***Update*** Mwave -- BAIT and SWITCH??? on an Enlight 7237 PS?

[Wolfman35]

I use the Abit KT7 for some systems and have had few problems although it seems that Abit still has quality control problems although they are getting better (from the BH6/BX6R2 days when the RMA rate went to 25%). In Dec. 2000 I was using the MSI Pro2 (non A) boards almost exclusively and virtually trouble free but in late Dec. I got a batch of Pro2A's that nearly half (10 out of 20) had some defect. I changed to the Epox and solved most of the problems.

Bottom line on Abit and the MSI Pro2A .... If you get a good one they're great. Much easier OC'ing in BIOS.

 

[gumbysucks]

M-WAVE gets my vote . Bought mobo/combo there last year + cheap video which wasn't compatiable and returned no problem within their 30 days guarrantee. No extra restocking fees even.

 

[azeker1]

Awesome guys! Thanks for all the info. I'll check out the boards from FIC and maybe Epox (Never used either one, I'm mainly a Tyan, Soyo, Asus guy). I'll post what I'm looking at for a final config.

Oh, BTW, sorry I didn't specify, but overclocking is not likely for this guy, stability & price are more important than raw speed (plus anything will blaze after a 150 Cyrix). ;-) Upgradeability is kind of important, but as long as he can go to a 1Ghz T-bird in the future, he should be fine and I think most of these boards will go that far natively w/o OCing.

Based on some things I've read, I think I'll stay clear of the Abit since they excel for OCing, but that is not an issue and quality is (which could be a problem with Abit QC). Thanks for the stability vote on FIC (wyvern) as well as the sound disabling process on MSI/Gigabyte and the suggestion of Epox (Wolfman35). Never used either one nor read many reviews, so probably wouldn't have considered them. Also, since I have never used MWave before it is nice to hear the stories of success (gumbysucks). Thanks gang.

 

[azeker1]

Thanks for all of the help, but I now have a new question. If I don't get the Gigabyte bundle (which is $154)... Which of these two boards is better?

Either of these Mwave options might fit in the budget, but what do I gain with either of these board other than 1) built in audio instead of one ISA slot and 2) a Via chipset instead of the AMD chipset on the Gigabyte board?

$165 = Epox 8KTA+ with 700Mhz OEM Duron
$162 = FIC AZ11E with 700Mhz OEM Duron

 

[Instigator]

azeker1,
I just bought the Epox 8KTA+ with 700Mhz OEM Duron motherboard combo from MWave 1 week ago.
It is a very nice setup. Runs like a champ and if you decide to overclock it is a decent motherboard. I would get the Epox over the FIC, but that is personal preference. Also remember, with the newer KT133 motherboards you do not have close to the stability problems that the 750 Irongate motherboards had. I've bought from MWave many times and they have a good seller rating. Here is exactly what I ordered from MWave:

$165 Motherboard Bundle:
Epox 8KTA+ motherboard
AMD 700Mhz OEM Duron with HSF
$62 ENLIGHT 7237/3 MIDDLE TOWER W/300W ps
$52 CORSAIR VS128MB100 PC100 128mb Cas 3 ram
$25 Shipping
---
$304 (total)

For what you need it would spec out to $252. Also you can knock off another $15 ($237) if you get the ENLIGHT 7237 MIDDLE TOWER W/250W instead of the 300w power supply. Durons do not use as many watts as a Thunderbird so you should be fine with the 250 watt power supply. Also the Enlight 7237 has an exhaust in the back. Good luck.

 

[Instigator]

bump de bump de bump

 

[azeker1]

Thanks, Instigator! Any reason for the Epox over the FIC?

 

[Instigator]

azeker1,
Here is a link to a review Anandtech wrote on the FIC AZ11E:

FIC AZ11E

Here is a link to a review on AthlonMB on the Epox 8KTA+:

Epox 8KTA+

I like the Epox because it has an ISA slot and in most of the reviews I have read the Epox has gotten higher ratings. Hope this helps. Later.

 

[hkctr]

Another vote here for the IW S500. Solid and roomy case. Not much to look at but a pleasure to work with. The only thing you may want to add are some thumb screws to hold the covers on. The only time you need to use a screwdriver is to screw down the motherboard and slot cards.

 

[wyvrn]

If FIC and Epox are same price, go with Epox. I got the older version AZ11 and saved a bit here, the AZ11E is more suitable for overclocking I believe, but you don't need that. Any way you go at this point, you cannot lose.

 

[azeker1]

Thanks gang, looks like I will go with the Epox solution from Mwave.
Do y'all think that the Inwin S500 is better than the Enlight/DTK 7231?

 

[steelnewfie]

Hey man, first post so bear with me... Just bought a T-Bird750 (OEM) + KT-133 MB + case+300W PS for 190+30ship contUSA... Haven't gotten it yet, so can't vouch for case but seems like a good deal...I couldn't find anywhere to beat the prcie...On auction...they were selling up to 25 when I bought...Lemme know if you want more info

Steelnewfie

 

[azeker1]

steelnewfie: Where did you get it?

 

[azeker1]

Thanks to everyone who helped with this. I ended up getting him (1) a mobo with a newer/better chipset & built-in sound, (2) an extra 50Mhz on the CPU, and (3) a better case (w/extra fan) for the same money as my original plan, thanks to your excellent input and advice. Much appreciated! I knew you guys could do it!

Final Purchase:
$174 = (Mwave) Epox 8KTA+ bundle with 750Mhz OEM Duron w/HSF
$ 47 = (Mwave) Enlight 7237 + 250W PS (AMD Approved PS)
$ 24 = Total Shipping
====
$245

 

[Kingofcomputer]

2 years ago, my friend bought a Enlight 7237 from Mwave,
they put a no brand PS instead of Enlight PS.
I'd say don't buy from Mwave definitely.

 

[azeker1]

Anyone know if this will really be an Enlight PS or not? It doesn't actually specify on their web page... Man, I hope they don't swap it out for a POS PS! I already ordered it! Has anyone else had experience with this? If so, any posts would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Guilty]

I have the Enlight 7237/3 from mwave that comes with a 300wat ps. Now, Enlight's 7237 doesnt officially come with 300wat powersupplys, so the one that came in mine was some other brand. The 7237 w/ 250wat ps _should_ be Enlight's ps since the model specifies that it comes with a 250. But the generic brand ps I got works fine with my 1GHz Tbird, the fan in it is just a little loud.

 

[Wolfman35]

I've never bought a 7237 from MWave (I buy all my Enlight direct thru Ingram) but I can't imagine them not using the Enlight PS (the 250W which is AMD Approved up to 800). 2 Years ago Enlight had a batch of bad Power Supplies and I bet MWave was substituting at that time to avoid RMA's. I wouldn't worry now tho.

Also ... Enlight has recently started producing thier own 300W PS (Oct. 2000). It's a Very nice PS that rivals Sparkle and Antec quality. AMD Approves this 300W unit to 1.2G+.

 

[novice]

Well, you made me look! I checked on the Enlight 7237 that I ordered from mwave.com a couple of months ago for $48 incl. 250W power supply. I was surprised that the power supply was an Award brand, not an enlight.:frown: Anybody know if they are decent? That does explain how multiwave can sell the enlight case for cheaper than other places. The other places probably include the actual Enlight power supply. Luckily mine is a Celeron system and I haven't had any problems. I checked my other system, assembled almost a year ago using the same case from mwave. And it doesn't even have a sticker on it so I have no clue as to what kind of PS (or pos ) I have. So I guess if you are concerned about the quality of your Power Supply, you might want to check with mwave before you order to find out what you are actually getting. I am still happy with mine, they both work fine, but then I am running Intel processors and they seem to be less picky about their power supply than the AMD processors/boards are.
Chuck

 

[azeker1]

Well gang, it finally arrived, and just as I feared, it is NOT an Enlight 250W power supply! It is an Award ESP-250 (anyone ever heard of them? do they suck?) This feels like a cheap bait-and-switch and I fell for it. I don't know what to do. Should I send it back and find a *real* Enlight PS, or is it really not going to matter on a Duron 750 system? What do you guys think? Please help. Any feedback is appreciated.

Quandry-man

 

[Kingofcomputer]

When you're buying brand name case, you should expect to get the same brand name PS, unless that case manufacturer doesn't make PS.

7237 and 7233 I bought from Egghead come with Enlight PS, even it's 1.5 years ago, that PS is on AMD's list today.

Buycom, Egghead, Onvia, they all have listed Enlight case without PS, I'm pretty sure there are lots of small mail orders and local stores are selling this with cheapy no brand PS.

Using no brand PS is like gambling, I've seen my friend's 2 computers got burn by no brand PS within a year, everything got burn except cpu and memory, luckily vga card, sound card, cd-rom, etc all are retail, got warranty exchanged. (that's why I highly recommand to buy retail stuff only if you're in US)

 

[azeker1]

^^^