Motherboard for this poor soul

[alirob24]

MY processor is a Athlon XP (1.8 GHz)

my memory stick is pc 2100 DDR

ATX TOWER + 400 watt power supply

I do have a video card(S3 vidieo magic)

I want to get a good mobo real cheap, Why ? because I bought this desktop pc as a compaq presario 6400 series online (ebay) I have had mostly good experiences with ebay but I got the bad end here... The first time i powered up it said it to please insert the recovery disk , then after i rebooted it it said nadda never again, It died man! I took it to a profesional who told me the cpu and mem was good , that I needed a new mobo.
I spent almost 400 $ on this and I am sad, I know it is not anyones problem but mine. However if you know of a good mobo for a good price that will work with my stuff "for sure" I would be grateful..
these are the 3 that have already been recomended to me, I am very grateful for these recommendations. I need to be very sure that I am going to get something that last.. Mainly so my wife will let me back into the bedroom! PLEASE.... Thankyou guys

Asus A7N266-VM/AA

Shuttle MN31N motherboard

Abit NF7-S

 

[mechBgon]

I'm glad you mentioned the S3 video card, because that might be a 3.3-volt AGP card, which is Bad News for a modern motherboard that's designed for 0.8-volt or 1.5-volt AGP cards :Q

The A7N266-VM/AA has onboard GeForce2MX video. It supports AthlonXP and Duron processors that have a 200MHz or 266MHz frontside bus (your CPU has a 266MHz FSB). It has USB 1.1 (slower). I've personally owned two of them and our business fleet has 36 of them. Very stable & reliable!

The MN31N has dual-monitor-ready onboard GeForce4MX video. It supports AthlonXP and Durons with 200/266/333 bus speeds, so you'd have more of an upgrade path if you wanted one. It has USB 2.0. I used the MN31N in my mom's new system

The Abit is known as a premier overclocking motherboard (but you'd need better memory) and handles 200/266/333/400 bus speeds. It has USB 2.0 and Firewire, but no onboard video, so figure a budget video card into the shopping list.

All three have nVidia's fancy hardware-accelerated 6-channel audio.

 

[dderolph]

ECS K7S5A PRO. I'm got one, with an Athlon XP (1.8 GHz). I got this motherboard from newegg.com for $42. I'm not an overclocker and, as far as I know, you probably wouldn't be satifisfied with this board if you want to overclock your processor. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend it. Visit newegg and see the reviews.

Oops, I see newegg is no longer selling the K7S5A PRO. Here's another low-cost board from ECS that looks like it might fill your needs quite well:
ECS KT333 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU, Model "K7VTA3 V5.0" -RETAIL

 

[Tango57]

i like the Albatron KX18D Pro nforce 2 ultra and am using one myself to overclock my mobile 2600+. this is a great board and super affordable for only about $62 at Newegg.

 

[alirob24]

WOW , you guys act like you care about me, I am really touched and I (sniff sniff) Just want to say thank you ... LOL Really you guys are awesome all of you man I have so many optios now I cant see streight....I found a ECS K7S5A Pro ATX SIS 735 Socket A Motherboard 5PCI/Audio/LAN/USB2.0/SDRAM/DDR266 for 36$ @ ebuyer WOW ..


The reviews are good , For what I need this sounds real good but I would like to be sure...what do yall think....., thank you for all the info .

 

[Peter]

You're practically forced to use the K7S5A, for the compatibility with the old graphics card. All the other stuff recommended above - and the ECS L7S7A2 I was going to recommend - won't run a graphics card that does only 1x/2x AGP.

I've been using quite a lot of the K7S5A, both the older and the latest "pro" revisions, with good results. Mind the power supply, this needs to be strong and healthy. 400W, if it's not an overinflated paper tiger rating, should be plenty.

 

[ProviaFan]

Be sure to check ResellerRatings before purchasing from an online shop. I've always used Newegg with much success, but if you find it cheaper, go right ahead with wherever you find it, as long as their ratings on RR don't suck.