Best Motherboard for Pentium III

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Tripleshot

Elite Member
Jan 29, 2000
7,218
1
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I don't understand slamming Abit at all.If you want a board to perform well and you want to tweak it without opening the case and re setting dip switches or jumpers,then Abit has the solution.To say Abit is a low rent card with a high failure rate is B.S.!!

I have an Abit BX6 II running my Linux server.I have Abit BE6 II runnnint this box and I go back and forth at a whim Overclocking it to as High as 840 and never opening the case.

I run my graphics machine to fdo photo editing and prepare my advertizing flyers and such on an Abit KA7 with AMD Athlon 700. Thet run RC-5 24/7 and have never crashed due to anything with the mobo.

People who slam Abit don't no Sh@##$^T about Abit. It's starting to piss me off.

By the way,I also sell and use Epox,Tyan,Asus,MSI,and even lowely PC Chips. You want stability and you are not going to play with the settings every day,then consider a Tyan or Epox. If you thought I would say Asus,you need to read the motherboard forum at all the posts for help on Asus boards.
GRRRrrrrrrr!

(I feel much better now)
 

Ulysses

Platinum Member
Jun 17, 2000
2,136
0
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First things first, I always say. :) If you want a new motherboard and you already have your CPU in hand, then first you need to be sure your CPU will physically fit into your prospective mobo. I assume you have a P3 in the traditional Slot 1 format (that's the big-black-plastic-cartridge format) rather than the newer FC-PGA format (that's the tiny-green-chip-with-pins-on-the-bottom format), since you were interested in the Abit BE6-II.

The point is that the Slot 1 P3's can only go into a Slot 1 type mobo, while the FC-PGA's can go into a Socket 370 mobo directly or into a Slot 1 mobo with a 'slocket' Socket 370 to Slot1 FC-PGA adapter card.

Next you want to be sure the mobo supports your CPU's designated system bus speed, which for a 700 P3 is 100 MHz. All mobos for the P3 officially support that - some also support 133 MHz, but you don't have to worry about that.

With that settled, you will find there are three chipsets that mobos may be based on for the P3 that are really worth considering: the traditional Intel 440BX; the VIA Apollo Pro 133A; and the recent Intel 815E. Avoid mobos using the Intel 820 chipset.

The 440BK chipset is good if you have only PC100 type memory. If you go with the BX chipset then look no further - get the MSI/Microstar BX Master that AnandTech (the foremost tester of mobos on the www (whole wide world :) )) has selected as an Editor's Choice. See:
http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.html?i=1149.

The VIA 133A chipset supports either PC100 or PC133 memory. If you go with the 133A, again go with AnandTech's Editor's Choice - get the Gigabyte GA-6VX-4X. See:
http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.html?i=1182.

The 815E chipset supports either PC100 or PC133 memory too. If you go with the 815E, which is what I would recommend, unfortunately you won't really find any comparative tests yet available. And there no mobos with this chipset on the market yet either. Also, most of these boards will probably be in Socket 370 format (which you can't use if you have a Slot 1 P3). It's a little too early to tell on this last point - but be patient.

For buying stuff I'd recommend, among many others:
http://192.216.185.10/mwave/Index.hmx?.

You might find http://www.gamepc.com more helpful, especially with advice on 815E boards.

Check out vendors at http://www.resellerratings.com.

Personally, I'd order the BX Master overnight delivery and be up and running with it in a couple of days!

:D

:p
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
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Tripleshot, you're senior member so I assume you've been here a long time. Go check out Anand's Abit motherboard reviews and tell me what he says about Abit's stability and quality. Mostly they're fine, but it really is mediocre compare to Asus and MSI. Abit has never won an editor's choice before, both Asus and MSI have. Im not BSing when I say Abit is bad.

Swordman, if you decide to buy VIA AP133A, I highly recommend the Asus P3V4X over the Gigabyte. Gigabyte won the editor's choice is only because Asus was suffering the bad AGP GART, since now the problem is fixed, Anand gave Asus the award, and there is just no reason why you should pic Gigabyte over Asus.

Check this out

http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.html?i=1241
 

Tripleshot

Elite Member
Jan 29, 2000
7,218
1
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LXi


I was feeling fine until you challenged me.

OK

FYI..............I have been around this forum alot longer than what is indicated and I have been around many boards that do reviews and testing as well as comdex las vegas for 10 years.It is precisly what Anand and others had said about the Abit boards that led me to buy them and use them.It was there reviews that lured me to Abit because I happen to like bios tweaks with the case closed.

Anand is not the end all answer to all reviewers.He would acknowledge that himself.His reviews are good and he as well as Tom and Boot Mag(now Maximum PC)all get boards fresh from the manufacturers right after they are introduced. The reviewer takes what ever he has available in the way of cases,pwr sups,video,sound,etc and puts the coals to it.If it fails somewhere,bad rap.If it fails miserably,we all know about it toot sweet.

I commend Anand and respect the reviews his team does,but if you think the only mobo's anyone should buy are the ones Anand gives the editors choice award,you are too nieve for me.

I use the Abit boards.I have hands on experience over a long period of time.I test my systems with the same software as Tom Pabst and Anand Shimpi and ZDNET. The difference is I capitilize on there previous reviews and incorporate what does work in my systems,NOT what doesn't.

You on the other hand only tout what you read about in some forum. Pity. You should try something before you bad mouth it the way you do.Thats what does a dis-service to the reader.

You have your opinion,I have mine.;)

EDIT:---I thought you might want to look at what others may be saying about Abithttp://www.abit.com.tw/english/press/index.htm
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
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FYI..............I have been around this forum alot longer than what is indicated and I have been around many boards that do reviews and testing as well as comdex las vegas for 10 years.It is precisly what Anand and others had said about the Abit boards that led me to buy them and use them.It was there reviews that lured me to Abit because I happen to like bios tweaks with the case closed.

It is misleading to claim that Abit is the only manufacturer with the BIOS tweak. Sure the reviews said a lot of good things, but almost always, they said a lot of bad things about Abit as well. Abit is the pionner in OC/BIOS tweak, they first developed these stuff, and in order to compensate for the development costs, they cut corners in other areas, therefore reliability and quality suffer.


Anand is not the end all answer to all reviewers.He would acknowledge that himself.His reviews are good and he as well as Tom and Boot Mag(now Maximum PC)all get boards fresh from the manufacturers right after they are introduced. The reviewer takes what ever he has available in the way of cases,pwr sups,video,sound,etc and puts the coals to it.If it fails somewhere,bad rap.If it fails miserably,we all know about it toot sweet.

I commend Anand and respect the reviews his team does,but if you think the only mobo's anyone should buy are the ones Anand gives the editors choice award,you are too nieve for me.


I never said Anandtech is the ultimate source, as far as I know Anand's opinion is widely respected, better than Sharkyextreme, better than FiringSquad, better than HardOCP, and sometimes even better than Tom. It is not wrong to consult with Anand's opinions when it comes to choosing these type of stuff. And like you mentioned, we shouldn't just take Anand's words, true, other web sites has stated the same problems from Abit as well. The thing is, if Abit sucks, Anand shouldn't be the only one that knows it. FiringSquad is the only web site I've ever read that kisses Abit from head to toe, because they're hard overclockers. They appreciate what Abit has to offer, but that doesnt mean Abit's solutions are practical to everyone else.


I use the Abit boards.I have hands on experience over a long period of time.I test my systems with the same software as Tom Pabst and Anand Shimpi and ZDNET. The difference is I capitilize on there previous reviews and incorporate what does work in my systems,NOT what doesn't.

You on the other hand only tout what you read about in some forum. Pity. You should try something before you bad mouth it the way you do.Thats what does a dis-service to the reader.


I don't care what you do with your Abits and what type of experience you've had. But in my experience... should I just say unpleasant, to be nice. I've seen many of them crap out on me, I've witness my friend's Abits go down, I've heard gazillion of complaints about Abit on hardware forums like this one. Granted, there are lucky customers like you, who has never taste what it's like for a mobo to die on you. Do you know why Abit was never selected by any OEMs? No, it's not because they have those tweaks, and no it's not because they're not up to their requirements, it's because they're not reliable. The standard for reliability is an extremely high demand among OEMs, the Abits simply cannot compare when it comes to reliability/quality. Intel motherboards are most widely used, so is Asus, even the crappy BioStar and FIC were chosen by OEMs.

On the other hand, I do agree with you to an extent. Abit has been making some very innovative prograss in the motherboard market. Their motherboards are very well designed and attractively priced. I also want to mention that they work wonders when they're work, but they just dont work at all when they dont. Since they released BX6 2.0 they havent really been able to produce a true winner. MSI rises and Asus makes a comeback, with superior designs, in my opinion, better than what Abit has been doing. I've also seen far less Asus and MSI die than Abit.

You have your opinion,I have mine.

True enough, our experience with Abit is greatly different, which is exactly why it led to our dramatically difference in opinion towards Abit. Im just trying to recommend according to my experience with Abit, I understand that you're just doing the same thing.
 

Tripleshot

Elite Member
Jan 29, 2000
7,218
1
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Agreed. We both have opossing opinions Abit.I need not elaberate any further.

For clarification,OEM's don't use Abit because of production commitments and price.OEM's send out a spec and some manufacturers cater to that(EPOX,TYAN,MSI,DFI,INTEL)

OEM's to my knowledge do not use ASUS either.Abit and Asus are not OEM boards.They are built for tweakers.(Asus builds a nice low end server board and SMP boards)That is why they cannot compete,nor do they want to,with there neighbors EPOX,TYAN,INTEL and others for that OEM dollar. OEM's demand too damn much from manufacturs to make proprietary Equip. that forces the consumer to pay for on going maintence agreements and purchase hardware only compatible to that OEM's spec's.

Enjoy. I will probably defend Abit as long as my systems still work as well as they are.(I do have 4 other computers here that are not Abit)
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
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Heh... well, you're right, it makes sense to defend them if they're fine in your experience. But one thing, Asus do make motherboards for OEMs. I've helped my friends upgrade their Hwellet Packards, and the motherboards are Asus.
 

ssjgokou1

Banned
Jul 2, 2000
190
0
0
Some how I think that tripleshot is right.

I got a 850@1130.5mhz (8.5x133fsb) I don't know what mobo I have, I think it's that asus p3 that you guys were talking about, but it could just be a regular BX. Could you guys help me out?
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
0
Sure, during POST it should state the motherboard model you have. Do you know how many PCI slots does it have?
 

pg22

Platinum Member
Feb 9, 2000
2,644
0
76
Great stuff Triplestuff....I agree with you 100%....I've had an Abit BX6 2.0 for the past 1.5 years...it was mobo upgrade time...and I decided on the BE6-II...by Abit :)
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
0
ssjgokou1: Then it's not the P3V4X. Is it slot1 or socket 370?
 

Eug

Lifer
Mar 11, 2000
24,055
1,697
126
The local stores (in Toronto) often use Asus boards, for their higher-end machines. I see it in their ads all the time. No, they're not large OEM manufacturers, but it's interesting to note that Abit boards are never used in these machines, despite the fact that the comparable Abit boards often are about the same price as the Asus ones. This was even true a couple of years ago, when the Asus ones were much more annoying to configure, due to the lack of SoftMenu. A friend who builds computers (in Calgary) states that he now tries very hard to dissuade his clients from Abit for their custom rigs, because of a high failure rate in comparison to the Asus and Gigabyte boards. Too much of a headache for him. (Mind you, I'm talking about BX here, not VIA.)
 

Ausm

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
25,213
14
81
I would have to save the Asus P3V4X ...especially if you want to engage in extremem overclocking.


Ausm
 

Sunner

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
11,641
0
76
Would everybody(especially Trippleshot) check my sig out(and I dont mean the remark about "is suck").
Abits have a FAR higher RAM rate than Asus', I have hands on experience(and by that I dont mean Ive used one or two boards, I ave friends who work in a computer store who sell loads of boards every week), or you can just ask Russ how he feels about Abit's quality and service, I doubt many people would argue with his experience in the field.
 

BuckMaster

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,260
0
0
LOL,

Damn LXi you really have tripleshot fired up here. hehehe
Hes a good guy so try not to piss him off too bad :)

Im goin out on a limb here by saying his so here it gos.
I'll stick with my:

AOpen Ax63 Pro Board
550E@825@150FSB
PC 133 Mushkin Ram

I've heard alot of people having problems with the Aopen Ax63 Pro not supporting Coppermines. I just got a lucky lot# I think.

But when I upgrade agian Ill be checking out the Asus boards. I have heard the BxMaster is a nice board from a friend. Plus i hear theres GREAT tech support from Compuwiz1 on the BxMaster board! :D And WE all know how hard it is to find GOOD tech support now days! ;)

Cya...


 

Chad

Platinum Member
Oct 11, 1999
2,224
0
76

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
0
Chad: BX is solid, but I really think it's oudated. My favorite BX boards are MSI BX Master and Asus CUBX, no Abit crap. I just have this thing against Abit because they've been so horrible. Why does onboard video scare you? It can be disabled and you can use your own video card. i815E looks to be a good sucessor.
 

ssjgokou1

Banned
Jul 2, 2000
190
0
0
on board sux! It can't ever completely be disabled, unless you can find a way for it not to take up an IRQ, otherwise, it will constantly take up memory bandwith, and will make games run 2-4 times slower, even with 256mb ram.

k6-2 450 w/Via board, v3 3k agp=45fps, 1074x768
k6-2 500w/SiS integrated vid., v3 3k pci=22fps, 1074x768

(agp vs pci doesn't matter on voodoo boards)
 

LXi

Diamond Member
Apr 18, 2000
7,987
0
0
Dude, read the i815E preview. The integrated video of the i815E is different from the those crap Sis/VIA ones, the video is integrated into the north bridge chipset, and can be completely disabled and you can use your AGP4X slot.
 

birddog

Golden Member
Apr 25, 2000
1,511
0
0
I'd go with one of the VIA apollo pro 133a mobo's. If you want to overclock, try the Asus P3V4X. If you don't plan on overclocking much, the Tyan s1854 trinity 400 is a rock stable board.