Whats the best DDR Board?

[Guest]

I am looking at building a new system but don't have a lot of experience in DDR. I am looking at around a AMD 1GHz 266FSB and want to know what chipset and/or motherboard you all belive is the best. Ali-Majik, VIA, AMD???????????? Please help me out ASAP I am very anxious!!

 

[Tempus]

Definatley the Asus A7M266 which utilizes the AMD760 chipset for DDR. I might have a different opinion once SiS 735 mobos hit the market.

But don't take my word for it! THG has tons of reviews on every DDR board on the market.

- Tempus fugit donec vestrum relictus tripudium. Autem amor praeterea magis pretium.

 

[Guest]

What??? Only 1 reply. Come on people I need more input. What is the best DDR chipset/mobo for a AMD? I was lopoking at the Asus A7A266, any good? Please lets get as many replies as possible.

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[dmcmahon]

He's right, on the market today, get a board based on the AMD 760-series chipset. Not completely sure about the ASUS A7M266, you would need to check the southbridge and avoid the VIA 686B southbridge. Unfortunately very few boards use AMD's southbridge (sorry, can't remember the model number). If you can wait, boards based on nVidia's nForce chipset will appear soon. If I were in the market for a new system, I would be waiting for the reviews of boards based on that chipset (I would be inclined to buy another ASUS board if the reviews are favorable).

 

[Guest]

How soon are the nForce boards supposed to be out? What makes the AMD 760 series better than the AliMagik? It seems to me that hte AmiMagic has more features and stability(correct me if I am wrong).

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[Guest]

how does the AliMagic hold up? I have been hearing completely mixed reviews about it.

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[Guest]

OK How can 66 people view this board and only 3 post? Come on people can't you help me out?

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[Guest]

> What makes the AMD 760 series better than the AliMagik?

Performance. AMD 760 is just as stable but performs better. On the other hand, I've heard ALi are working on the next revision of their chipset, which should improve the so far lackluster performance.

> How soon are the nForce boards supposed to be out?

Right now, it looks like late August - early September, depending on manufacturer. nForce is worth waiting for, though. That's what I've been doing for a couple of months already.

Among the nForce's main attractions are:

(1) The only dual-channel DDR architecture in existence (and it doesn't even require to install RAM in identical pairs!). That yields a whooping 4.2 GB/s bandwidth, more even than dual-channel Rambus.

(2) Crossbar memory controllers. nVidia is famous for their excellent memory controllers, and they are using crossbar technology in GeForce3, too.

(3) Hardware prefetch on the chipset level. In addition to any hardware prefetch that Athlon Palomino has.

(4) HyperTransport bus between Northbridge and Southbridge, up to 800 MB/s. Compare that with AMD760's 133 MB/s and KT266's 266 MB/s. Only SiS 735 has more, up to 1.2 GB/s.

(5) A lot of other exciting Northbridge related features.

(6) The best audio on computer platform. No existing sound card can even compare. Bottomline: No need to buy an inferior SoundBlaster for nigh $200.

(7) The integrated video is only so-so (GeForce2 MX). But it should suffice for the time being, while you're waiting to compare GeForce3 against Radeon 2.

Leo

 

[FatBurger]

The A7M266 is the best, but you'll have people saying otherwise.

The nForce looks like it will blow everything else out of the water, but we'll have to wait and see.

-----------------
Whoever thinks up a good sig for me gets a prize

 

[Guest]

ok I wish I could wait for the nForce but the problem is my computer got blown to bits by a lightning strike and I am doing an Insurance claim. I hate that I can't wait until the nForce comes out but I can't live without a computer(I am sure you all know what I mean). What would you recomend that I get right now that might give me an easy upgrade to the nForce series of mobos? I am looking for something that will alow me to simply replace the mobo without everything else(ie. RAM, Processor). This is why I was looking at something like the Asus A7A266. Is this a good idea? Everyone keeps saying that the AMD 760 is better than the AliMagik1 but I also hear it the other way around. Does anyone know where I can see an acutal review showing me that the AMD 760 is better than the AliMagik or visa versa? All I can find are reviews on which board of each chipset is the best. Please help!!! I am lonely without a computer to mess around on. ;-) I know I need to get a life.

Snert

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[SERVO]

Can't leave out the K7-Master as a proven!! stable DDR MB and a top performer.

 

[Guest]

I just got a ASUS A7M/266 with 1.4 Athlon and 256MB Corsair cas-2. Even with the via drivers I was having problems running the CPU at 133Mhz FSB. Whenever I tried setting this in the BIOS, it just wouldn't boot. In fact at one point it wasn't booting no matter what. I had to remove the battery for 10 minutes to sort the BIOS out.
Then I switched from jumperless mode to using the DIP switches - I'm now running at 1400Mhz stably. However the implication of this is I can't raise the FSB above 133Mhz and cant overclock it. Or so the manual leads me to believe. Anyone know of any DIP settings that can raise the FSB above 133Mhz?

 

[o1die]

If you want to use ddr memory, I suggest you save some money and get an Fic ad11 with the amd 761 chipset. With the proper heatsink, my 1.2 will run at 1380 and is very stable. I found it for only $105 at GPS computer services. The only drawback was the lack of extra fan plugs; it only has one for the cpu fan. I got around this by buying adapters that permit you to connect extra fans directly to the power supply. You can find GPS using the Google search engine. They have good prices for other boards. Newegg also has good prices for motherboards.

 

[Crashman]

A7A266, for about a 2-3% performance penalty you get 100% PCI compatability and no more VIA headaches.

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