Best Mobo for simple Duron 800 system

[GhettoFob]

Hey guys, I was planning on doing a cheap upgrade to my computer by either putting in a Tbird 1.4 or a Duron 1.3. I will have a Duron 800 left over and I was hoping to use it to build a system for one of my friends. She is by no means a power user and it will probably be only used for email, web browsing, homework and mp3s. I was thinking about going with a motherboard that has most of the stuff built in (e.g. onboard audio/video/network etc...) What mobo would you suggest for this situation? I'm basically looking for some cheap and stable and I don't plan on doing any overclocking or anything with it. Thanks for any input.

 

[o1die]

Go to pricewatch, select motherboards, then sis 730. Most should have built in sound and video. Some pc chips models also have a built in modem.

 

[birddog]

If you are looking for cheap, stable, and non-overclocking; look at the ECS K7S5A (SiS735). It has everything on-board but the video (you can pick up a voodoo 3 for $20 shipped in FS/FT), uses either SDR or DDR RAM & will let you upgrade to an XP later on if you wish. All this in a $50 motherboard.

I'm not a big fan of ECS, but I have used 2 of these boards without a problem (I don't think I'd use any of their other boards though).

THe next board up I'd recommend is a SHuttle AK31a (KT266a chipset) for @ $70 new. THis is DDR only & you lose the 10/100 NIC (you can pick NIC cards up for under $10), but you get a better chipset & board.

 

[Buz2b]

For a board with built in sound, video, NIC and free modem (and inexpensive), you want to look at the PC Chips M841LR. They are not by any means a power user board but not a bad board for what you describe. You also have the choice of SDRAM or DDR (2 slots each) although you only use one or the other.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: GhettoFob
Hey guys, I was planning on doing a cheap upgrade to my computer by either putting in a Tbird 1.4 or a Duron 1.3. I will have a Duron 800 left over and I was hoping to use it to build a system for one of my friends. She is by no means a power user and it will probably be only used for email, web browsing, homework and mp3s. I was thinking about going with a motherboard that has most of the stuff built in (e.g. onboard audio/video/network etc...) What mobo would you suggest for this situation? I'm basically looking for some cheap and stable and I don't plan on doing any overclocking or anything with it. Thanks for any input.

My vote would be for the...
Shuttle MK32N.

It has Ethernet, sound, and Savage8 video. It can also take a Athlon XP so the computer will last a good amount of time.

Mwave has it for $69 SHIPPED.

 

[BadBrad]

Try either the MSI 6390 or Biostar M7VIG. Both use the VIA KM266 chipset that includes onboard Savage8 video, 10/100 NIC and AC97 sound and utilize DDR RAM in a mATX configuration. Both can be had at Newegg.com for around $70 + sh. I've used this particular MSI product in a couple of systems for friends and has worked out quite well.

 

[mechBgon]

Hehe, if you need any more nominees, the Asus A7N266-VM could be worth a look. nForce 220D, integrated network adapter, Dolby sound, GF2MX-ish nVidia video, comes with SPDIF output if you get retail-boxed, no whiny chipset fan, takes PAL8045 heatsink if desired, plus it has an AGP slot in case she turns into a gaming fiend or something. $78 at Mwave.com for the retail-boxed version with the SPDIF outlet. Not the cheapest solution but it looks like it has potential.

If you have some PC133 RAM left over, then I second BadBrad for the M7VIG, which has slots for PC133 as well as PC2100 DDR, along with built-in video, sound, network and an AGP slot.

 

[colonel]

I just build a ring a the Chaintech AIAE5 in NewEgg for $35 for a Duron, solid board will take the Athlon XP with the latest Bios