Need help to decide on motherboard

[Rukmal]

Hi all!
This is my first post to a forum... I need some advice.

I'm trying to put together my own comp, and I've decided on the Athlon XP2000+ with 256MB PC2700 DDR.
I've been checking out THG recently and I was set on a VIA KT333 or KT400 based board (MSI was the first choice).
I am now also considering the Asus A7S-333 with the SIS 745 chipset, but I have two reservations: I've never seen reviews on the SIS chipset, and 2: it only has a 266MHz FSB whereas the VIA is a 333MHz.

What I'd like to know is this... is the SIS chipset on par with the KT333/400, and does the FSB speed (266 over 333) make a difference for the XP2000+ (or anything in an upgrade path)?

Another thing, would the Asus A7V-333 (VIA KT333) be a good choice over the A7S333? How about the Gigabyte GA-7VRXP?
Don't all of these boards have CPU temprature monitoring? Can the monitoring work on Linux?

Thanks. Would appreciate some help!

Rukmal.

 

[RCPilot]

Have you looked at the Nforce chip set? It's the best chip set out there right now for AMD. I'd look at the ASUS A7N8X deluxe.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[Rukmal]

Well, no... but again, from where I live (Sri Lanka) NForce will be pretty difficult to find, not to mention more $$...

How would you compare the VIA KT333, the KT400 and the SIS745 (and maybe for the sake of it, the NForce)?

Thanks again! Would love to hear your opinion on this.

Rukmal.

 

[RCPilot]

Well I'm running ASUS A7V8X with the KT400 chip set. Mine has everything on it & is real fast. I have a XP2400 on it. I'm running the onboard lan & sound, it's great. It set up rock stable right out of the box.

The KT333 board should be cheaper. It wasn't out very long & then they came out with the KT400. Shortly after that the Nforce. So the KT333 board didn't get as many out there. Now most would go with the KT400, I think, if the Nforce wasn't an option.

The SiS745 you mention, I haven't built or used any of them, so can't give you advise on it.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[RobD]

I have the Asus A7S333 at home and it runs like a dream. Very stable chipset, although if you want more performance, it probably isn't the top ranking chipset!

Most machines I build for people have the SiS chipset, as I want them to be reliable and stable uppermost. MSI's boards are very good, built several machines with them in, never any problems.

I have no experience on the KT333/400, and have only dabbled with the nForce (which seems good I must admit).

You're best bet would be to check the boards for postings regarding the particular mobo's you're looking at. That'll give you a good idea of how they perform. There's always lots of info there!

Good luck!

 

[Rukmal]

Thanks to RobD and rcpilot for your advice. I am now seriously considering the nForce2 boards (Asus a7n8x and a7v8x).
Can somebody tell me about the FSB and Memory clock speeds needed for Athlon XP2000+ and PC2700 DDR?

Talk is cheap; cheap talk is priceless.

 

[RCPilot]

Well you've listed 2 different MOBO's. The A7V8X is the VIA chio set MOBO. The A7N8X is the Nforce MOBO. Just wanted get that clear.

XP2000 is a 133 FSB chip. So you could say it's FSB is 266, double pumped 133. PC2700 RAM is DDR333. So you would run in Sync. 133/33 with a XP2000 chip on either of these boards.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[dhlucke]

Not to nitpick on anyone, but make sure you don't buy a Nforce board thinking it's a Nforce 2 board. They're both good, but shouldn't be confused. Everyone here seems to be omitting the 2. Odds are you'll find a Nforce board long before a Nforce 2 board in your neck of the woods.

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[RCPilot]

I agree. I should be more specific with the Nforce2. Just get used to saying Nforce I guess. Thanks.

I'm still learning & having fun doing it!! Trouble comes with the things you forget or overlook along the way that make it not so fun!!

 

[RobD]

Same here, sorry. Got to stop abbreviating!

 

[robertk]

Go for a K7N2-L Its damn fine. Doesnt seem to have the problems taht the KT-4`s suffer from. Including the shaky chipset and its strange reluctance to accept an akasa fan wthout saying that it isnt running. Check this board out.

 

[Rukmal]

Oops! You're right...
Actually I've decided on the board... my first choice is the MSI KT4 Ultra, and that failing, my fallback is the Asus A7V333.
Like I said, I want a board that's extremely stable, runs fast, and works with XP2000+ and PC2700 DDR.
It'll handle it all, right?

Talk is cheap; cheap talk is priceless.

 

[Rukmal]

I take it the K7N2-L is an nForce2 board?
Well, I've made the decision on MSI KT4 Ultra... what kind of problems have you seen with the KT4 boards?
I won't be using a whole load of hardware, and I'll be using only PC2700 memory... I know PC3200 gives some problems... is that what you referred to?

Talk is cheap; cheap talk is priceless.