Too many choices, need help.

[rootaxs]

Several weeks into my research and with only $200 to spare i'm still at a loss on what budget system i should get (mobo/cpu/maybe memory). I initially wanted the K7S5A based on recommendations by a couple of members, in fact i almost got one from an AT member but unfortunately i didn't have enough funds then. Silly as i am, I took it as maybe a warning from beyond, and after reading on some problems with the battery and unstable nature (PS probs?) of the board i started believing perhaps it was a warning .

Without boring you with more details, can you guys just give me a couple more mobo models that may be worth looking at?

My basic criteria is:
1) Must be stable, this will be a 24/7 system doing a lot of graphic work
2) Can support SDRAM PC100 for now (on a similar note, would i just be better off getting a better board that supports only DDR and sell off what i've got?).
3) Affordable, my target price is $60 but only the ECS seems to fall in this category. So i may go up to $110 as a last resort.
4) Built-in features. I already have a cheapo M64 TNT(2?) video card/Firewire/Audio/Modem and a NIC card so i don't need a lot more, but if the mobo is good maybe i can sell what i got to make up for the difference.
5) Can support slight OC'ing if i get the urge.
6) Almost future-proof. That is, i can upgrade to faster chips or better memory when the time comes.

I'll be doing the see-saw method, wherein if i get an OC-friendly, good yet pricey motherboard i'm going to pair it with an Athlon XP 1600. Alternately, if i get a cheap non-OC friendly board i'm going to pair it up with the fastest processor i can afford.

For your reference, these are the boards that i've researched on so far - all with mixed (or non-existent) reviews.

- Asus A7N266-VM
- Asus A7V8X
- Albatron KX400
- ECS K7S5A
- Epox 8KTA3
- Epox 8K5A2
- Gigabyte GA-7VAXP (btw, Fry's has a sale on this and a retail boxed Athlon XP 2000+ for $159, should i take the plunge?)

And a couple more i can't remember.

 

[Adul]

well a MSI turbo would fit your needs well and it is afirly inexpensive mb.


the Asus A7N266-VM is a Nforce Base chipset, requires DDR, but it is very stable and works well. I have built a few systems of it.

 

[rootaxs]

MSI Turbo? I'll look into that.

How about the KT4 Ultra?

 

[touchmyichi]

yeah get one of those mobo/cpu combos at frys. Very good deals. A while ago they had a 1800+ w/ a msi 266a board for under 100 bucks, you should look for stuff like that. BTW ddr is the way to go if your getting a new proccessor.

 

[rootaxs]

umm... bump?

 

[CraigRT]

if you want something that supports SDR for now, so you can switch to DDR later, you may wanna stick with the K7S5A. Don't buy an SDRAM based mobo only like the 8KTA3, that's a mistake. you want at least DDR support for future.

Adul is right, the MSI K7T Turbo is a good board if you want an all SDR only support mobo, but I don't think that's wise.
DDR has been out for years... to buy SDR is foolish if you're looking for any decent "upgrade".

go K7S5A and a Duron 1.3 or something. You can use your existing SDR RAM and upgrade to DDR when you get the money, and the price drops some more.

hope this helps.

 

[rootaxs]

The ECS board seems to be getting a lot of recommendations. How's that possible with all the problems people are posting about it?

Anyway, what kind of a performance hit am i taking for using PC100 SDRAM as opposed to, say, PC2100 DDR? I use the PC mainly for graphic and video work. Duron is good but i'd rather have an Athlon.

 

[CraigRT]

Well, think about what you're saying.. you'd rather have Athlon, but you are only gonna use PC100?
personally, for just graphics work, I'd rather be on DDR with a Duron, than PC100 with an Athlon. I'd feel too bad for that Athlon not being able to flex it's muscles!

you are talking about "upto" probably 15-20% performance hit with PC100.
I have DDR Duron rigs at work, that actually do feel faster just to "use" than SDR systems paired with Athlons.

 

[rootaxs]

I figured the PC100 would slow things down quite a bit, so if anything i guess i can let go of it in favor of DDR. So say i do go DDR, would the ECS still be a good choice? The MSI KT3 Ultra2 seems to have a lot of good feedback on stability - something which i really fancy

 

[Peter]

Nothing wrong with ECS K7S5A as long as you don't make any mistakes while building the thing. Stable and mature it is, practically everyone who complained turned out to have a poor PSU, bad CPU cooling, or defective RAM.

With PC100 SDRAM, you need to use a 100 MHz bus CPU too, read, a Duron. Spend an extra $5 to get a GOOD power supply unit over a cheap one, else you'll soon regret it.

 

[rootaxs]

Okay. I'm getting a 300w Sparkle. I was contemplating on a 350 Allied but the Sparkle seems to put out more.

Hmm... so Duron and PC100 huh? I guess i am better off going the Athlon + DDR route.