need a good, cheap nforce2 board (& memory to go with it?)

[NTB]

I've got the itch to upgrade again , but I'll be on a tight budget. So as a first step I'd like to replace my existing board (Epox 8k5a2+ - no AGP/PCI lock and only "unofficial" DDR-333 support) with an nforce-2 board, and try my hand at overclocking for a while. I'll replace the memory & eventually the CPU as I get some extra cash. Any suggestions? The only thing I really need is integrated LAN; I've already got sound, video, and fire-wire support, and I've got an add-in PCI IDE controller if I need it down the road, so RAID isn't important. I'm partial to Epox boards myself, but I'm open to suggestions; I'd like to keep the board price under $100 if possible (I know I've seen a few boards @ newegg in the ~$80 range).

What about the Soltek SL-NV400-L64 ? I know there was an earlier nf-2 soltek board that everyone here seemed to like...

Nate

 

[SexyLady]

What sort of Socket CPU does your existing board take, as im partual to the MSI range, i personaly like the MSI-6570-LSR-K7N2-Delta series MSI 6570 K7N2 it has a few things u wont need right away but it means u can upgrade to put them to use in the future at your will, i have made more than one machine with this board and both machines run like a dream!, i have found MSI to be very reliable as well as well priced ... but each to their own and everyone has their favourites ... gl with whatever board u go with

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The Soltek SL-NV400-L64 is a great choice for a solid minimal featured overclocker, but the Shuttle AN35N-Ultra is on sale for 60$@da egg and has the ultra400 chipset so I'd go with it.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
The Soltek SL-NV400-L64 is a great choice for a solid minimal featured overclocker, but the Shuttle AN35N-Ultra is on sale for 60$@da egg and has the ultra400 chipset so I'd go with it.

Cool, thanks for pointing that out! for $60, that'll be hard to pass up . I'm going to dig up a few reviews if I can; maybe I'll order it later this week. Does this thing have an AGP/PCI lock? What about automatic unlocking for the CPUs? I used an nforce-2 board (Epox 8RGA+) for my girlfriend's PC, and it unlocked the CPU without me actually doing anything to the CPU. I just dropped it in. A 266FSB 1700+ is now running 333fsb and 1833MHz on that board

Nate

 

[DAPUNISHER]

It's nF2 brudda, of course t-bred and Barton multiplier manipulation and AGP/PCI lock are featured, along with official 400DDR FSB support :beer:

 

[osage]

I would agree with DAPUNISHER on this one.
Having recently put the AN35 into use I'm very impressed with the board so far. It lacks some of the features of my A7N8X Dlx, but it costs about half of what it did.

I may just get another one.

 

[NTB]

And the deal gets a little better...Newegg just dropped the "sale" price to $56.99

Nate

 

[NTB]

The more I think about this, the more I like it. If I were going to replace my RAM right away too, what would be good to get? I'd like to get 512MB sticks, and I would still be looking for a good deal. I've read quite a bit about Bufalo RAM; what about that?

Nate

 

[osage]

I think the price is good and Crucial has always made quality ram.
They rate on the conservative side so you should have a fair bit of headroom if you are going to OC a bit. For maximum OC you prob want Corsair XMS or some other much more expensive ram.

just a suggestion.

 

[NTB]

Crucial is another good one...I've used their memory and Kingston RAM for a long time, and never had any problems.

Nate

 

[Bonesdad]

Also consider the Buffalo PC3200 Winbond chips from Newegg. Buffalo is a fav here at AT and a fav of mine too. I think 1 stick of 512 is now bout $83. Good memory at a good price...

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Bonesdad
Also consider the Buffalo PC3200 Winbond chips from Newegg. Buffalo is a fav here at AT and a fav of mine too. I think 1 stick of 512 is now bout $83. Good memory at a good price...

if I do get this stuff - have some other expenses to take care of first - I think I'll go with Crucial anyway, baring any major price changes. I found a discount that knocks the crucial PC3200 price to within $1-$2 / stick of the buffalo stuff.

Nate

 

[bootoo]

I have to agree, I know an nv4 board is in my future, good call dapunisher. I would sneak off to amdforums to grab some buffalo ddr 400 from marmaduke who works for buffalo rather than crucial - I've had crucial, I've had buffalo, buffalo rocks.

My 2 cents.

I don't know much though!@