Which Motherboard Should I Get?

[hp660c]

Hi,
I am going to be building a system for a friend of mine. We are putting a Thunderbird 850 in and I am a little confused over which board is the best for him. He is NOT going to overclock at any time, so ocing isnt needed for this board. But Stability, performance, and upgradability is needed (of course). I was leaning towards the Abit KT7A, but if the only difference between it and the regular Abit KT7 is ocing options, then why buy the KT7A??? The question lies around this. Does the KT7A offer bug fixes that were in the original KT7? That is the major question.

My next question is this. Should i be concerned over what case/power supply i buy with this mobo and processor being im not going to be ocing them? I know ive read alot that says you MUST get a good power supply for these Tbirds. What's the scoop when not ocing though? Any recommendations? Preferably less than 80 bucks TOTAL for case & power supply.

Thanks A Million,
hp660c

 

[BadBrad]

I've had great luck with the Epox line of KT133 & KT133A base MoBos. Newegg.com has the EP-8KTA+(KT133 based)for $90 or the EP-8KTA3(KT133A Based)for $117 shipped right now.

 

[hp660c]

Thanks for the reply.

OK, can you tell me the differences between the KT133 and the KT133A??? One has UDMA100 support and one doesnt? What advantages would my non ocing friend see in the KT133A? Other than a lighter pocket ?

Thanks,
hp660c

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

The KT133A supports 133Mhz FSB Athlons. Has more of a future than the KT133's.

 

[hp660c]

OK, gotcha. Well, my friend really doesn't use his computer for anything BUT playing Solitaire the internet, Office, and that's about it. So i figure he wont need to update for quite some time if we get him an 850 tbird. Now im stumped on what board to get. I've been reading about the Epox 8KTA2 & 8KTA3. The 8KTA2 is only 100, and sounds like a solid board, but the 8KTA3 is 120, and is also a solid board. But then you look and the Abit KT7A is 140, heh. Whatcha think would be a wise choice for my situation?

Thanks for the help,
hp660c

 

[dirkdaring]

I got a case and mboard (+cpu, etc) from here. The case rocks, just ask around. You definately need a good case, 300watts and AMD approved for a Tbird.

Edit: If he's just using the computer for simple things, why a T-Bird? A cheaper Duron would be more than enough but it's your/his choice.

As for the board... I donno. I have the MSI Pro2A that I'm quite happy about. It's rock stable with a Duron 700@850. Abit makes great boards also though that last a hell of a long time. Read around and check reviews.

http://www.monarchcomputer.com/

Case:
Enlight 7237 Mid ATX w/ 300 Watt Power Supply, $79.00

• 4 - 5.25" Bays
  2 - External 3.5" Bays
  1 - Internal 3.5" HDD Bays
  300 Watt Sparkle UL Power supply: This case and 300 watt power supply will power the 1000MHz processor, but we recommend a 350 watt power supply for peak performance
  7.7" x 16.7" x 18.9"
  Recommended for the AMD Athlon 750 and above, and all Intel CPUs.
  Front cooling Fan
  Easy assembly (no screws)
  3 piece construction
  Second fan optional (part# 100510)

Mboard:
MSI K7T Pro 2-A / (MS) Motherboard, Price: $110.00

• CPU: Socket A for AMD(R) Duron(TM) and Athlon (TM) processorSupports 600MHz and higher processors.
  Memory: 3 DIMM supporting up to 1.5GB.
  Slots: One AGP (AGP 2.0 compliant 1X/2X/4X); Six PCI; One CNR (Communication Networking Riser)
  Supports Ultra DMA ATA 33/66/100: Yes
  Audio: VIA(R) VT686A integrated AC97' audio controller.
  Form Factor: ATX form factor. Dimension: 30.4cm x 20.3cm
  BIOS: Plug & Play BIOS
  Chipset: VIA(R) KT-133 chipset (552 pin BGA)
  On-Board IDE: VIA(R) VT686B integrated IDE controller, two dual channel connecting up to four IDE devices
  On-Board Peripherals: 1 floppy; 2 serial ports; 1 parallel port (SPP/EPP/ECP mode); 4 USB ports (2 rear connectors); 1 IrDA connector (SIR/CIR/ASKIR/HPSIR); 1 Audio/Game port
  Retail Box - Includes cables, manuals, and drivers

 

[hp660c]

Thanks for the reply.

Reason we are going with an 850 Tbird is cost, its only a little less for the 850 duron, so i figured, why not

I'm gettin this stuff at my local computer expo this weekened. So the only problem im going to have is finding a case and power supply that is approved. I'll have to tell them i want an amd approved 300 watt power supply (have AMD's list already printed to double check though) before buying the case and PS.

I noticed you have 256Megs of Generic ram. Everything i read tells me to NEVER buy generic ram when dealing with Tbirds. What have you found?

Right now it's a toss up between the less expensive Epox 8KTA2 or the Epox 8KTA3, both seem like great boards. MORE RESEARCH hehe


Thanks,
hp660c

 

[CraigRT]

I have 192 MB of Generic PC133 RAM in my T-Bird 900 system, (on it now) it runs like a dream, it's actually not Generic it's called Azen but its close enough it's what you get when you ask for the cheap RAM over the counter. it works very well with this regular RAM so far!

 

[hp660c]

OK, heres the deal so far.

My first top choice for a motherboard is going to be the Epox 8KTA3, but, if the expo im going to doesn't have it, which motherboard would you guys pick next, the Iwill KK266, or Abit-KT7A. Remember, not overclocking, just sticking with whatever tbird i put in it. I want a mobo that would be reliable, and a good performer too.

Any input would be appreciated.

hp660c

 

[Pers]

You might face some problems with the kk266, but thats mostly when ocing, and i see that ur not going to..

But i would get a 700mhz duron, and try ocing it to 900mhz(good chance it will) rather than buying an 850 tbird since all your friend is doing is playing solitaire and internet...

 

[hp660c]

Hi,
Thanks for the suggesstions. Yeah, i tried telling my friend that he would see no difference in performance if he went from a Duron 700 to a TBird 1GHZ, but he said that he wants to get it now and not have to worry about upgrading it for a little while. heh, his last computer is a Cyrix 200, 16MB RAM, 2 GB Hd . So that should tell you how he likes to upgrade.

Just curious, i never see charts of performance comparing Duron's to TBirds, what would the performance increase be for games and Office going form the Duron 800 to the TBird 1GHZ?


Thanks,
hp660c

 

[SammyBoy]

My friend has a kt133 msi board. Actually 2 friends. One has the pro, the other has the pro2-a

neither have had any problems at all and neither of them overclock.

I think that would be a good board too, but I would go with the epox

 

[KevinH]

If you're not overclocking, not doing anything of that nature, then I'd suggest the MSI k7-turbo.

 

[TungFree]

U mentioned upgradebility so I will add that I am now waiting for the boards coming up that u may see that have both DDR and SDRAM slots, and will be compatable with Palamino.
st least 2 or 3 already commited to the duo ram slot, Asus is all I can recal.

 

[hp660c]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to try and get the Epox 8KTA3. As far as the new mobos coming out for the Palamino, well, expo is this weekend, dont think those will be out that quick

So what is the performance difference between a Duron 800 and TBird 1GHZ? In Office, games, and the such.

Thanks,
hp660c

 

[hp660c]

Hello again,
Was just noticing the TBirds that run off of a 133mhz bus (esentially 266mhz), would we see any performance increase by going with a 1GHZ w/266mhz bus speed instead of the normal 200mhz bus speed? If so, what would the "real world" increase be. Cause if the processor isnt that much more, might as well get it.

Next question, if it would be adviseable to get the 266mhz flavor, will the Epox 8KTA3 OR 8KTA2 support it with PC133 RAM? Or do i HAVE to have the VC Ram to make it work?

Thanks,
hp660c

 

[Super6]

I have the Epox 8KTA2 which is the MB you should get if you don't plan on overclocking. It will not support the new 266MHz Tbirds. If you go that route then get the 8KTA3 which supports the 133MHz FSB. Both boards support ATA100.

Super6

 

[hp660c]

Yup, its either the 8KTA3 or the 8KTA2 i think right now. You have any problems/complaints about the 8KTA2? Kind of processor you using in yours? It stable for ya?

Thanks,
hp660c