Need Suggestions RE: A New Socket A Motherboard (nonDDR)

[Dan]

I've had two new EPoX 8KTA3/+ motherboards go belly up in the past 16 days. :disgust: Obviously I'm reluctant to try a third so what alternatives should I consider? Here are some things to take into account in making your recommendation:

• I will be using a T-Bird 1.33GHz chip and a Thermalright SK6/Delta 60mm HSF combo.
  I will be overclocking so a board with a full range of "tweaks" is important.
  The ability to "tweak" via the bios rather than via jumpers is desireable.
  I've got two 256MB sticks of PC-133 SDRAM arriving from Crucial Technologies tomorrow. Should I stay with those or sell them and go the DDR route?
  Onboard sound is not important as I plan to get a Santa Cruz sound card.
  I want RAID, for the extra IDE channels.
  I use an Enlight 7237 case with an HEC 300Watt power supply.

Did I leave anything out? What do you guys recommend?

 

[Athlon4all]

For SDRAM, IWill KK266-R, and Abit's KT7A-RAID should be great for you. Both have loads of ocing options, both have Raid. I would persoanlly sell the PC133, and get DDr, it's the future and it costs the same as PC133 (The mobo's too cost the same as SDR mobo's). For a DDR mobo with RAID, and loads of OCing options, I would have to say Abit's new KG7-RAID but it's almost $200 at the moment. I would suggest MSI's K7 Master, but it only has a SCSI version so, I would have to say go with the KG7-RAID, it's price should be down to sea level by the fall.

 

[Dan]

Thanks for the tips. I had an Abit KT7 prior to the EPoX and it was a good board. I've also heard good things about the Iwill mobo. I'll take a closer look at both.

 

[heffe734]

why not go DDR...so cheap...return those 256 sticks of pc 133...and get urself an epox 8k7a.

 

[Egrimm]

I'm very satisfied with my MSI K7T Turbo Limited Edition. And for oc it is great (can go as far as 199 fsb, everything (including multiplier) is ajustable from the bios and fsb directly from Windows). And it is the most stable mobo I've ever had, beating all my old Asus boards.
But if ddr is that cheap, why do not go for that? I had to go with the sdr solution since ddr-ram still costs more than twice as much here in Denmark

 

[Dan]

Okay, okay! LOL... You convinced me. I just got an RMA number from Crucial. The SDRAM goes back and they are cross-shipping me 2 256MB sticks of 2100 DDR. So now it's a new ballgame but the question remains the same: which mobo?

 

[Dan]

Sorry... Double post.

 

[Technonut]

I am running both the A7V133, and the KK266-R. They are both great, stable boards. If you are after good, stable, high FSB OCing I suggest the KK266-R. I have been through a few A7V133s, and while all were rock solid, only the one in my primary system with a week 51 Northbridge allows me to reach a stable 160 FSB with the RAM at 3-2-2. The KK266-R is running at a 165FSB with the RAM at CAS3, fastest memory settings. You could grab either at http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.asp?catalog=22 for a very good price.

 

[Dan]

I've pretty much settled on the KK266-R and more than likely will get it from newegg. One thing that's a drag: newegg won't let me do a "will-call." They insist on shipping it to me, even though I work just a couple of miles from them.

 

[coolunderfire]

In my opinion, the Iwill KK266-R is an excellent choice. However, the AMI Megaraid is a pain in the butt to set up properly. If I had it to do over, I'd buy a KK266 and use a Promise RAID 100 PCI card for the RAID application. Other than that, I've seen no issues using the 0426 unmodified BIOS and 4.31 VIA drivers. It's rock solid and stable.
I also think very highly of the Asus A7V133 board. The onboard Promise RAID 0 chip works quiet nicely.

 

[shawnman]

<< Okay, okay! LOL... You convinced me. I just got an RMA number from Crucial. The SDRAM goes back and they are cross-shipping me 2 256MB sticks of 2100 DDR. So now it's a new ballgame but the question remains the same: which mobo? >>





<< I've pretty much settled on the KK266-R and more than likely will get it from newegg. One thing that's a drag: newegg won't let me do a &quot;will-call.&quot; They insist on shipping it to me, even though I work just a couple of miles from them. >>



FYI: The Iwill kk266-R is a SDRAM mobo.