ECS K7S5A PRO USB 2.0 SiS® 735 SOCKET A MOTHERBOARD - RETAIL Back Plate Included. $36 shipped @ Newegg!

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
P

pxc

Platinum Member
May 2, 2002
2,001
0
0
NICKel

NICKel

Golden Member
May 7, 2000
1,774
0
71
Originally posted by: pxc
How about a compromise?

refurb LeadTek K7NCR18D (Nforce2 with AC'97 audio) $35 shipped: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?description=13-122-107R

refurb LeadTek K7NCR18D-Pro (Nforce2 with soundstorm audio) $40 shipped: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?description=13-122-106R
:p

A new Shuttle AN35N-Ultra retail is also $47.99 AR shipped: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?description=13-150-045
It has pretty much the same specs as the Biostar.
Click to expand...


How is Leadtek for reliability?
 
C

corinthos

Golden Member
Mar 22, 2000
1,858
2
81
i'd rather get the an35n-ultra for $48 after rebate than get a refurb... for one thing you might only get the board with no cables... also you might not get a backplate, which might be a problem if the motherboard has an unusual layout of the ports.
 
ScrapSilicon

ScrapSilicon

Lifer
Apr 14, 2001
13,625
0
0
Originally posted by: corinthos
i'd rather get the an35n-ultra for $48 after rebate than get a refurb... for one thing you might only get the board with no cables... also you might not get a backplate, which might be a problem if the motherboard has an unusual layout of the ports.
Click to expand...
been extremely stable..an35n ultra..this is my 1st nf2 board. Very pleased with it(even the alc650 codec sounds more richer,deeper and clear than in my fav Epox 8k5a2+) with the exception of my overworked usb 2.0 enclosure(2 yrs I had it) dying while testing a cdrw(my other 2.0 is still alive and kicking..guess I need to get another :D)..been very trouble free...unlike the 3 ecs k7s5as I'd had(they are still running tho :))..very picky they were. Pro on the k7s5a means more support ..esp. USB 2.0 ..not like the original..straight usb 1.1.
 
T

TJN23

Golden Member
May 4, 2002
1,670
0
0
Newegg reviewers say this board won't do for gaming, i.e. FPS or RPG (Morrowind, Medal of Honor)

this, coupled with an 1800+, 256MB of PC2100 DDR mem, and a GeForce3 or 4 Ti wouldn't be bad, right?
 
C

corinthos

Golden Member
Mar 22, 2000
1,858
2
81
what do u mean it won't do games like Medal of Honor? I don't see why it wouldn't... I didn't have that game back when I got my first K7S5A Pro, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't do games like that... I think it more depends on the CPU /memory/vid card you use....
 
T

TJN23

Golden Member
May 4, 2002
1,670
0
0
I think it more depends on the CPU /memory/vid card you use....
Click to expand...

I was mislead by the newegg reviewers, I didn't think the mobo alone would really entirely affect which games you could get to run well, as it also depends on those factors

I agree with you :)

 
C

corinthos

Golden Member
Mar 22, 2000
1,858
2
81
many users of the K7S5A (not sure about the PRO) have reported it's rather sensitive to the power supply used, so do yourselves a favor and use an AMD Approved one. Otherwise you might get some weird problems like random reboots
or it might not even boot up. I've never had this problem myself, but thought I should mention it.
 
NICKel

NICKel

Golden Member
May 7, 2000
1,774
0
71
Man this really burns my @ss... I bought this oen day before the sale at 37.00 and they freaking drop the price! Kinda cheesy. Will they credit me on this?
 
C

corinthos

Golden Member
Mar 22, 2000
1,858
2
81
I think I've heard of cases where they have credited people who purchased shortly before a price drop, so it wouldn't hurt to call and ask on Monday.
 
P

pxc

Platinum Member
May 2, 2002
2,001
0
0
Originally posted by: corinthos
many users of the K7S5A (not sure about the PRO) have reported it's rather sensitive to the power supply used, so do yourselves a favor and use an AMD Approved one. Otherwise you might get some weird problems like random reboots
or it might not even boot up. I've never had this problem myself, but thought I should mention it.
Click to expand...

That's where most of the chatter comes from: people repeating something they heard, not what they experienced firsthand. :p It's really not that sensitive, but I'm sure a few people have had problems. In the at least 15 K7S5A and K7S5A Pro (different versions, too) I've bought in the last 2 years, I've never run into the PSU "problem" that people post. That's even with cheap $20 cases/PSUs.
 
D

dxpaap

Senior member
Jul 2, 2001
572
0
0
finally the price dropped for this board - been waiting to upgrade my old backup system. This plus the amd 1800 I have collecting dust should perk up that old P200 nicely.

good enough for a kid system :)
 
Lanyap

Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,244
2,333
136
Originally posted by: dxpaap
finally the price dropped for this board - been waiting to upgrade my old backup system. This plus the amd 1800 I have collecting dust should perk up that old P200 nicely.

good enough for a kid system :)
Click to expand...
You might want to make sure it fits in your old case. These boards are wide and can interfere with 5 1/4 drives in your upper bays. Several friends had this problem with the K7S5A.
 
W

weepul

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2000
5,134
0
0
www.hd-trailers.net
i have this mobo currently in my second system. SUPER STABLE. that's all i've gotta say. Not one crash yet since my purchase in july. that's why for a new system im building, i was wondering if i should get the other ECS board w/ better specs. both seem to have this "stability" feature which will be very nice.

//krunk (^_^x)
 
K

kitkit201

Diamond Member
May 31, 2000
4,853
0
0
woow greatr deal.. if you wnat a ddr only mobo with a 333fsb and oc abilities, i have one for sale, check my sig
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,570
10,204
126
Originally posted by: corinthos
This is the lowest I've ever seen this board sell for... it's been a decent board and will probably make for a good budget system...

Link
Click to expand...

Do you think that this would make a good upgrade/replacement for an MSI KT4V-L mobo? How is the IDE and PCI bus performance? USB 2.0 compatibility? Drivers and OS issues?

I'm getting pretty tired of only having about 60% of nominal IDE performance with my current board, due of course to the Via chipset. :(
 
E

EvilTwin996

Senior member
Dec 12, 2000
216
0
0
K7S5A Pro Guide

The Renton, WA Fry's has the ECS K7S5A Pro for $29.99 regular price. I've had four of these boards, and they seem just fine. I ran a 2400+ OC to 2050 MHz at stock voltage with no problems, using the Honey-X BIOS.
 
N

nwarawa

Member
Mar 16, 2001
117
0
0
BUYER BEWARE!

Not to thread crap, but this is a cold deal. If you have to pay ANYTHING for this board, you paid too much. I'm sure some you may have had success stories, and good for you (consider yourself lucky), but as a computer builder and consultant, I based quite a few computers off the K7S5A, and most of them have had problems sooner or later. They are VERY picky with parts. My supplier rolled his eyes when I mentioned the board, as they have non-stop RMA's with this board. If you need something cheap, at least go for a Soltek... these boards are garbage.

If you are still adamant on getting this board, please, do yourself a favor a use decent DDR RAM (like Crucial), and not generic SDR RAM... unless frustration is the deeper goal in your life.
 
amdskip

amdskip

Lifer
Jan 6, 2001
22,530
13
81
Originally posted by: nwarawa
BUYER BEWARE!
Not to thread crap, but this is a cold deal. If you have to pay ANYTHING for this board, you paid too much. I'm sure some you may have had success stories, and good for you (consider yourself lucky), but as a computer builder and consultant, I based quite a few computers off the K7S5A, and most of them have had problems sooner or later. They are VERY picky with parts. My supplier rolled his eyes when I mentioned the board, as they have non-stop RMA's with this board. If you need something cheap, at least go for a Soltek... these boards are garbage.
If you are still adamant on getting this board, please, do yourself a favor a use decent DDR RAM (like Crucial), and not generic SDR RAM... unless frustration is the deeper goal in your life.
Click to expand...
I'd say 75% of RMA's on this motherboard are due to user stupidity. Everyone I've used/touched/whatever has worked correctly. You need a decent power supply (why would you use a crappy one in the first place) and some decent memory. My server has this in it and it will 24/7 forever.

 
D

dkvamme

Member
Jul 15, 2001
174
0
76
Ive built 6 machines in the past with these boards and the only one that has had any problems with has been the one guy who insisted on using a cheap power supply.
After countless random reboots and crashes I talked him into a descent ps and viola... no more problems.
Order with confidence.
 
B

BigDaddyD

Senior member
Oct 17, 2002
277
0
0
The ECS K7s5a Pro board is an excellent and stable mb especially for the money. I have one with an xp 1700 and old ram and it is pretty fast. Fast enough to keep me from upgrading, even though I have the $$ to do so. It also does games well with a good card...My friend has one with the xp2400 and better ram as well as an ATI 9700 PRO. He is a computer dude and has always had the best. He upgrades ever year for fun, but since this mb he hasn't upgraded, because it does everything he needs. He will be upgrading soon though, but he has had this for years. Very cool for dirt cheap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom