Best (Stable & OC'ing) KT266A/333 MB?

[UTmtnbiker]

This is probably the most asked type of question here so I thought I'd perpetuate it...

What's the best MB for Socket A 266A/333 out there right now as far as stability and OC'ing goes? I'm looking for something in the $100 range, which seems to be about the sweetspot for these types of MB's right now (at least if Newegg is any guide). There hasn't been a good, comprehensive motherboard review done here or at Tom's since somthing like January, and in the meantime, a lot of new stuff has come out.

Is it silly for me to even be considering a KT266A board with the new KT333's out right now? I'm trying to future proof this board a little bit, so I'd like to see USB 2.0 on it and ATA133. Raid isn't a necessity since I don't run one and don't foresee the future when I will.

I plan on putting an XP CPU in there (haven't decided the speed, that leads up to the 2nd question, what's the best bang for your buck XP out there right now?).

I've always been a big fan of MSI boards (running a K7T turbo right now), but from the reviews I've read, it seems their 266A/333 boards aren't top notch for OC'ing.

Any suggestions would be appreciated and TIA.

 

[creedawg]

As far as memory scores, CPU scores, etc...goes there is not very much difference between
KT266A and KT333. I went from a Shuttle AK31A to a Epox KT333. No difference in performance!
Don't get caught up with reviews. Virtually, KT333 mobo's are a KT266 mobo with the ability
to go higher in terms of memory performance. Wait for KT400 boards to appear for slightly better
performance!

If you are going for stability and price the Epox 8K3A or 8K3A+. These mobo's are OC'ers. I have
mine with an AMD 1800+ @ 1.66Mhz. I might be able to get more performance, but I am still tweaking.
Get the 8K3A+ for RAID0 setup.

The Epox boards are your best bet for OCing! Its all about changing voltages, memory settings, and
multipliers with a high speed fan for cooling. Make sure you have a high quality fan! This will cool the
CPU while you increase the voltage as well as the multiplier!

CreeDiddy

 

[iihrjin]

There is a recent roundup for KT333.

http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/02q2/020509/index.html

 

[billyjak]

I see that the Gigabyte board wins, I have an old athlon 700 running on a gigabyte board running strong yet today.
Maybe something to look into