Need help finding a stable AMD mobo for my friend's computer

[fibes]

I'm building a computer for a friend, and I want the most stable mobo I can find. Component are as follow:

Mushkin 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
Raidmax case w/ 420W PSU
Info-tek ATI Radeon 9600 PRO video card
SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive
Optorite Black IDE/ATAPI 52X32X52 CD-RW Drive
Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE HD
AMD Athlon XP 2600+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB

He does not need SATA. He is going to recycle his PS2 keyboard, mouse, speakers(no subwofer) and 17" CRT monitor.

I was looking into the MSI "K7N2 Delta-L" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard because I'm a big fan of MSI. However, since he is on a budget, I was also considering BIOSTAR "M7NCD" nForce2 400 Chipset Motherboard since it is a little cheaper than the MSI.

Please help me choose the most suitable mobo for my friend's new computer.

P.S. Keep in mind, he is going to use this for surfing, gaming and word processing. He has no intention of OCing the CPU or video card.

Thank you!

 

[o1die]

Go with msi, if those 2 choices are the only ones. I've returned several mobos to them with direct rma, and they got me replacement boards in about 2 weeks. Don't know about biostar.

 

[mechBgon]

Shuttle's AN35N Ultra is another good budget board to look at Ultra400, too. If ultimate stability is your goal, there might be better choices than the Raidmax power supply...

edit: also, if you haven't ordered, can I suggest the Seagate 7200.7 instead of the Western Digital? Fluid bearings mean long-lasting quietness, whereas some WD's develop a nasty, aggravating I-can't-take-it-any-more ZZZZING! noise from their ball-bearing motors. Seagate has a 5-year warranty too.

 

[osage]

what mechBgon said...Shuttle AN35 ultra

 

[fibes]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Shuttle's AN35N Ultra is another good budget board to look at Ultra400, too. If ultimate stability is your goal, there might be better choices than the Raidmax power supply...

mechBgon,
What case would you suggest? I definately do not want to purchase a low quality PSU, since I'm a strong believer that the PSU is the most important componet of the system.


My friend wants a black case with a plexglass window. I would like to keep the costs around $60-70.

Thanks much!

 

[3chordcharlie]

Skip the biostar - I had one that blew out after a couple of months, run with a quality PSU, not OC'd or anything like that. Biostar tech support was not very helpful, and told me it was unlikely there would be a replacement due to 'physical damage to the board' (a capacitor blew!).

Spend the extra $10 to get the Asus nf2 400 board (A7N8X-X I think), or go with one of the other suggestions, but skip the biostar.