advice on which Epox MB to get (budget system)

dxpaap

Senior member
Jul 2, 2001
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Could any help me decide which Epox board to get ? Here is my requirement / constraints

1) this is to upgrade existing kid system (homework & games)

2) need to keep it cheap as possible (what ever I save on this upgade goes towards building MY system :)

3) support both PC133 and DDR (use my old PC133 - upgrade when DIMMs come down in price).

4) onboard sound (nice to have - not manditory)

5) just ordered AMD1600+ w/ AGOIA core (to over clock with future DDR)

6) looking for stability - 0nce I get these systems up and running, don't want to spend time trouble shooting quirky problems.

Thanks in advance


PS - any suggestions for a CHEAP cpu cooling fan that will do the trick for an overclocked AMD1600?


(by the way - not to start a mob debate - but was leaning towards an ECS K7S5A, but keep running into as many problem stories as good one. Seems that Epox is a little more stable & small problem free (this is all just what I'm reading - and of course its all opinions - I think :-0
 

Insane3D

Elite Member
May 24, 2000
19,446
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I can make your search a bit easier. To my knowledge, there is no Epox board in existence that will satisfy #3 on your list. There are really only two chipsets that supported both PC133 and DDR for the Athlon, one is the Sis735 (ECS K7S5A), and the other is the original ALI Magik chipset. Epox never made a board with either of those chipsets, and as a result they have no boards with dual memory support.

If you really need support for both memory types on the board, your choices are fairly limited. Your best bet would have to be the ECS K7S5A.

:)
 

dxpaap

Senior member
Jul 2, 2001
572
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thanks Insane3D, guess that makes my decsion simple.

If I were to bit the bullet now on the DDR (maybe only get half of what I want), what Epox board would you recomend (just removing constraint # 3)


thanks
 

chizow

Diamond Member
Jun 26, 2001
9,537
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Not exactly sure what your big picture plans are, but here's what I'm getting:

Scenario 1-
1) Kids need a new machine. You need a mobo and have parted out the processor and have existing PC133.

2) You are going to build a ragin' monster for yourself in the near future.

Or

Scenario 2-
3) You are sharing this machine with your kids, and you want to turn it into a raging monster sometime in the near future.

If scenario 1 is the case, why don't you just pick up a good ole KT133A mobo for your kids with onboard sound and slap that AGOIA into it? It'll OC as far as that PC133 will take you and still perform very well. You can get em pretty cheap in the FS/FT forums (like $40) or from NewEgg's refurb section.

Then you can part out a KT333/400 or nForce2 mobo for yourself with high quality PC3000 or PC3200. Those AGOIA's are pretty darn cheap atm, and who knows, they may have some cheap Rev. B T-bred's out by that time, so you can just pick up a twin for your system when you are ready to build it.

Of course I'm leaving out some key ingredients like a case/PSU/HDD/FDD/NIC/Sound/CD/DVD etc. etc. but again I don't know if you are cannibalizing old systems or not.

As for cooling, I think I saw a post for a Thermalright SK-6 for like $9 somewhere, which is ridiculous cheap compared to when they came out at $40.

G'luck,

Chiz