ECS Boards, Quality?
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Last response: in Motherboards
Lord Gornak
February 27, 2008 4:46:12 PM
I've built several systems with ECS boards in the past and the failure rate seems to be the same as Gigabyte, MSI, etc. I'm just curious, what are your perceptions of the quality of ECS motherboards? Fry's ALWAYS includes them in their CPU/MOBO combo deals, is it just because ECS skimps on the features of the boards to cut costs or is the quality substandard?
More about : ecs boards quality
TSIMonster
February 27, 2008 5:08:19 PM
I have had great results from ECS boards. They work great for budget systems. Everyone I have had overclocks decently (no vcore control though) and have all lasted. I have one that is going on 7 months and one that is going on 2 years, both overclocked.
I have had to RMA one of them through newegg due to a power surge, but that went smoothly and wasn't really the board's fault. I have not actually had to deal with ECS directly, but their website is easy to navigate.
I have had to RMA one of them through newegg due to a power surge, but that went smoothly and wasn't really the board's fault. I have not actually had to deal with ECS directly, but their website is easy to navigate.
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Lord Gornak
February 27, 2008 5:19:18 PM
TSIMonster
February 27, 2008 6:25:32 PM
mpavao81
February 27, 2008 6:56:31 PM
I built my mother a system about 5 years ago with a ECS board to save some money it died after about 3 months, got a replacement from ecs second one lasted about 10 months and died again(and it was a pain in the butt to get ECS to replace it) Paid like $30 to ship it back to ecs for a replacement and the board was only worth $60. My brother also used one about 5 years back to save some money and his died after about 4 months. I had one in a system i built for myself about 5 years ago and it too died after about 4 months, which i replaced with a asus which im still currently using. My asus board that i got after the ecs has been problem free for close to 5 years.
I my self will never own/buy/or recommend another ECS board to anyone ever. there are nothing but junk. And dealing with ECS to get boards replaced under warranty is a pain in the butt.
I my self will never own/buy/or recommend another ECS board to anyone ever. there are nothing but junk. And dealing with ECS to get boards replaced under warranty is a pain in the butt.
I have owned a few, no problems with them. They are for the budget minded. If you plan on overclocking, building to game, etc. you are probably better off not starting your build with an ECS board.
When you go to Frys to buy an ECS combo, just tell them that the combo is a great deal, but you want a better board with more features.
I have done this a few times and every single time they have let me pick out whatever board I wanted, and gave me a pretty good discount on it.
When you go to Frys to buy an ECS combo, just tell them that the combo is a great deal, but you want a better board with more features.
I have done this a few times and every single time they have let me pick out whatever board I wanted, and gave me a pretty good discount on it.
Slobogob
March 1, 2008 1:42:34 PM
juglenaut
March 11, 2008 1:59:43 AM
themyrmidon
March 11, 2008 2:41:39 AM
juglenaut
March 12, 2008 2:11:14 PM
ECS's tech support is not the best in the market, and their bios updates are questionable, but the mobos from ESC look like just about every other PCB that past through my hands.
My main complaint on the KA3 is the fact the bios is soldered in place and not socketed what is up with that. If I ever have to replace the chip I will have to bring it to work and use my SMT tools.
I have a wide share of problems with other MoBo manufactures as well.
My main complaint on the KA3 is the fact the bios is soldered in place and not socketed what is up with that. If I ever have to replace the chip I will have to bring it to work and use my SMT tools.
I have a wide share of problems with other MoBo manufactures as well.
bombasschicken
March 12, 2008 2:55:55 PM
olin9
March 12, 2008 2:58:20 PM
mrgoodbar
March 13, 2008 12:40:56 AM
mrgoodbar
March 13, 2008 1:13:25 AM
jitpublisher said:
I have owned a few, no problems with them. They are for the budget minded. If you plan on overclocking, building to game, etc. you are probably better off not starting your build with an ECS board. When you go to Frys to buy an ECS combo, just tell them that the combo is a great deal, but you want a better board with more features.
I have done this a few times and every single time they have let me pick out whatever board I wanted, and gave me a pretty good discount on it.
Sorry I had to quote this and almost not laugh at you but at the quote itself, the people at the frys in california are freakin evil and dont want to help you. Their customer service sucks but they have good prices what can you do, you need your computer stuff. They would never let you choose another board like that in the frys in cali, in fact I tried to return a ecs board and they said I had to also return the cpu because it was a combo, but I paid for both so why do I have to return one to get the other ones money back. Frys is shady they also sell alot of returned motherboards as new without the discount sticker on it. They either claim that one of the employees opened it and its still good or that the box is just a little smashed beware.
rickzor
March 13, 2008 1:46:29 AM
Back in 2001 or 2002 (cant remember well) I had an ECS k7s5a and the socket clip that holded the cooler just broke while the system was running, nearly destroying my highend (at the time) geforce 3 that was underneath. The cpu, an athlon xp 2000 died one week later even with new cooler (triple clip support) on it, so i dont know if the board damaged it somehow. Btw the cpu thermal sensor on the board died right after the clip broke.
Then i put on it a thunderbird 1.2 ghz and did crash all the time, but worked like wonders if it had overclock to 1.3ghz.
Weird board from ECS that was.
Oh, 512 Sdram did crash if used with athlon xp 2000, in contrary to what was told to me at the time.
Today im using a sk478 ECS mobo in my living room for my media center.
Works like wonders.
Confused now ?
Then i put on it a thunderbird 1.2 ghz and did crash all the time, but worked like wonders if it had overclock to 1.3ghz.
Weird board from ECS that was.
Oh, 512 Sdram did crash if used with athlon xp 2000, in contrary to what was told to me at the time.
Today im using a sk478 ECS mobo in my living room for my media center.
Works like wonders.
Confused now ?
ahmshaegar
March 13, 2008 1:59:32 AM
mrgoodbar said:
...the people at the frys in california are freakin evil and dont want to help you. Their customer service sucks but they have good prices what can you do, you need your computer stuff. They would never let you choose another board like that in the frys in cali, in fact I tried to return a ecs board and they said I had to also return the cpu because it was a combo...I haven't had the same experience, but then again, there are many different Fry's stores and many different employees at each store. I had a problem with the motherboard that came with the combo, and they took it back no questions asked (well, they did ask if I wanted to tell them why I was returning it, but that no answer was necessary) for store credit. I'd assume if you talk to a manager (or just some higher-level employee), you can get a CPU at the combo price (cheaper than buying the CPU alone) and a motherboard of your choice. If not, you can always return the motherboard back for store credit. Fry's has always been good to me when it came to returns.
I will admit that the lone Fry's store in Washington (state) had employees who were more helpful...
andytg7
March 13, 2008 2:22:30 AM
I've own one ECS board and I will never buy another one again. Within a few months of owning it, it gave me tons of different issues (problems with the integrated LAN/sound, power issues, PCI issues). When I called their tech support to report the problems and hopefully get it RMAed. They offered little assistance and refused to RMA it. It ended up dying about a month or so later. I will absolutely NEVER buy another ECS product.
mrgoodbar
March 13, 2008 5:26:46 AM
ahmshaegar said:
I haven't had the same experience, but then again, there are many different Fry's stores and many different employees at each store. I had a problem with the motherboard that came with the combo, and they took it back no questions asked (well, they did ask if I wanted to tell them why I was returning it, but that no answer was necessary) for store credit. I'd assume if you talk to a manager (or just some higher-level employee), you can get a CPU at the combo price (cheaper than buying the CPU alone) and a motherboard of your choice. If not, you can always return the motherboard back for store credit. Fry's has always been good to me when it came to returns.I will admit that the lone Fry's store in Washington (state) had employees who were more helpful...
Yeah frys in California is definately different. They treat their employess kind of mean I hear them yelling all the time at them. Washington people are less crazy than here in cali.
andytg7 said:
I've own one ECS board and I will never buy another one again. Within a few months of owning it, it gave me tons of different issues (problems with the integrated LAN/sound, power issues, PCI issues). When I called their tech support to report the problems and hopefully get it RMAed. They offered little assistance and refused to RMA it. It ended up dying about a month or so later. I will absolutely NEVER buy another ECS product.Yeah but sometimes you are tempted to build for a budget build and save some money but at the end of the day it might not be worth it like you say. But sometimes they will build a good board like the K5 and if you get a good ecs board on a cpu combo deal it will save you lots of cash. Its really a shot in the dark but sometime sit will pay off.
juglenaut
March 14, 2008 2:47:04 AM
Actually the reason I went for the KA3 is the reveiws it got on newegg I had a wish list just for mobos and read thru all reviews on seven different boards. This is the first build using a somewhat current setup x86. The compatibility is decent and had little issues on boot and loading drivers and such, get this my hard drive carried over was what caused conflicts since I still am running a install of XP pro sp2 that is a year over on Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600 Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)" Windows directory created 3/07/07, last time defraged 3/14/07 defrag claims the volume doesn't need to.
My old seup was a Abit Nf7 2.0 with a AMD xp3200+ 400fsb with 4GB DDR400, Geforce 5950FX. The mobo stoped detecting CD-rom drives, the processor, and would revert DMA on the HDD only when the cd-rom drive were powered.
So far with a re-fit upgrade (mobo, ram, proc, video) I have no problems with my roms.
My old seup was a Abit Nf7 2.0 with a AMD xp3200+ 400fsb with 4GB DDR400, Geforce 5950FX. The mobo stoped detecting CD-rom drives, the processor, and would revert DMA on the HDD only when the cd-rom drive were powered.
So far with a re-fit upgrade (mobo, ram, proc, video) I have no problems with my roms.
TSIMonster
March 20, 2008 7:16:26 PM
I built another ECS budget gaming build last month, still running strong. It was an ECS 690G model. Paired with a 4200+@2.8Ghz and an X1650XT on a 19" LCD. It was a pleasure to work with and exactly what I expected from a sub $40 board.
I'll keep you guys updated, but I really haven't had a problem with ECS boards.
I think you guys are expecting too much for the money you put in.
I'll keep you guys updated, but I really haven't had a problem with ECS boards.
I think you guys are expecting too much for the money you put in.
99vw
March 22, 2008 9:47:36 PM
reconviperone1
March 22, 2008 10:23:37 PM
I built systems for people using ecs and biostar boards without incident. In fact the only problem i ever had was with a socket a k7s5a board, I ordered it from newegg, let it sit around for most of the spring and summer(was pursueing the fairer sex), and when i got bored i purchased a xp 2000 to finally built it and nothing happend when it was to post, fortunately i got deal on a nforece 2 ultra, with the sweetest onbaord sound ever. Kinda got off the subject, but yes ecs is a good brand.
jusomdude
March 22, 2008 10:45:00 PM
Falken699
March 22, 2008 10:59:28 PM
Lord Gornak said:
I've built several systems with ECS boards in the past and the failure rate seems to be the same as Gigabyte, MSI, etc. I'm just curious, what are your perceptions of the quality of ECS motherboards? Fry's ALWAYS includes them in their CPU/MOBO combo deals, is it just because ECS skimps on the features of the boards to cut costs or is the quality substandard?All motherboards can cop all sorts of issues, wether it be from environment (moisture), static from sources damaging components, poor construction (into a case etc), poor handling/transport, etc and ofrource selection of components (cheap chipsets, capacitors etc, cheap selection for the regulation set/stages etc).
ECS/Elitegroup/PCChips produces motherboards that under perform, contain cheap components, and poor flexibility, underlying issues etc
SiS and VIA chipsets are rubbish - theres the main issues with the motherboards, followed by there poor performance (timings, memory sub system if applicable), weaker manafacturing/build/construction of motherboards etc, and cheap selection of capacitors/regulators.
I will only ever buy ASUS and Gigabyte motherboards, only featuring Intel chipsets for Intel, or ATi/AMD for AMD rigs, no one else - nvidia is also a poor choice for most.
I will never touch anything or ever spend a cent on the likes of MSI, ECS/Elitegroup/PCChips, and a few others. Rubbish.
doomsdaydave11
March 23, 2008 2:14:06 AM
If you can get a processor/ECS mobo combo from Fry's (I've seen them all the time too), and the combo costs $10 more than the processor itself, then there's something going on there. I've talked to some people and from what I've heard, they suck. Some people have good luck with them, but for the most part you want to stay away from them. They remind me of Rosewill... Gigabyte boards are good, and so are Asus . I've never had a Gigabyte mobo die on me, and they are reasonably priced. Not very many people disagree with me when I say Gigabytes are decent midrange boards.
In this case it would seem like motherboards can be like power supplies. Cheap board = cheap wiring, cheap capacitators, cheap transistors, etc, etc. Expensive board generally = better wiring, and quality parts. Like in cheap PSUs they use cheap Chinese capacitators that cause problems, and in a more expensive unit, more expensive Japanese caps are used.
Sometimes people can get they're cheap boards to work fine, and you might be lucky too, but to me it's just not worth the risk when you can just work a few extra hours and get a good one. Then you won't be up all night thinking, "Will my computer be running tomorrow when I wake up????"
.
In this case it would seem like motherboards can be like power supplies. Cheap board = cheap wiring, cheap capacitators, cheap transistors, etc, etc. Expensive board generally = better wiring, and quality parts. Like in cheap PSUs they use cheap Chinese capacitators that cause problems, and in a more expensive unit, more expensive Japanese caps are used.
Sometimes people can get they're cheap boards to work fine, and you might be lucky too, but to me it's just not worth the risk when you can just work a few extra hours and get a good one. Then you won't be up all night thinking, "Will my computer be running tomorrow when I wake up????"
.
ZOldDude
March 23, 2008 2:38:23 AM
Lord Gornak said:
I have noticed the lack of vcore control on the ECS boards I have used as well. I was thinking about a $299.00 Q6600/ECS combo at Fry's but I might just spend the extra cash for an ASUS or GA-P35-DS3L.I have bought a few of those combo deals...I put the CPU in the car and go right back in and get store credit for the MB,and I cash in at a checkout window.
I end up with $40 off the regular store price for the CPU.
Orion1024
March 23, 2008 3:26:23 AM
lumpoco
May 22, 2009 6:40:46 AM
jitpublisher said:
I have owned a few, no problems with them. They are for the budget minded. If you plan on overclocking, building to game, etc. you are probably better off not starting your build with an ECS board. When you go to Frys to buy an ECS combo, just tell them that the combo is a great deal, but you want a better board with more features.
I have done this a few times and every single time they have let me pick out whatever board I wanted, and gave me a pretty good discount on it.
Which Fry's in California do you go to? I frequent the Fremont and San Jose stores and I have never encountered a helpful or generous sales associate who wasn't busy talking to his friends or running away from customers. The whole point of the Fry's cpu/mobo comb is to get rid of the low quality boards that the computer literate customers avoid. It's good to know that when I walk in to a Fry's that I'm smarter than most of the sales associate. It doesn't take much skill to read the specs on a box. If I wanted someone to do that I could easily do it myself. Still, I highly doubt that I can ask for a good discount on a motherboard selling for over $125. The only way I see it happening is if you know the sales associate or if he was "new". Hahaha.
Anonymous
a
b
V
Motherboard
August 19, 2009 3:05:30 PM
Quote:
They're garbage. Anything made by ECS/Amptron/PC Chips burns easily. They lack the quality control that other companies like Gigabyte put into their boards. I have never had a bad Gigabyte board. I have thrown away over 20 ECS boards.A couple years ago I would have agreed 100% with you. I think ECS is getting their act together though with quality now. I am very happy with my current ECS mobo. Their customer service has also been pretty good whenever I had a question.
bryanl
August 31, 2009 5:42:38 AM
I do not consider reliable any motherboard containing even a single substandard capacitor, but unfortunately all but the most expensive motherboards have at least a few low quality capacitors, typically for bypass filtering. Replace all the inferior capacitors with good ones, and the board can easily last a decade.
Current ECS boards should easily be better than their K7S5A and similar vintage boards, which were made with infamous G-Luxon brand capacitors.
Current ECS boards should easily be better than their K7S5A and similar vintage boards, which were made with infamous G-Luxon brand capacitors.
bryanl
August 31, 2009 5:47:19 AM
Quote:
They're garbage. Anything made by ECS/Amptron/PC Chips burns easily. They lack the quality control that other companies like Gigabyte put into their boards. I have never had a bad Gigabyte board. I have thrown away over 20 ECS boards.
rrobilla51
October 6, 2009 1:06:30 PM
My experience with many different manufacturers is that they have good bds and bad bds. You get what you pay for!
I have had very good result with a specific ECS board ( KN3-SLI2) which was an exceptional board when introduced, one of the few at that time that supported x16 by x16 SLI, not x8 by x8 like so many others. Of course this was an expensive bd.
I have also seen both good results and bad results from Asus bds.
Just to be clear on these, so many people complain about overclocking abilities, I don't overclock. I don't advise people to overclock. As a reliability Engineer for 20 years I can tell you that no matter what the manufacturers tell you, overclocking will shorten the life of the product.
And contrary to the popular belief on this forum, PC's were not invented to play games, the fact is the the majority of pc's are for business purposes, and mostly any good motherboard will function as designed.
MB makers are in business to sell bds, they love it when you overclock cause they know you will need a replacement sooner than if you didn't overclock.
Basically, if you buy the highend bds from any manufacturer you should have good luck, buy an $75 MB and your results will suffer.
You get what you pay for!!!!
I have had very good result with a specific ECS board ( KN3-SLI2) which was an exceptional board when introduced, one of the few at that time that supported x16 by x16 SLI, not x8 by x8 like so many others. Of course this was an expensive bd.
I have also seen both good results and bad results from Asus bds.
Just to be clear on these, so many people complain about overclocking abilities, I don't overclock. I don't advise people to overclock. As a reliability Engineer for 20 years I can tell you that no matter what the manufacturers tell you, overclocking will shorten the life of the product.
And contrary to the popular belief on this forum, PC's were not invented to play games, the fact is the the majority of pc's are for business purposes, and mostly any good motherboard will function as designed.
MB makers are in business to sell bds, they love it when you overclock cause they know you will need a replacement sooner than if you didn't overclock.
Basically, if you buy the highend bds from any manufacturer you should have good luck, buy an $75 MB and your results will suffer.
You get what you pay for!!!!
jksarma
May 22, 2012 3:56:07 PM
Pink Jazz
June 5, 2012 9:11:18 PM
ky_ecsusa said:
As we know, ECS improve a lot in its quality like Nonstop Technology, Gold "4" ever, 15u Gold Contact, solid capacitor, alloy choke, etc. Right now, ECS offer its 99-hours replacement service to all the customers. Yes, ECS still has a lot of room to improve in this industry.Unfortunately, most ECS haters refuse to accept this fact, blindly dismissing even their newest boards. The same is also partially true with MSI.
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