ECS pretty good?

[Sniper82]

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWeb/Products/P...il.aspx?DetailID=453&MenuID=22&LanID=9

That mobo anygood? Is that VIA chipset decent? I haven't owned a VIA chipset mobo in years.

Which would you all go with? That ECS mobo and a 2.3ghz Celeron or a MSI nForce 2 chipset with 1700+ or similar XP?

 

[professor1942]

Pretty much the bottom of the barrel... don't expect great things from it.

 

[Sniper82]

So I should just stick with MSI mATX:
http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=K7N2GM2-LSR&class=mb

and a 1700+ or similar which would probably be on par or better than the celeron anyway?

 

[Madwand1]

If you can actually find an MSI or Asus or whatever "name" brand, then go for it. ECS takes over when other have dropped out. ASRock is another recommended brand.

I ended up getting a version of ECS KM400 for an old Athlon XP 1800+ (the ancient DFI board it replaced, previously running a Duron 650, wasn't stable with that chip), and had no problems setting it up and running it, all stock. My version came with on-board video, which benched better than the ancient AGP card I had from the old system, but didn't seem to put out a good enough signal in the 10 minutes or so I spent on this issue, so I simply re-installed the old card and let it run. The user's had no complaints.

I think the on-board video of Nvidia 6100 or 6150 is a lot better, but that's another system.

 

[Zap]

What will the system be used for? If you want "higher end" bottom of the barrel, a cheap socket 754 Sempron and a Geforce6100 chipset board would do wonders for about $130. If you just want cheapest possible CPU and mobo with IGP, then look for Fry's deals. Their Wednesday ad for Chicago had a socket 754 Sempron with ECS motherboard (VIA chipset IGP) for about $70.

 

[Peter]

ECS most of all are about high volume OEM business. The majority of their offerings are no-nonsense boards with good reliably and little to no bells or whistles. Their rock bottom price comes from high volume and cost efficient (easy to manufacture) designs. They are now making a handful of pretty decent "enthusiast" boards as well.

The one thing I wouldn't go with is a Celeron. Also, the graphics unit in that particular VIA chipset is fairly old - DX7 hardware, and rather pathetic speed.

 

[Zap]

Another cost cutting method at ECS is no end user warranty. They'll want to charge a $25 fee for warranty repairs (like Biostar's $30). They want you to return the motherboard to the reseller, not to them. Problem is that many resellers don't warranty stuff for more than 30 days. For instance Fry's Electronics, which probably as a whole sells more ECS boards than all other retailers put together, only offers their 14 day return period with no warranty whatsoever after that unless you purchase their extended warranty. Also, here's Newegg's policy on ECS boards:

** This item may only be returned for a replacement of the same make/model within 30 days only.

Though I also wouldn't go with a Celeron and VIA IGP, if the demands on the system is not high they will certainly do the job. If it's the same price get something else, but if it is significantly cheaper and the demands are low then feel free to get VIA IGP and a Celeron.

 

[imported_taku]

i agree with the comment about reading the fine print on new egg. i use the newegg comments about warrenty, returns or no return except for replacement as an excellent means of review. If it says replacement only, then they must have a high return rate.



MSI K8NGM2-FID
love this board.
2000 pro . sp4
xfx 6600GT antec tx 640b sp400 amd 939+3700 single layer Emprex dual layer cd dvd r/w floppy
2x120 ide maxtor corsair 2x512 3 dell 1905 FP protait mode 1024x1280
P4C800 deluxe p4 chip
2000 pro . sp4
everthing else about the same
except 4 dell 1905FP
pny 5500 dual port analog agp
and another one PCI dual port
portait mode 1024x1280
ASUS A8N VM CSM stored in the dust bin.e comment about reading the fine print on new egg