they have even been putting out components targeted at real computer enthusiasts.

My sentiment on the chipset mirrors hero's, I would rather you go with a board that is equipped with an NVIDIA chipset from the nForce4 family.

How much are you wanting to spend anyway?

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1500 canadian, but you guys are right with the nforce 4 ultra chipset suggestion. now that i think about it, ECS trully is crap, when compared to such reputable brands like asus and dfi. It just doesn't seem right to install an ATI card into an ASUS SLI board......mmm... or is it just me? Also for gaming is the amd athlon 64 3500+ a good choice, like for new games i mean??

P4 D - 2.66GHz
1024MB DDR2 RAM
ASUS A8N-SLI Motherboard
Gigabyte Nvidia Geforce 6800 Ultra 256MB PCI-E
Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
2x Western Digital Raptor 74GB

The price of the 3700 should be falling in price if it hasn't already. Get it since it has 1M L2 cache. That will make a significant difference.

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"ECS trully is crap"

I've read the same things about ECS as Sabertooth. They've "cleaned up their act" & are putting out some pretty decent enthusiast oriented products.

"It just doesn't seem right to install an ATI card into an ASUS SLI board......mmm... or is it just me?"

It's just you. There's no reason NOT to use an ATI video card in an nForce4 based motherboard, unless you have future plans to run SLi or Crossfire?