looking for a cheap motherboard for athlonxp

[littlegohan]

 

[jmorrell]

ECS K7S5A (around $55-65) or Shuttle AK32L ($65-70). Both are full size ATX boards, and both have SDRAM/DDRAM support and onboard audio. ECS has onboard 10/100 ethernet. ECS K7S5A needs good, clean power - a cheap power supply won't work. Some folks love the K7S5A, some hate it. There has been a lot of discussion about it on the various forums - read up on it before you buy. The Shuttle AK32L is less well known, but I haven't read any bad comments about it. I have one (see my system in the link below), and it is extremely stable. I couldn't ask for a better budget motherboard.

 

[Goi]

The K7S5A was outstanding in its time, and still decent now for its price, but it has been overshadowed by its younger siblings, the K7S6A, based on the SiS745 chipset(an update of the SiS735 that the K7S5A used) and the new K7VTA v3.1, based on the VIA KT333A. The K7VTA v3.1 is only a few bucks more than the K7S5A over here, and is even cheaper than the K7S6A, performs better, and has more features(supports PC2700 DDR-SDRAM, on-board sound/LAN, optional ATA100-RAID controller, etc).

The bottom line is, if you want a nice, fast system and aren't an avid overclocker, the K7VTA v3.1 can't be beat. I've just fixed up a new system for my dad(with a few parts from his previous system) with the K7VTA v3.1, and its both stable and fast, not to mention ridiculously cheap when compared to any other motherboard of comparable performance.

 

[RanDum72]

If you want a tried and true solution Abit KG7's (based on the AMD 760 chipset) are now below $70 ( I think $65-68) over at Newegg. MSI also has SIS745-based mobos for $65.

 

[Ionizer86]

Abit NV7-133R

Though it's liek $90, it comes out worthwhile. USB2 controllers are like $40 alone, the nForce sound is worth a lot, another network card would be like $10, and the raid itself would be like $100.

 

[pennylane]

goi, when you say K7VTA v3.1, is this different from the K7VTA3-RAID they have a newegg? how so?
i'm looking for a budget motherboard as well and i'm having trouble deciding.
from what you all have said, some nice, inexpensive ones are:
ECS K7S5A
ECS K7VTA3.1
SHUTTLE AK32L
ABIT KG7
MSI SIS-745

i don't plan on overclocking much, and i just want something stable. i have a tb santa cruz already and a 10/100 ethernet. i'm not sure which one i should take for my athlon xp (1800).

 

[Goi]

heyzeus,
According to the NewEgg website, they currently sell 2 different versions of the K7VTA - revision 2.1 and revision 3.1 with RAID. I believe the one you're mentioning is the latter. There are definitely several versions of the ECA K7VTA. The original revision 1.x was based on the KT266 chipset, the revision 2.x was based on the KT266A, while the newest revision 3.1 is based on the KT333. Within these individual revisions, I'm pretty sure they have several options too. There are some with onboard sound/LAN and ATA100 RAID, but mine only has onboard sound and LAN, no RAID.

Even if you have no use for the integrated components, consider the fact that this board is based on the KT333 chipset, currently the fastest and newest chipset for AMD there is now, at prices that rival older chipsets. To me its a no brainer if speed, price and stability is of great importance and tweakability/overclocking is not. Be warned, there are currently no voltage modifications allowed for this board, and only limited FSB speeds. However, the memory timings can be tweaked to death.

 

[pennylane]

what are other cheap alternatives to the k7vta3.1?
i'm having trouble finding online places to buy the k7vta3.1?
how much should i expect to pay for it (or a similar board)?

 

[XMan]

Asus A7N266-C. It's 98 bucks at Newegg. NForce 415D chipset, on board Dolby Digital sound. Spend the extra dough - it's worth it, especially over the K75SA. :disgust:

 

[Goi]

NewEgg's one, as you've already mentioned. I'm not sure of other places, check pricewatch/resellerratings out? That's what I always did when I bought stuff online. Pricewise, don't pay more than $80 for it, since price is an issue here.

Alternatives with comparable, if a little slower performance, are those based on the SiS745 chipset - ECS's own K7S6A and the MSI SiS745 - and maybe budget KT266A boards, which may be more expensive even, and don't support the newer features such as PC2700 DDR-SDRAM support and ATA133 support.

 

[pennylane]

i found this company for the k7vta3.1 for $84

http://www.micropro.com/list.htm?product=Motherboards&sub=Single AMD CPU Boards&order=brand

is $84 too much?

also, how is the MSI SIS745 and the SHUTTLE AK31 3.1 at mild overclocking?

 

[CrazySaint]

You might also consider the Shuttle AK31 3.1 based on the KT266A chipset, and runs around $65 at newegg.com, I've read lots of good stuff about it.

 

[Goi]

Why not get it at NewEgg for less? You've already mentioned that its $77, compared to the $84 from micropro. Newegg is a well established, reputable online vendor, if resellerratings is anything to go by.