AMD DDR MOBOS: LET'S DECIDE THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL

[ryanontherocks]

Hello all,

I'm finally making the switch from sdram and the Athlon to DDR and the XP.

I NEED A STABLE MOBO FIRST AND FOREMOST!

Boards I'm considering for the XP 1700+:
ECS K7S5A
Asus A7A266
Epox EP-8KHA+
MSI K7T266 PRO-2

Please post your opinions and/or experiences w/ these boards.

Thank you


my current setup

 

[Theslowone]

Mine may of been a one and only experience, but I really didn't like the asus a7a266(I had one of the earlier revisions), it had strange problems and asus wasn't in any rush to help me. My geforce needed more voltage to agp and everything I tried never increased the agp voltage but every other voltage, and even stranger my Maxtor diamonmax 20GB 7200 wasn't seen by the board at all, i had to go to a contoller card. Also had some smaller problems but those two were the major ones for me.

Not saying you will have any of these problems, but I did.
I currently have a Leadtek 7350kda, it has the same chipset as the ecs board, and I like it a lot. But before going to the ecs board, you might want to make sure you have a good ps.

 

[Boonesmi]

there really isnt a best board, and never would you get everyone to agree on what the best choice is

but of the current motherboards i would definiatly get one with the via kt266a chipset (currently the best chipset in my opinion)

so of the ones you have listed i would pick the 8KHA+

 

[AtomSmasher]

If you want stability first then I'd say go with an AMD 761 solution. The Abit KG7-Raid (or KG7 without raid if you like), Gigabyte GA-7DXR or 7DXR+ ...
I've got a KT266A board (KR7A) & there are still issues with the Via chipsets. They're very good BUT ... not as stable as the AMD's & have issues with USB & IDE data transfer rates. Unless you'r a benchmark freak you will not notice the difference in speed between the two chipsets. I recently pulled my KR7A & replaced it with a KG7-Raid because I was tired of the issues the Via chipset brought. Surf over to amdmb.com & scan their boards. Lots of info on the various AMD solutions.

 

[yooz2BTester]

I just finished my first home-built computer last week...I used an Epox EP-8KHA+ with 512mb and an Athlon XP 1500+.

I've only had one problem with it...when I first booted it, I got a C1 reading on the onboard digital display...it wasn't recognizing the memory (Crucial DDR...with the 15% discount through being a member of Anandtech forums! Gotta love that...). Based on a recent post that someone else put up claiming the same problem, I took the mem stick out of slot one and put it in slot 2. Bingo...haven't had a problem since. Also based on a recent post, I unplugged the chipset fan (which is a "sleeve" bearing, not a ball-bearing fan, and supposedly prone to early failure)...doesn't seem to have hurt anything. I didn't do anything else to the fan, just unplugged it.

Seems like a good board, but what do I know? I'm not an overclocker or tech wizard...I just wanted something I could upgrade easily later on and that will work well in the meantime...

 

[AA0]

any quality motherboard will be stable, avoid saving money by going to cheaper brands and you'll be happy.

 

[moosey]

The ASUS A7V266-E on the kt266a chipset is the best.

 

[Wind]

Epox 8KHA+

 

[BuckNaked]

<< Epox 8HKA+ >>

 

[ryanontherocks]

Hi, thxs for all the opinions,

what's the diff b/w the 8KHA+ and the 8KHA? besides price
Also, is this board adjustable via the bios or is it jumper intensive?
Thanks

 

[AA0]

adjustable in the bios.

The 8kha uses the kt266 chipset, and the kt266A is used for the 8kha+. The A chipset is much faster, has fewer bugs, and will overclock faster.

 

[scoobydooby]

<< there really isnt a best board, and never would you get everyone to agree on what the best choice is >>


ditto. All those boards are fine you just need to pick the one with the features you want.
I think the MSI pro2 is the best (for me at least)
Scoob

 

[harbinger52]

I recommend the MSI Board. I have not had any problems with mine. After that I would consider the Epox.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I'm jumping ship and I invite you to come with me I'm looking at the P4 1.6A and ABIT SD7-533 or ASUS P4B266 as this appears to be the hottest overclocking CPU in awhile and the price/performance being offered by Intel for a change, makes for a refreshing change of pace since I haven't owned 1 in quite some time.

 

[NelsonMuntz]

<< The ASUS A7V266-E on the kt266a chipset is the best. >>


I think every review I have read has said otherwise. ASUS has a tendancy to charge to much for their products and not pack in all the features that some of the other companies do. For the best performance, stick with the KT266A chipset and the Epox is the one on your list. Others I would consider are the Shuttle AK35GTR? and the Abit KR7-RAID? and the Soyo Dragon +. Just check Anand's recent roundup of the KT266A motherboards and pick one of his choices.

 

[RaymondY]

My vote goes to the Epox 8KHA+

 

[cleanerPA]

For stability, I'd go for a slightly older board w/ AMD 761 chipset.

Everyone wants the latest and the greatest, but it doesn't mean a thing if it doesn't work
properly.

I just built a new rig w/ Abit KG7-RAID, Athlon XP1800, Alpha 8045 and 1GB of Crucial DDR-
once I got past the BIOS not liking the XP and making sure the RAM was seated properly,
no problems at all. Sure, it's not the latest MB, but it runs fine, no install problems with the
Audigy, no video problems w/ my GF3Ti200, flawless install of WinXPPro.

 

[Dan]

I have experience with three of the mobo's on your list: the ECS, EPoX and MSI. Here are my impressions of each.

ECS K7S5A: I set my grandson up with one of these at Christmas time in conjuction with a 1.33GHz T-Bird and a 512MB stick of DDRAM. It was an easy install and he's had no problems with it. Since it can handle both SDRAM and DDRAM it's obviously a nice board to use if you need to do an incremental upgrade. It's overclocking capabilities are very limited.

Epox EP-8KHA+: I actually had the EP-8K7A+. That model is a rock-solid board that overclocked well for me. (Ran my 1.33GHz T-Bird at 1.53GHz as I recall.) When I discovered that I couldn't flash the bios (faulty bios chip?) EPoX tech support sent me a newer chip without any questions or hassles.

MSI K7T266 PRO-2: Another rock-solid board that overclocks well. (I can run a 1.4GHz T-Bird all day long at 1.68GHz.) What tips my vote in favor of this board is the "Live Bios Update." It's simply the greatest thing since sliced bread and a feature all motherboard manufacturers should adopt.

But wait! There's more! Slap a red CardExpert video card on the red motherboard and you've got a sharp looking combo that demands a case window.

 

[incallisto]

I have to agree with Dan. The ECS K7S5As are very solid boards. I have never encountered any problems with them, but I can tell you to always use quality memory (Crucial or Corsair) and I recommend Enermax PSUs. The MSI K7T266 PRO-2 is also a very good board, and live BIOS update is a very nice feature. I found a review that describes the sudden fear one senses when using IE to update ones BIOS. (I laughed for ten minutes about this quote.)

"MSI also offers a Live Update service, which is basically like Windows Update, but instead of updating your OS's files with patches and such. With Live Update you have the option to update your drivers for your motherboards chipset or onboard video, lan, etc. Now here is the part that makes the hair standup on the back of my neck, MSI also lets you update your motherboards BIOS using Live BIOS.. Um I'm not sure about you, but updating my BIOS using Internet Explorer scares the hell out of me. And to add to the mix, if you own one of their video cards you can live update its BIOS as well." - IAmNotAGeek.com Review

 

[punkrawket]

<< For stability, I'd go for a slightly older board w/ AMD 761 chipset. >>

hells ya.... if you want raid and ata-133 you can pick up a Giga-Byte 7DXR+

 

[oldfoof]

Ryanontherocks from this thread it's hard to pin-point what to get... It really depends on what you want to try.... I have had several motherboards that have worked great for me... and others that have the same board.... that say its crap.... so its really all a toss up

As for the EPOX 8KHA+ it's a great solid board! Quite fast to I might add. I have not experanced any of epox's BIOS Failures


If I were you I would give it A Shot! I know you will LOVE it !!!EPOX 8KHA+

 

[Mem]

Another vote for the Epox 8KHA+ ,been using mine for over 3 months and it has never given me any problems with stability,btw it`s also very easy to setup being you have only one jumper to worry about(100/133fsb).


All I can say is mine is Rock solid .

 

[MiklosMillora]

I have an Epox EP-8KHA+ and a SOLTEK SL-75DRV4. I love the Epox but, the Soltek kicks A$$. ATA 133 3 DDR slots filled with no conflicts running an XP1800@1600. You can get it at Newegg for $108.00 shipping included.

 

[Animal -OCXL-]

Another vote for the KG7

This thing NEVER crashes, even with my board overclocked to 150Mhz FSB.
I have been running Windows XP constantly for more than two weeks without rebooting, CONSTANTLY playing games, and switching back and forth from STAND-BY mode.

 

[MCS]

Here's to the AMD-761!

IMO it's still the most stable AMD DDR platform of them all. Sure it may not churn out as high a Sandra mem bench as VIA, but you sure as hell won't notice the difference. I have been running a KG7-R since just after they came out, and I have not had ONE issue with it, and have been running my PC 24/7 doing all sorts of tasks.