Which Iwill KK266 should I get?

[RicoJ]

I just came from Newegg and saw the Iwill motherboard which is what I want to get to upgrade to a Athlon 1.2 from a Celeron 400. Can someone decide between these two?

For $109.00
IWILL KK266 VIA Apollo KT133A Chipset, 266MHz Bus, Socket A Motherboard with Sound, 6-PCI, 1-ISA (1 shared), 1-AGP, 3-DIMM, on-board Audio. Retail Box v.1.2 *bug free*

For $122.00
IWILL KK266-R VIA Apollo KT133A Chipset 266MHz Bus Socket A Motherboard, AMI® ATA/100 IDE RAID Controller. Dual ATA/100 IDE Channels, With Sound with 6PCI 1 ISA (1 shared) 1 AGP slot - Retail Box Dual ATA/100 IDE Channels.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Rico.

 

[Dundain]

Well, more depends upon what ya want. The only real difference is the inclusion of the RAID setup which allows you a total of 4 more IDE drives (only hard drives!). If ya dont need them, or dont plain on using a RAID setup (IDE software that is) then get the regular version and safe a few bucks.

 

[bonkers325]

newegg was selling the kk266 for $107 last week
hmm went up

 

[Technonut]

Personally, I like to use boards that have the extra IDE ports so I can run my 2 hard drives, CDRW, and DVD set as master on their own channels. The RAID option is also there for you in case you have need for it.

 

[RicoJ]

I have changed my mind. I am going to go with the ASUS board. I have heard that IWILL does not have very good customer service.

 

[kgraeme]

Every MB manufacturer has customer support horror stories. We only ever hear the complaints.

For the sake of posterity, I just want to answer the original question: which board? The raid version isn't worth the extra money.

I have the KK266-R. I tried putting my hard drive onto one of the raid ports to use them as normal IDE. Problems I encountered:

1. Registry error warnings. (Dealt with by disabling the scan at boot.)
2. File transfer problems. (Couldn't install from CD to drive.)
3. CD burning from a disk image on the HD could BSOD.
4. Switching back to the normal IDE ports made all problems go away.

I'd say that's enough for me. From now on, if I want extra ports I'll buy an add-on IDE controller.

 

[duragezic]

I'd get the regular KK266 unless you need the RAID. You could put on other devices on the controller like said though but I'm not sure if that causes any problems. I wish all mobos had 4 regular ports though. In fact I thought they did since my BE6 had two ata/33 and two ata/66 so I could have all my devices on their own controller.

Why would you get the ASUS? The IWill is arguably the best KT133a board out. Check out Anandtech's latest roundup. The ASUS and IWill are both very good but I really don't see any reason to get the ASUS over the IWill.

 

[shawnman]

I agree go with the KK266. I am a big ASUS fan, in fact this is only the 3rd non ASUS board I have owned.

The KK266 will give you the stability that you have come to expect as an Asus fan.

I also debated between the Asus and Iwill, but in the end Iwill won because all the reviews placed it at the top. I'm not saying the Asus board is bad, it would be my 2nd choice.

Bottom line: If you go with the Iwill kk266 you wont be disappointed.

 

[Technonut]

<< I have changed my mind. I am going to go with the ASUS board. I have heard that IWILL does not have very good customer service. >>


On the contrary, IWill has some of the best RMA support that I have enjoyed. I had to RMA a KK266/R recently. I actually was not placed on hold long, and within minutes of speaking to tech support, was issued an RMA #. The replacement board was shipped back to me within a couple of days of IWill receiving the one sent back.

I have had no problems running 4 drives set as master on their own channels on either the A7V133 or KK266/R. They are both very good boards. If you want a good chance at higher FSB overclocking get the IWill. I have been through a few A7V133's, and the one that I use now has a week 51 Northbridge that can be run up to a 160 FSB with the RAM at 3-2-2. I could not get near as much out of the other A7V133's with different week NBs.

 

[SpeedRacer05]

I have an Iwill KK266, its a great motherboard, except when you have a problem, I e-mailed tech support back and forth for weeks without an answer or basically any real help. I ended up finding all of the info on my own. But yes when it came time to RMA it was a speedy process.

 

[hairygit]

At least your choices between Iwill and Asus are good.
In one respect, these are the only 2 DDR mobo manufacturers that are not subscribing to that damned PHOENIXNET bios crap.

I am going for the Iwill with no RAID. Looks good.

 

[DirkBG]

:Q Gimme a break! I've owned Asus boards for years, and own one now, but I have yet to find anyone who has EVER been contacted by Asus support in response to a problem. They specifically tell you to contact the vendor for support. I don't know if Iwill is any better in that regard, but Asus is a known quantity and it cannot be considered &quot;good&quot;. The moral is to buy from a good vendor that can help you if any problems arise.