Epox or MSI?

[DisinfectedDuck]

Recent reviews have crowned the Epox 8K7A as the "undisputed champion of the AMD 761". I can't decide between that and the MSI K7 Master. Advice please...
BTW I do not intend to overclock my mobo.

 

[LXi]

Well, I definitely will agree with the reviews that it's the undisputed champion of a tweaking AMD761 board. But I don't think it makes that much of a difference to a non-tweaker. The advantage for a non-tweaker to go with a K7 Master is crystal clear, it's fully jumperless, it's easy to setup, and it runs very stable. The 8K7A is an excellent board, I'm planning on getting one myself, but there is really no need to put yourself through the difficult path if no oveclock is intended, unless you need the 6th PCI slot and the RAID controller.

 

[Athlon4all]

For the non overclocker, then k7 Master is more stable uncoed then the 8K7A is unoced. I'd get K7 Master.

 

[SpeedTrap]

HA the 8k7a smokes the whole K7

 

[LXi]

Yea, it smokes the K7, just not the K7 Master.

 

[fishingeek]

I don't know how you guys came up with that. If you don't plan to overclock you only have to set one jumper. Other than that just load the drivers and forget about it. Go with the Epox.

 

[Insane3D]

"For the non overclocker, then k7 Master is more stable uncoed then the 8K7A is unoced. I'd get K7 Master."

That's the second time I have heard you claim this. Please link me to some proof the MSI is "more stable"...

 

[Prince of Persia]

I'm getting the EPOX, I thought theres two things you have to set?

One is the 133fsb jumper and the other is the dip switches for the muliplier?

I'm getting a 1333 tbird 266, so when I get the board i set it to 10x1333 right?

 

[NelsonMuntz]

Yup, Prince that is all you need. The board is very easy to use, although it is not all jumperless. My experience is that it is very stable and easy to set up and avoid Netgear FA311-313 NICs. You would need to avoid those same cards for the K7 Master too. I am sure the MSI is stable as well, but since the Epox costs less, it is the way to go.

 

[Tako]

Having owned both boards, I can say that they are both extremely stable. I never had a crash with either boards (aside from experimenting/fiddling with overclocking), and honestly, cannot tell the difference in terms of day-to-day operation. I'd choose based on useability, price, and support. If you are into extreme FSB overclocking, then you should choose the Epox. If you want immediate SSE support with Palomino, then K7 Master. But really, you cannot go wrong either way.

Tako_chu

 

[RedShirt]

I am currently using a K7 master and love it. Both are good boards though. You can't go wrong either way. Except for overclocking... I'd go epox for that.

 

[bozo1]

<< , I thought theres two things you have to set >>


You set the FSB to 133MHZ. The multiplier DIP's default to use the chip default. No need to change it unless you want to run at a multiplier other than what the chip is set to do.

 

[DisinfectedDuck]

Does the Epox 8K7A support Athlon TB 1.4ghz?
It's not in the recommended mobo's list that AMD published.

 

[Tako]

Although the boards don't show support for 1.4GHz, they are more than up to the task. Overclocked, many forum users here and elsewhere are getting 1.6GHz+ without a problem. Perhaps AMD's list is not up to date? In either case, you should not have any problems regarding &quot;official support&quot; of 1.4GHz from any of the DDR board you happen to choose.

Tako_chu