Looking for best/most stable MOBO...please help!

[Rephlex3001]

I really need help in choosing a motherboard that will give me
the best performance, but with the most compatability
and ESPECIALLY stability!

I'm designing a system with these specs:

CPU: AMD ATHLON XP (at least 1700+)
RAM: at least 512MB PC2100

VIDEO: will be a GeForce3 Ti 200

OS: Win2000 Pro & Win98se

If anyone can PLEASE give me their opinion as to the BEST socket A
motherboard available (performance/compatibility/stability), it would
be hugely appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[Mustanggt]

Epox 8KHA+

 

[oldfoof]

ill Second That !!
Epox 8KHA+ Rocks!

 

[PUNKtotalled]

I never seen a so stable board at stock clocks than the epox 8KHA+.

 

[ShinSa]

Epox is solid, Abit Kr7A has many bells and whistles.

 

[Rephlex3001]

I have a really bad past with Epox boards.
The one I have now, the 8KTA+, is horrible. It takes me about
2-3 tries to start my computer. And everytime I've ordered one
from my suppliers, the 1st one's fried.

I've always been a huge ASUS fan; I've never had a problem with
them.

So, I'm really wary about choosing another Epox board.

The new Epox is REALLY that stable?

 

[Boonesmi]

the biggest part of stability is the chipset, and the kt266a chipset has gotten pretty mature and quite stable

some good boards based on that chipset
soyo dragon+
epox 8kha+
asus a7v266-e

 

[Rephlex3001]

And also, I'm not looking for a board with great overclocking.
I won't be overclocking this one (yeah, yeah, I know).
Stability and compatibility are key. Performance too

 

[SinNisTeR]

i have the epox8k7a+ and its rock solid. so... im sure that the 8kha+ will be just as awsome, if not better!

EPOX FOR LIFE!

 

[microAmp]

<< Epox 8KHA+ >>

 

[IntelConvert]

<< I really need help in choosing a motherboard that will give me the best performance, but with the most compatability and ESPECIALLY stability! ....If anyone can PLEASE give me their opinion as to the BEST socket A motherboard available (performance/compatibility/stability), it would be hugely appreciated!!! >>

Newest review from a reliable source (other than AnandTech, of course).

 

[WhiteWizard]

Yep, Epox has missed the bullet with older mobos like the Slot A 7KXA, and the first socket A 8KTA, but in general the problems can be fixed, one way or another, and they've learned a lot from that time, I'm sure the new Epoxs ones are very good mobos, so my advice is to buy one, also, they always perform good. otherways check it yourself, enter they Epox Forum for the new mobos and look for any "Good bye Epox" title that used to lurk the forums in the past, sure it wont hapend now.
In my case, I change my 7KXA (slot A) for an ASUS, but really never have more than the "green line issue" with Win98SE, and after deleting those .vxd it performs really solid. I have a lot (3) of ASUS since that time, and I'm sure you can get nearly the same thing, and in some cases more performance, from other builders.
But ASUS has its things, for example some extrange issue I had with the Dragon plus, take a look:

I try to overclock a t-bird 1.2B in the Dragon Plus, all settings are in BIOS just like the ASUS, but not only it refuses to overclock to 1333Mhz with a 133Mhz bus, but it won't ever boot, just ligths went on, fans spining but no video. Only way to restart in default settings was to reset the BIOS with the jumper, and try diferent OC settings. In the ASUS A7V133 and the Dragon replace (A7V266-E) when you shut down the machinne and the OC fails, it just came in default settings when you turn on again.

 

[AA0]

<< the biggest part of stability is the chipset, and the kt266a chipset has gotten pretty mature and quite stable
>>



Thats actually completely wrong, the chipsets are stable, the boards are not stable. Memory timings and cheap parts on some boards are what cause instability, its the only way to explain why Chaintech, ECS, and many cheap boards just suck.

I'm itching to try the FIC KT266A board. I'll probably be using that or an Abit board in my next system.