Looking for Optical I/O Mobo Recommendations

[moriarti]

I am looking to get a new motherboard for my rig. I would like one that has support for AMD Athlon XP and DDR RAM. I would also like one that has optical inputs and outputs. Should I be looking to an Asus A7V333 or the like, or should I get something more like an Abit offering with nothing on board and shell out extra $$$ for an SB Extigy or Audigy EX? I am looking for general thoughts, and would really like to hear personal experiences with any of these products.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[gunnm]

Don't have any experience with any of these, but here you go anyway:

Abit has an upcoming AT7 board with built in optical in/out
Abit NV7-133R includes a riser card with optical in/out
MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU includes a riser card with optical in/out

Hercules sound card Fortissimo II has optical in/out (newegg has for about $30)

 

[moriarti]

Sweet! Thanks. Maybe I can add an Abit board to my shopping list and satisfy my need for Optical I/O for an additional $30.