recommend me an AMD XP mobo!

[x3ro]

I'm looking to build a new system with an athlon xp....

I'm looking for a solid, o/c'able mobo with SATA support, dual channel DDR support, etc.. etc..

price isn't TOO mcuh a concern, but I'd like to keep it under $150 for the board...

throw out some board suggestions (manufacturers and model #'s preferred)

thanks guys

 

[mechBgon]

Abit NF7-S fits the bill pretty well It's around $100-ish.

 

[CraigRT]

Abit NF7-S or Asus A7N8X deluxe

 

[x3ro]

what do you guys think about the gigabyte 7n400 pro 2 or whatever?

i'll check out the specs on the other two....

some of the stuff i've heard about asus brand stuff i didn't like too well..

i checked out the abit board, doesn't see to have what im really looking for....

 

[mechBgon]

What's missing from the NF7-S, out of curiosity? It has SATA, full SoundStorm audio, the dual-channel northbridge, it's known as a good overclocker...

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: x3ro
what do you guys think about the gigabyte 7n400 pro 2 or whatever?

i'll check out the specs on the other two....

some of the stuff i've heard about asus brand stuff i didn't like too well..

i checked out the abit board, doesn't see to have what im really looking for....

I like Gigabytes myself, but I've never actually OWNED one for myself.
the DFI LANparty NF2 is a nice board too..

 

[nick1985]

shuttle an35n ultra for a cheap solution

 

[LeChuck59]

I'm very happy with my DFI Infinity Ultra.

It's red.

 

[x3ro]

well the gigabyte has 4x EIDE as compared to the abit's 2x.....sometimes i want a lot of drives, and the 2x is really limiting.....the gigabyte also has the dual bios, 4x dimm slots, gigabit ethernet, etc..

also the abit board says nothing about dual channel DDR???

im about to check out the asus......i looked at the shuttle, and its not a board that interests me...

i've heard some not so good things about the DFI board...

 

[x3ro]

checked out the asus board....looks pretty good....

is there an advantage to the actively cooled versus the non-actively cooled chipset thingy (the name escapes me right now)???? i notice the gigabyte and abit have it, but not the asus???

btw, not looking for a cheap solution.....i want a good board that will be useable for the next couple years!

 

[RedScare]

the abit does have dual channel DDR. what have you heard about the DFI board that makes you stray away from it? im currently trying to decide between the DFI and the Abit and am leaning toward the DFI. curious to know what you've heard about it.

 

[x3ro]

Originally posted by: redscare05
the abit does have dual channel DDR. what have you heard about the DFI board that makes you stray away from it? im currently trying to decide between the DFI and the Abit and am leaning toward the DFI. curious to know what you've heard about it.

i've read about some people having problems with them....not exactly sure.....i'd have to research it a bit.....maybe im crazy?

 

[compfreak999]

for a 3 year warrenty for with Asus
for overclocking abit, and dfi

my list would be (considering im not a overclocker and im a light gamer)
a7n8x-E deluxe (currently own)
abit nf7-s
dfi infinity ultra

 

[dennisjai215]

abit nf7-s is not around 100ish it is around 80ish get that its the best!

 

[MDE]

The DFI has a four port SATA controller. If I had cash to burn on another XP setup I'd get the DFI.

 

[SniperMerc]

I'll chime in and say that on the budget end the Shuttle AN35/N 400 Ultra is great at around $60, no sata tho.

Midrange, DFI Nforce 2 Ultra Infinity, abosolutely sweet running board, sound storm, cmos reloaded, 4 sata ports for raid 0, 1, 0+1. $93

High end, if you don't want to have to buy extras like cables, DFI Lanparty Nforce 2 Ultra B. $140

 

[x3ro]

the on board sound i could care less about honestly....i always hated onboard sound....

 

[Mem]

i've read about some people having problems with them....not exactly sure.....i'd have to research it a bit.....maybe im crazy?

You can find people with problems with all brands and models,just go their fourms ,as to DFI Infinity Ultra,well I`ll have to say it is an awesome board,I`ve had mine for awhile now and it has never given me any problems.

For features,price ,OC etc it should be on everybodys list.

 

[CraigRT]

You're just freaking out too much.
decide on which board you like out of these 3, and buy it.
they are all good boards, (the ones that have been mentioned) honestly.

 

[x3ro]

thanks guys....

i've decided on the DFI

 

[SniperMerc]

Originally posted by: x3ro
the on board sound i could care less about honestly....i always hated onboard sound....

The onboard Soundstorm from Nvidia is roughly equivelent to a soundblaster Audigy performance and spec wise, its not like the cheapo solutions, just fyi.

 

[x3ro]

im getting the SB audigy 2 Zs

 

[SniperMerc]

Originally posted by: x3ro
im getting the SB audigy 2 Zs

I have an Audigy 2Zs Platinum, and if it wasn't for all the extra connectors I would yank it out and use the onboard MCP sound, hell I don't even have the MCP-T with dolby digital decoding, but the sound coming from the regular MCP using latest Nforce drivers which lets you finally use NV Mixer on the MCP boards is just stunning.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
Abit NF7-S or Asus A7N8X deluxe

About the NF7-S: Does "Serillel" have the same performance as true SATA? I'm wondering because it seems like shoe-horning SATA into an IDE port.