Athlon's Stability

[msafri]

Hi,
I am planning for a 1GHz Athlon. There are some people mentioning that they had some stability
problems with systems having Via chipset based motherboards. I have a seriously limited budget
and so cannot switch anything once I get the system, so please mention any mobos which run most
stable with Athlon. Which one is more stable, Gigabit or Asus? Does the stability problem plague
only Via chipsets or in that case any particular versions of it, and will I be able to correct it by
updating drivers. Also, Athlons are hot like hell, so what would be the most appropriate cooling
method. I don't plan to do any OC with it in the near future. Please help me to make my system
atleast as stable as a PIII, if not more. And please be frank with any opinions about relevant
problems.
Also if anyone thinks the PIII is a better choice in terms of stability, please help with logical
reasons.

Thanks in advance

 

[o1die]

Most athlon systems are stable, but if you are going to run any special applications (such as video editing), you may want to go with a pentium 4 generic system. Check pricewatch under pc windows or pc kits to compare prices and scan through the pages until you find the motherboard you prefer.

 

[damocles]

Enable your Personal Messages

Personally i do believe a lot of boards with Via chipsets have stability problems. Whether it is Via's fault or the manufacturers i am unsure. Many people on the forums will say Via boards are as stable as any other- that may well be true but i am personally skeptical

For the best motherboard look in the motherboard section for threads like this one thread and re: coolers there is a lot of good info in the cases&coolers forum. Socket A is a good site for motherboard reviews

I would certainly advise a DDR motherboard, either an AMD 760 or perhaps an SiS 735 chipset motherboard. The Epox 8k7a+ is certainly popular on these forums due to it's O/C capabilities.In this review Tom also comments about it's great stability . Again because it is popular here help will always be at hand

When you get your setup don't forget to make sure your Power supply is up to it. Tbirds not only get hot but also soak up alot of juice. 300W is what i consider to be a mimimum and 340+ is much nicer. A good case is helpfs too

 

[Swanny]

I presume you want a SDR chipset? If you do, then go for a board with the Via KT133a chipset. I firmly believe, and most people who have used it will tell you, that it is one of the most stable and mature chipsets to ever be made. It is second only to the Intel 440BX, in my opinion. Anyway, with your two choices I'd go with the Asus, the A7V133 to be specific. And don't get a P4. They are too expensive and at the clock speeds you could afford the 1Ghz Athlon would be faster for most tasks.

 

[AfterShock]

I don't have any problems, I run a tbird 800 o/c'd to 900 on an Asus A7V133. No complaints here.