KT600 v NF2 Ultra 400 (single channel)

[moosey]

What would performance diffs look like (especially gaming) with a KT600 board vs. a NF2 Ultra 400 board that is running single channel instead of dual?

 

[Doh!]

Not much. Personally, I would go w/ the nforce2 board regardless whether or not it's a single or double channel. With an nforce2 board, having a dual channel doesn't help so much (less than 5% in most apps.) unless you're using the integrated video.

 

[boyRacer]

I have both... NF2 has PCI lock... and its faster... even at single channel.

 

[Mem]

nForce2 has the edge OC wise,however KT600 is having less problems with drivers etc then nforce 2 boards.

 

[Corporate Thug]

nf2 qould be faster overall

 

[novice]

Originally posted by: Mem
nForce2 has the edge OC wise,however KT600 is having less problems with drivers etc then nforce 2 boards.

I have the utmost respect for Mem's posts, but will admit that I have had zero problems with drivers with my Shuttle AN35N Ultra 400 motherboard. (That is once I reinstalled Windows to accomodate the Nvidia IDE drivers). That being said, I also have had zero problems with my Via boards in the past. Currently running a pair of KT333 MSI boards, but when I upgraded the KT133 system, I had to try an Nforce 2 board and couldn't pass up the good comments I had seen on the Shuttle, and the $66 delivered price sealed the deal. That and the $42 XP1700+ T-Bred B and I was off and running. So far, so good. The Shuttle's Nforce 2 chipset with dual memory controllers is noticably faster in the benchmarks than my KT3 Ultra 2's with very similar configurations. I would encourage you to get whichever board you choose, but don't be afraid of the Nforce 2, assuming that my Shuttle board is typical of the chipset.

Edit: Hey, my 1,000th post! Hope it wasn't too lame!
:beer:

 

[Mem]

I should be more exact with my statement,both the VIA KT600 & nForce 2 are very stable and most users don`t get any problems,the well known IDE problem with the nforce drivers is the main problem that some users get(like a friend of mine ).In the the end the difference between them is OC,features and price,the nforce 2 Ultra does have the edge in performance overall,however the KT600 is not far behind and is worthy of consideration.


In the end both are fine choices once you know exactly what features you need and if you intend to OC etc.

Edit: Hey, my 1,000th post! Hope it wasn't too lame!

Wait until you have 1001,you`ll be promoted .

 

[NovaPolice]

nforce2 is faster, but i had major ram problems. especially trying to get it dual channel. i have a decent amount of known good budget ram from crucial & kingston and i didn't feel like replacing it all for corsair.

my nforce experience was <installing xp> <!!driver irlq= not equalsajl!~!##!@#!!!!> <stupid nforce!!!> <SOLOMON GRUNDY SMASH> aggravating.

so i went with via, which took pretty much any decent ram I threw at it. at least it doesn't bluescreen during installation in kt333/kt400/kt600. Up and running in an hour.

of course nforce2 runs flawlessly on my brother's computer but he went out and bought corsair or geil or something. since he was upgrading from pc133.

soundstorm is good but I love my philips sonic edge! The via vinyl on my roomate's abit kt600 board isn't bad either, truthfully.

 

[heat23]

I was planning on buying a NF2 board, but I am worried about the IDE HDD and RAM problems. I have a WD 160 GB hdd and 2 sticks of Crucial RAM. What are the chances of me having problems?

I am not planning on overclocking, and a few percent here or there in the benchmarks doesnt matter to me. I just want something that is stable and will have no compatibility problems. I will probably stick with my SB Live! Value instead of going to onboard sound. What chipset/motherboard is right for me?

 

[Mem]

I was planning on buying a NF2 board, but I am worried about the IDE HDD and RAM problems. I have a WD 160 GB hdd and 2 sticks of Crucial RAM. What are the chances of me having problems?

heat23,with the IDE problem that some users are having,all you need to do is use the default Microsoft driver.

NForcersHQ forum is a good place to pick up info,as to your question on nForce2 or KT600(both are really good choices IMHO depending on what you need).
nForce2 wise go with brands like Asus,Abit,Epox,Soltek etc and you should have a very stable board,however KT600 will probably be your best bet since you don`t need the nforce onboard sound or overclocking abilities,price wise the VIA KT600 are very cheap as well so you should be able to pick up a top brand KT600 board at a great price.

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: heat23
I was planning on buying a NF2 board, but I am worried about the IDE HDD and RAM problems. I have a WD 160 GB hdd and 2 sticks of Crucial RAM. What are the chances of me having problems?

I am not planning on overclocking, and a few percent here or there in the benchmarks doesnt matter to me. I just want something that is stable and will have no compatibility problems. I will probably stick with my SB Live! Value instead of going to onboard sound. What chipset/motherboard is right for me?

In all seriousness, the nForce2's sound is probably better than your SB Live Value. I'd suggest the Abit NF7-S, as I haven't had any compatability problems with it, and a friend that upgraded to it hasn't either.

 

[heat23]

Originally posted by: MonkeyDriveExpress

Originally posted by: heat23
I was planning on buying a NF2 board, but I am worried about the IDE HDD and RAM problems. I have a WD 160 GB hdd and 2 sticks of Crucial RAM. What are the chances of me having problems?

I am not planning on overclocking, and a few percent here or there in the benchmarks doesnt matter to me. I just want something that is stable and will have no compatibility problems. I will probably stick with my SB Live! Value instead of going to onboard sound. What chipset/motherboard is right for me?

In all seriousness, the nForce2's sound is probably better than your SB Live Value. I'd suggest the Abit NF7-S, as I haven't had any compatability problems with it, and a friend that upgraded to it hasn't either.

I am using Klipsch v2.400 4.1 speakers which are analog. I heard the soundstorm is only useful for digital speakers

 

[MDE]

Originally posted by: heat23
I am using Klipsch v2.400 4.1 speakers which are analog. I heard the soundstorm is only useful for digital speakers

SoundStorm is widely compared to the original Audigy in terms of overall sound quality, including analog.