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Motherboard recommendations ? (specs inside)

S

Smolek

Diamond Member
Looking to build a new machine and wanted to get a couple board recommendations first. Theres a few im considering but wanted to see if anyone suggested something better. Price isnt a major point but would prefer a reasonably priced one. The *expected* specs are below (just ignore non important specs)

Athlon XP 1.3-1.5 ghz range
256 ram sdram/ddr both open options
Basic Sound blasters live card
2 IDE HD (60 & 80 7200rpm)
Floppy & zip drive
24x10x40 cd-rw

Need AGP (for video), and a min 4 pci slots. Dont plan on overclocking since this will be fast enough. Also afa the psu goes was thinking about going with the 400w unit (to allow for most future setups and additions) but also have a few 350+'s w around, would those hold up or should I just go with the 400?
 
I use an Epox 8k7a which is a rock solid board. However, the 8kha+ seems to be all the rage. it uses the KT266a chipset. Supposed to be a bit faster than the 761. Plus you should add an Alpha PAL8045 and quiet fan (panaflo or enermax adjustable IMHO) to the list, you will be very happy.
 
If you want the best stability, I would go w/ a AMD761 based board.

Speed, go w/ a KT266A based.

Epox seems to be the choice for either of those, with Shuttle AK31 being a close second if you want cheaper. Also consider the Soyo Dragon+ if you want more features.

If you want something cheap, consider an SIS735 board, like the ECS K7S5A.

If you are not into gaming heavily, you should consider the nForce boards too. They have built in GF2MX-ish video, great built in sound, built in LAN, and are fast for about $150. Heavy gamers will want a new AGP card anyway though, so it may not be worth the extra cash. There will be nforce boards available shortly without the built in video though.

j
 
IMHO it all depends on what you're looking for. I think most of the 266a boards out there are pretty similar except for features. So if you want integrated lan or what have you then you should look at those boards. If you don't need any special features and are budget minded then I'd look at the ~$100 boards like the MSI pro2, Epox, and the shuttle for $80. Just my two cents.
Scoob
 
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