ECS K7S5A or shuttle AK32A?

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
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I bought an ecs k75sa about a week ago and this board is already annoying me. It has this weird gui stall problem and it blanks out for a minute between post and actually starting windows. Also putting certain PCI devices into certain slots causes an ATA promise card not to boot anymore.



The AK32A recently became widely available, it's a KT266A based mobo, with a feature list very similar to the ECS board.

shuttle ak32a details here



 

JBT

Lifer
Nov 28, 2001
12,094
1
81
I had one of those boards lots of bugs i'd opt for the shuttle if I were you.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
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This is a good inexspensive MB. It requires a good PSU, the latest bios, and works better with only one stick of DDR (whatever size). If you have a promise card, is that for raid ? Is this system supposed to be fast or cheap or somewhere in between ? What other cards do you use ? I have two of these, and have no problems with them, but they are not good for high end systems.
 

Markfw

Moderator Emeritus, Elite Member
May 16, 2002
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tdas2, I only meant that from the hundreds of posts I have read about this MB, the things I mentioned almost allways guarantee a rock solid board. A couple of people said that hey had a problem with 2 sticks, but not with one. Notice I did say "works better", and not that it is a problem. Yes, and I have two of them for 6 months, and they are pretty good. I have one that runs 98SE with a duron, and sometimes it bsod's me, but never under 2k, so I blame that on 98, not the motherboard.
 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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Shuttle for sure.

Do you really want to take the risk the other one won't run with FSB above 100? or that the CMOS go blank every week? Or that ECS will sue you if you post anything bad about their boards?

Just be aware the ECS does not provide ANY support to end customers, meaning no warranty exchanges. The lawsuit threats is the only thing they are willing to do for the consumers.
 

JackBurton

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
15,993
14
81
I have the ECS board and let me tell you, it is solid as a rock. I'd got as far as saying it is more solid than my P4 board. ;) I love it!
 

OulOat

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
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Originally posted by: OS
It has this weird gui stall problem and it blanks out for a minute between post and actually starting windows.

I had that blank out problem too. Was wondering why my old PIII 450 beat my new XP1700 in loading Win XP. Found out it was actually my HD, but forgot whether it was the way I connected the cables or something else. Try another HD when you get the chance.
 

Macro2

Diamond Member
May 20, 2000
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The AK32 uses a KT266 chipset not a KT266a I think. How someone can say this is better than a SIS735 is beyond me. Then again the k7s5a can have issues when you start to certain add peripherals.
 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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ak32l is 266A-based. just follow the link and read.

way better than the seriously flawed k7s5a . common k7s5a problem thread

edit

If you are having problems with it a week after you got it, definitely return it. There will be only more problems. Just check out the amount of problem posts on ocworkbench. ECS has 10 times more posts, while they sell just as many boards as Asus.
 

Macro2

Diamond Member
May 20, 2000
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Tart,
I nearly bought a AK32l a while back. I thought the KT266a wouldn't SUPPORT SDRAM even though it stated as such on the Shuttle website...SO I called Shuttle tech support on the phone and they told me the AK32 used a KT266 chipset NOT the KT266a. I said "but your website says KT266a". They said the website is incorrect. I suggested the change it. Looks like they didn't change it or they somehow got the KT266a to work with SDRAM.
Hummm...beware my friend...I've check it by phone. The KT266 was a dog compared to the KT266a

Mac

PS...I've built several K7s5a boxes and they all have been stable.
 

Macro2

Diamond Member
May 20, 2000
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Just out of curiousty I Dled the manual for the AK32L and is states that the chipset is a KT266 NOT a KT266a.
Sorry.

mac
 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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Yeah, their links are messed up. THe AK32L page links to AK32A when you click on detailed specs.

The detailed specs clearly says the North bridge is VIA VT8366A. And it supports SDR.

As far k7s5a, apparenty ~30% of them are violently unstable. Just check the 80,000 posts at ocworkbench.

Personally, I had two of them bad in a row. Thank god for the nice people at newegg, gave me a full refund eventually.
 

Macro2

Diamond Member
May 20, 2000
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Actually I think Shuttle is fudging (lying) about the AK32s using KT266As. If they really were using KT266as I'd be using AK32s in a heartbeat because of cheap SDRAM.

Remember one thing. The K7s5a is one hellava popular board. Especially in the home built market. So I would expect a lot of Bulletin Board posts about it.
 

buckmasterson

Senior member
Oct 12, 2002
482
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I've based 6 systems on the K7S5a with no problems. For a change of pace I ordered an AK32l and it was dead out of the box. I RMA'ed it and ordered another S5a and it's rock solid. This is the second Shuttle board I've had that was DOA. No more for me thanks!
 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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The K7s5a is one hellava popular board. Especially in the home built market
it's not 10 times more popular than all the asus boards combined. But somehow it seems to have 10 times more problem posts.
 

OS

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
15,581
1
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Originally posted by: Macro2
Actually I think Shuttle is fudging (lying) about the AK32s using KT266As. If they really were using KT266as I'd be using AK32s in a heartbeat because of cheap SDRAM.

Remember one thing. The K7s5a is one hellava popular board. Especially in the home built market. So I would expect a lot of Bulletin Board posts about it.

The webpage is wrong, the AK32L uses a KT266. However, you can get a AK32 with a KT266A, it's just a different model number, the AK32A. I think it just came out because there is only one pricewatch listing and it was created very recently

So, given this info, does this tip the scale towards an AK32A?

 

tart666

Golden Member
May 18, 2002
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Ok, get AK32A if you can. (edit: I guess they must've figured out SDR support under KT266A)

Btw, do you really need to have SDR slots?

If not, the Asus A7N266-VM is the best platform for a nice cheap and stable system. Nforce GF2MX, eth, 5.1 sound, 4 USB. Just check Anand's value system guide.
 

Macro2

Diamond Member
May 20, 2000
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"If" they somehow got the KT266a to support SDRAM AND the AK32A has the KT266a then this is big news and makes the AK32a a viable alternative to the K7s5a.
I'd still call Shuttle tech suport to verify it though.

Let's face it. If you are going to use DDR then you have a ton more choices and the K7s5a and AK32's get a whole lot more competition so you'll probably opt for something else like nForce or Sis 745 or KT-333-400 board.
 

RU482

Lifer
Apr 9, 2000
12,689
3
81
I've got 4 systems with K7S5A mobos, 340W enlight PS. 2 have XP1600's & 2x256 MB PC2100 Crucial and have been running flawless. The other two have XP1700s and 1x512MB PC2100 Crucial. The xp1700 machines are about 6 months newer. They also have given me more problems than the xp1600 machines. goes to show they are all different
 

thorin

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
7,573
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I've also had great luck with the ECS K7S5A.

2 2200+s
1 1700+
1 1GHz Duron

Alot of people around here (AT) like it, all the reviews I've read for it were posative, etc...

Thorin
 

Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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Originally posted by: OS
yeah, gotta have sdr slots.

So what did you decide on? I'm in the same boat...

I don't want to get the ECS board because of all the problems, and it doesen't have any overclocking features. The AK32A does have overclocking features..

Another option I'm looking into is the ASRock K7VT2.

It looks like an interesting board.. It supports ATA/133 and USB 2.0... I can't find any information about it though, I don't know if it's overclocking friendly.