good/cheap motherboard for socket A Duron 900?

[duuuma]

I'm building a somewhat budget system for my friend with a Duron 900. I've tried to cut corners everywhere else, but so far the boards I'm looking are the major cost issue.

Any recommended boards with high stability (VIA133a, AMD760...)? I wanted to buy a Asus a7v133c, but at around $100, it's a little too high. Onboard sound would be nice too. There are some well priced KT266 boards, but most use DDR and I want to stick witih SDRAM to save money on memory.

The system plan so far:
Duron 900
volcano II HSF
Maxtor DiamondMax 20gig 7200rpm
Gainward/Cardexpert GeForce 2 Mx200 32meg
Enlight 7237 w/ Deer 300W (AMD rec)

 

[eplebnista]

IMO, I'd recommend the MSI KM133A Pro5. It has integrated video and sound. I have built a system with the KM133A chipset and it is a very stable system.

hth,
eplebnista

 

[Athlon4all]

The prob with that though is that it'll be around $100 also. I'm on a ECS K7VMA (KM133, so no 266fsb support) and while this board is far from perfect, It has been decent. I've had a few weird problems, like I can't get the Hard drive to run at ATA/100, and like sometimes light instability at PC133 Memory speeds, but overall a good board, and at $50-55, I would recommend it. But though, I just noticed that you have a AGP card. There is K7S5A, which has 266fsb support, has 2 SDR Slots and 2 DDR Slots so it may be worthwhile to go for it, but I haven't heard the best things about it, and truthfully, I dunno. Some people have had it work great, others have had nothing but trouble. I'd read peoples experiences with it and decide if u want to take the risk. K7S5A btw is also around $55, so u make the call.

 

[duuuma]

I'm thinking about getting a Epox 8k7a since I hear the AMD 760 chipset is very stable. Any thoughts on that? Only downside is the expense of DDR...

I'd like to buy it all from Newegg, and that board is out, so I'm also considering the Epox 8KHA....

but a good board with SDRAM is still preferable.

 

[osage]

some good insights from ppl in the know can be found here .

 

[ku]

are you planning to use SDR or DDR? You can get ECS K7S5A with onboard sound and LAN for around 60 bucks. You can use either SDR or DDR. Maybe get SDR now and DDR when prices come down...

Also, if you get the 8kha, make sure it's 8kha+... dont forget the PLUS! the PLUS means ALOT

 

[duuuma]

Thanks for the response so far. I plan on using SDRAM to save money. I'm considering an

Epox 8KTA3 / 8KTA3+,

MSI K7T Turbo (Anandtech gave it great reviews),

and maybe the ever so controversial ECS K7S5A just b/c it's SO cheap.

What do you guys think?

 

[AZGamer]

<< Thanks for the response so far. I plan on using SDRAM to save money. I'm considering an Epox 8KTA3 / 8KTA3+, MSI K7T Turbo (Anandtech gave it great reviews), and maybe the ever so controversial ECS K7S5A just b/c it's SO cheap. What do you guys think? >>



Stay away from the ECS board unless you're looking for problems.

 

[The_Lurker]

The ECS K7S5A isn't too bad. I'm running one and i dont have many problems. (*note the many). It's 100% stable, works great, performance is fantastic in windows. Anything 3d however it somewhat lags behind than w/ my P3 clocked 100mhz slower and my Asus P3B-F. Everything else is great. I would recommend it if YOU'RE NOT planning to oc. That would be the only reason i wouldn't buy it (which ironically, i shouldn't have because i lover oc'ing). Everything else about this board (or rather my board) is great. Except 3d performance (UGH!). Anyways, If you have the money, spring for a better board (VIA KT266A or KT133A i recommend), other wise get this one. Once it works, it works great.

 

[duuuma]

I'm pretty set on buying a MSI K7T Turbo (KT133a) or go a little older/cheaper with the Pro2 which is the KT133 chipset.

Any opinions?