I need to get a new mobo and was wondering how the nForce boards are, specifically the MSI K7N415 and the Abit NV7-133R. The MSI board looks good but the Abit is the same except with USB 2.0 and Raid. I especially want to know how performance is compared to the KT266A and how good the sound quality is. SoundBlaster Live good? I have read all of the reviews, but now I want to hear it from the users themselves. LMK what you guys think!! Thanks in advance!
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NFORCE OPINIONS NEEDED!!!
- Thread starter jv316
- Start date
AnAndAustin
Platinum Member
😉 The nForce mobos are good stable mobos.
🙁 They are slower than both the KT266A & KT333, but you're not talking much.
😀 The KT333 is the only SktA mobo to gain perf from a sync operation of 266FSB & 333RAM. SiS runs slower at 266+333 than it does at 266+266! nForce gains nothing from what I hear.
🙁 O/C! nForce plain suck at this. VIA KT266A/333 are easily the o/c king. AthlonXP's up to XP2000+ should obtain a 145 (290) FSB. You'll gain the best perf from either 266A or KT333 using DDR333 CL2.5 (PC2700) set at 145FSB and RAM timings of 2-2-2.
😀 nForce has got great quality o/b components. The 5.1 sound easily equals the SB Live family, esp for CPU usage. The LAN/NIC is also very good and allows settings to alter CPU usage depending on how important throughput is to you.
😉 If you're unsure whether you need RAID or not then you don't. Don't pay extra. USB2 is a definite advantage, well worth paying a little more for.
🙁 MSI have seemed a bit more miss than hit lately, a shame because they used to be among the best. Abit are quite pricey, but most users say they're worth it!
😀 I would suggest shopping mostly by cost. SktA is looking bleak with the 0.13mu T.bred AthlonXP's both delayed and a huge let down. The Hammer/Opteron should be AMD's saviour but will use a new Skt interface. Heck, the SktA has done fantastic but has been in use from 600mhz CPUs, perhaps showing its age and its bottlenecks a little now. It's a shame that AMD seem unable to make the most of SktA, but a 0.13 CPU that runs VERY hot at 1.8ghz (albeit XP2200+ equiv to a P4 2.2ghz @ 400FSB) and archy that doesn't gain from DDR333 nor 333 synced FSB simply give concern.
😉 With the Skt478 P4A (Northwood 400FSB) being bargains and easily o/c to 2.1ghz on a 533FSB I would certainly consider them. The Skt478 mobos aren't that pricey (SiS650 $50) and now that they can get the best from DDR333 they aren't an expensive option. Most Skt478 mobos also come with ATA133, AGP 8x & USB2 as standard. Just thought it might be a consideration.
🙁 They are slower than both the KT266A & KT333, but you're not talking much.
😀 The KT333 is the only SktA mobo to gain perf from a sync operation of 266FSB & 333RAM. SiS runs slower at 266+333 than it does at 266+266! nForce gains nothing from what I hear.
🙁 O/C! nForce plain suck at this. VIA KT266A/333 are easily the o/c king. AthlonXP's up to XP2000+ should obtain a 145 (290) FSB. You'll gain the best perf from either 266A or KT333 using DDR333 CL2.5 (PC2700) set at 145FSB and RAM timings of 2-2-2.
😀 nForce has got great quality o/b components. The 5.1 sound easily equals the SB Live family, esp for CPU usage. The LAN/NIC is also very good and allows settings to alter CPU usage depending on how important throughput is to you.
😉 If you're unsure whether you need RAID or not then you don't. Don't pay extra. USB2 is a definite advantage, well worth paying a little more for.
🙁 MSI have seemed a bit more miss than hit lately, a shame because they used to be among the best. Abit are quite pricey, but most users say they're worth it!
😀 I would suggest shopping mostly by cost. SktA is looking bleak with the 0.13mu T.bred AthlonXP's both delayed and a huge let down. The Hammer/Opteron should be AMD's saviour but will use a new Skt interface. Heck, the SktA has done fantastic but has been in use from 600mhz CPUs, perhaps showing its age and its bottlenecks a little now. It's a shame that AMD seem unable to make the most of SktA, but a 0.13 CPU that runs VERY hot at 1.8ghz (albeit XP2200+ equiv to a P4 2.2ghz @ 400FSB) and archy that doesn't gain from DDR333 nor 333 synced FSB simply give concern.
😉 With the Skt478 P4A (Northwood 400FSB) being bargains and easily o/c to 2.1ghz on a 533FSB I would certainly consider them. The Skt478 mobos aren't that pricey (SiS650 $50) and now that they can get the best from DDR333 they aren't an expensive option. Most Skt478 mobos also come with ATA133, AGP 8x & USB2 as standard. Just thought it might be a consideration.
Athlon4all
Diamond Member
Not necessarily true when Asus' nForce boards are concerned. Go o [l=this]http://www.aceshardware.com/read.jsp?id=45000290p/l] Ace's hardware article. They declared the A7N266-E (nfore 420-D) the best ocing SOcket A board.
Usually this is true, but the NV7-133R is pretty much the most feature packed board for the price. At about $80-90, you get RAID, DD 5.1 Sound, Ethernet, and USB2!!!:Q Not hot ocing tho
Pheran
Diamond Member
Well, I seem to keep posting the same message over and over, but here goes again. 🙂
I just built my new system with an Abit NV7-133R, and it works great! This board is dirt cheap (<$100) and has damn near every feature you could ever wish for. USB 2.0, ethernet, 5.1 DD audio, ATA133 RAID, you name it, it's there. I can definitely recommend it to anyone who is not interested in overclocking.
Marlin: These are nForce 415 boards, there is no integrated video.
I just built my new system with an Abit NV7-133R, and it works great! This board is dirt cheap (<$100) and has damn near every feature you could ever wish for. USB 2.0, ethernet, 5.1 DD audio, ATA133 RAID, you name it, it's there. I can definitely recommend it to anyone who is not interested in overclocking.
Marlin: These are nForce 415 boards, there is no integrated video.
I disagree about an Nforce board being slower than a KT266A board... I have both and the Nforce board scores on average, 500 points higher in 3dmark2001. I have a regular G3(240core/500mem) with xp1800+ and I bench around 8200 (default). The MSI board is fantastic. The ethernet works flawless, the integrated sound is the best you can buy. I remember when Newegg was selling the K7N for $89 ... that was an absolute steal. My friend just bought a Gigabyte KT333 board... and I really regret suggesting it, cuz it's pretty disappointing... thought it would overclock effortlessly and I thought the integrated sound would be decent. The sound has got to be the worst I've ever listened to, and it's supposed to be hardware based (Creative C5880)... there is no comparison to the Nforce chipset sound. It's really nice being able to output dolby digital right to my stereo. The Nforce is such an underated chipset...my first choice would be MSI's implementation (I like to use big words)Text
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