what brand kt266a mobo should i get?

[hashbrowns]

i'm getting an xp1700 and i want to get a kt266a mobo. which brand mobo should i get? i've tried to find the asus board without the 6 channel audio thing cuz i'm assuming it'd be cheaper than having it. does anyone know where i can get one or if i should get a different board?

 

[Jabroni]

Get the ASUS board -- I am

Every time I get a different brad of board something is not right, or at least as 'right as it should be'

It seems worth the extra $40 to me. (After owning and hating the MSI Pro2-RU board -- BTW it is on sale on e-gay )

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[weovpac]

I love my Soltek SL-75DRV2. Very stable and good overclocking. Newegg has it for $99 and free shipping. And check out the links to the two reviews, on that same page.

 

[WhiteWizard]

Get ASUS for your primary machinne, and another cheap for burning or backup. I'm using a BIOSTAR with Win98se and works OK, of course, no overclocking no extrange things, but it would save my life if some day the ASUS gives up!.

ASUS A7V133
Athlon 1200 b @ 1333Mhz (by BIOS)
512Mb PC133 Spectek
TITAN D4T and 3 case fans
RAID 0 with two IBM Desktars 15Gb 7200RPM ATA 100
Creative Anihilator II
SB Live! Platinium
ViewSonic GS790
Win XP PRO

 

[Mavrick007]

It really depends on what you want. If you want a fast machine with built in raid, go with Abit KR7a-Raid, if you want great overclockability go with the Epox 8KHa+ or the Soltek SL-75DRV2. If you're trying to save money, go with ECS, or go with Asus or Abit if you have lots of money to throw at the machine.

I am about to get a Soltek SL-75DRV2 cause I just want a quick, stable, good overclocker for a good price tag.. and I just found one for an unbeatable deal at about $86 US. Check out the software included, the reviews on the board(faster than Epox in most overclocks), the simple layout of the board and everything. I was going to go with the Abit KR7a-Raid, but I can save alot of money and get a better cpu now. Plus, there will be better and newer boards out in a couple of months for the new chipsets and cpus. I would hate to slap down alot of $ on a board or cpu and find out that I'm not even close to being up to date in less than 2-3 months.

If you can wait for an upgrade, I would say wait til the Thoroughbred, Barton, or dare I say it the Clawhammer comes out and then spend your bucks on a newer technology(hehe I can't wait any longer cause my old POS is about 2-3 generations behind now).

 

[Boonesmi]

dont forget the soyo dragon either

below are my 4 favorite socketA boards (i like all of them, the ones at the bottom of the list are still good boards)

this is how i would list them if price was NOT a concern:
a7v266-e
soyo dragon+
soltek SL-75DRV2
epox 8kha+

if price was the main factor:
epox
soltek
soyo
a7v266-e

for me personally i want performance and features:
1. soyo dragon+ (the dragon has RAID... "high" quality onboard sound, it does not use the ac'97 codec... it also comes with integrated 10/100 LAN.. and on top of all that it comes with the smart card reader (which also has two extra USB ports) )

 

[Boonesmi]

you may also want to check out this review at toms hardware... it reviews 13 boards

here is a link for you

 

[Wind]

I use Epox 8KHA+. It has been fast & stable. No probs. Selling around $100.00.

 

[t4t3r]

take a look at the epox 8kha+. very stable and easily overclockable. at newegg for about $100-105.



t4t3r