Recomendation needed

[ksherman]

I was lookin around and was wounderin what motherboards you reccomend. i plan to use Athalon XP and DDR. Normally i buy ABIT (well for the past 4 years anyway) but have recently found them a little pricy. what kind of chipsets are recommended?

 

[o1die]

Any kt266a or kt333 board will work well. Check newegg's refurbished section for good deals on customer returns with 30 day warranty and free shipping. They had the abit kr7a for only $89.

 

[Boonesmi]

i agree both the kt266a and kt333 are very good chipsets

the kt333 is newer and does have more features, like ata133
epox 8k3a or 8k3a+(the raid version) would probably be my first choice if i was buying a new mobo

 

[InsaneMorphius]

If you want stability,

Please include the MSI KT3 Ultra-ARU in your search, it is such a stable board + the onboard sound is great. I have this board running an Athlon XP1900+, 512MB XMS2700, Leadtek Ultra A250 TD (GF4 4600), also using the on-board 6.1 sound. I took out my TB Santa Cruz sound card cause the on-board sound is so good IMHO.

Anyhow, I hope this helps you and your search.

Morphius

 

[oldfoof]

Love my Epox 8KHA+

Nuff Said!

 

[bowie71]

ECS K7S5A... cheap, challenging,... and a lot of funs with it,.. it even works with one less capasitor, hahehhehae...

 

[Kuo]

In an effort not to start another thread... I was hoping someone could post more feedback on this issue.

Like the above, I am also lookign to build a new system and have just started the research process again.

The only thing I've definitly decided on is an Athlon XP 1800 w/ 512 DDR RAM (not sure what PCxxxx) I want yet.

I've been looking over mainboards, and the above 2 chipsets were recommended, and another friend still recommended the old yet proven 761.

And then, of the above 2 chipsets, I've only heard talk of the epox 8k3a (kt333 chipset)/8k3a+ (kt333 w/ raid)/8kha+ (kt266a)

So i was wondering if someone could follow up on first if the 2 chipsets recommended really are the "best"

and then given a chosen chipset, which mainboards are the better ones... (meanwhile i'm going to look for more reviews on these epox boards..)

thanks.

 

[drchickenman]

I recently built a new rig and switched from Abit to Soyo. I wanted the kt266a chipset and a RAID controller. Since I have an audigy sound card I wasn't concerned with onboard audio or LAN since I have a network card. I went with the Soyo Dragon Plus because it is AMD recomended, it is a great overclocking board, and it looks good. Since I have moded my case by painting the chassis black with purple highlights and the side of my case is glass, I wanted a pcb that looked good. I already had 2 ata100 hdd's so ata133 capability was not a big concern. The balance is always between performance and dollars. The Soyo is pricey but looks good, runs great, and has lots of options - I really like the smart card reader with 2 USB ports that you can place in a 5.25 bay or 3.5 bay. The MSI may be the most stable board, but doesn't overclock well and has few extras.

 

[CoDerEd]

ABIT KR7A133-RAID

 

[Salvador]

I'm looking for a board now also. I was thinking about one of the new KT333 boards, but I think they are still too new. I thought about putting a XP1900+ on a ECS K7S5A for now until they work the bugs out of the newer boards and then swap later. The ECS board is so cheap and I'm sure I can find a place for it somewhere down the line.

Is my logic flawed here? I've been stalling on this for months now and I just want to pick a mobo and build the damn thing. The mobo is always my sticking point and always puts my plans for my first build on delay.

Thanks.

Sal

 

[tenoc]

Salvador.

No flaw in your logic at all! The SIS 735 chip isn't much slower than the
kt266a and 333 anyhow.

For an extra U$12 look at the K7S6A with SIS 745. A little faster, easier to o/c.

Either way, you might wind up-grading your processor again before the mobo!