Best AXP1600 motherboards?

[Guest]

The juice is squeezed out of an Athlon XP using a quality motherboard right? So what are the best motherboards for the Athlon XP1600+ ?

Some say ECSK7S5A is crap, others say its one of the best.

Im kinda on a budget too. What are some cheap yet efficient alternatives?

 

[Matisaro]

The ecs is good if you get one which isnt a dud, I got 4 duds in a row, if you buy it locally and can install it on site to make sure it works, go for it.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[o1die]

My shuttle ak31a has run fine for almost 4 months with few problems. You can flash the latest bios version for it while running windows. You just click on the award icon and wait about 20-30 seconds until the screen changes, reboot to bios, save and exit. Very simple. For $78 (newegg) it's a bargain and the new version, the ak35gtr, overclocks even better and can be run as high as 2.3 volts with the right heatsink. Or you can save even more by buying a newegg refurbished mobo with 30 day warranty and free shipping on some models. They have an Epox 8KHA+ for only $69. Check for other models. It changes daily.

 

[svol]

I like Abit motherboards, but they are more expensive.

My case has so many fans that it hovers above the ground .

 

[Matisaro]

Abit kr7, best athlon mobo IMO.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[svol]

If it is as good or even better then my KG7 then yes I also think this is the best athlon board.

My case has so many fans that it hovers above the ground .

 

[Matisaro]

The kr7 is the exact same mobo as the kg7 except with the kt266a chipset instead of the amd760. I run a kg7 raid right now.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[Kelledin]

Three good AthlonXP boards I know of:

Abit KR7
Asus A7V266-E
EPoX 8KHA+

Asus comes in first for performance and has a "CPU Overheat Protection" feature; this feature seems to have a 50/50 chance of saving your CPU if the HSF is removed during operation.

The ECS K7S5A seems to have some quality control issues. It will either work great for you, or it won't work worth two shakes. It's hit-and-miss (plus, it doesn't perform quite as well as the boards I listed above).

<i>If a server crashes in a server farm and no one pings it, does it still cost four figures to fix?

 

[Matisaro]

Kelledin hit the nail on the head with the ecs board.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[varlo]

Here is what AMD as to say about the "best" motherboard :


AMD AND ASUS DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO
COMMERCIAL MARKET THROUGH AMD ASSUREDTM PROGRAM

— System integrators announce availability of commercial systems based on AMD Assured motherboards —

SUNNYVALE — FEBRUARY 1, 2002 ¾ AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced that AMD and ASUS Computer International have teamed up to promote the AMD AssuredTM Program for the North American commercial market. ASUS, one of the world’s leading motherboard manufacturers, offers AMD Assured motherboards for system integrators who build AMD processor-based commercial systems.
The AMD Assured Program is designed to help commercial system builders identify AMD processor-based motherboards that provide stability and long-term availability, enable planned technology transitions, and offer standards-based manageability needed in commercial systems. AMD Assured motherboards have passed AMD’s manageability and validation tests, and are available for use in commercial systems powered by AMD processors, including the AMD AthlonTM XP and AMD DuronTM processors.
“The AMD Assured Program demonstrates AMD’s continued commitment to the commercial market, and helps provide a key building block desired by IT managers and commercial customers,” said Tim Wright, director of desktop marketing at AMD. “The ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard has many excellent features that meet the standards required by commercial customers. In the future, we look forward to having additional motherboards as part of the AMD Assured Program to address other segments in the market.”
-more-
“ASUS has a strong reputation of delivering outstanding, high-quality motherboards,” said Margaret Chen, sales director of North America at ASUS Computer International. “Teamed with AMD for the AMD Assured Program, ASUS will now offer our A7V266-E/AA to meet the defined needs and requirements of the commercial market. The ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard has passed AMD's stringent manageability and validation tests, and is an excellent choice for systems used in government, enterprise, and education segments.”
Several system integrators are expected to announce commercial systems that incorporate the ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard, including Aspect Computer, Colfax International, Supercom Canada and VoodooPC.
“Aspect Computer will now be able to offer governmental and educational institutions outstanding customized systems based on
AMD Assured motherboards,” said Jonathan Chu, president, Aspect Computer Corp. “Aspect plans to build customized desktops, servers, and workstations using the ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard featuring AMD's Socket A processor interface, a high-performance, stable and reliable platform for commercial customers.”
“Colfax International commends AMD and ASUS for the work done on the AMD Assured Program. As one of the first system integrators to offer commercial desktop systems featuring the ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard, I anticipate a warm welcome and loud applause from the commercial market,” said Colfax International's vice president of sales, Mike Fay. “Customers will be able to customize and configure these AMD processor-based commercial solutions 24/7 in real-time by using Colfax's advanced software technology and back-end configurator.”
“Supercom plans to offer commercial systems under the ‘Touch’ brand name featuring AMD Assured motherboards from ASUS,” said Supercom system product manager, Eric Chan. “The AMD Assured Program makes sense for Supercom because it further demonstrates AMD's commitment to providing stable, long-term solutions for commercial markets.”
“VoodooPC plans to launch our new F-Series Workstations featuring
-more-
the ASUS A7V266-E/AA motherboard,” said Rahul Sood, president of VoodooPC. “The AMD Assured Program platform adds further validation of AMD's commitment to system builders. By having a long-term supply of AMD Assured motherboards from ASUS, VoodooPC can build solid AMD processor-based systems that ultimately benefit customers in the commercial market.”
AMD Assured motherboards comply with Microsoft's System and Device Requirements 2.0, incorporate the essential management elements of Wired for Management 2.0, and provide an interoperable solution in any networked environment. In addition, the AMD Assured Program requests motherboards be available in the market for at least 12 months.
For more information about the AMD Assured Program, including a list of motherboards that have met the “AMD Assured” program requirements, please go to www.amd.com/assured.

About AMD
AMD is a global supplier of integrated circuits for the personal and networked computer and communications markets with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Asia. AMD, a Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor’s 500 company, produces microprocessors, flash memory devices, and support circuitry for communications and networking applications. Founded in 1969 and based in Sunnyvale, California, AMD had revenues of $3.9 billion in 2001. (NYSE: AMD).

AMD on the Web
For more AMD news and product information, please visit our virtual pressroom at <A HREF="http://www.amd.com/news/virtualpress/index.html" target="_new">http://www.amd.com/news/virtualpress/index.html</A>. Additional press releases are available at <A HREF="http://www.amd.com/news/news.html" target="_new">http://www.amd.com/news/news.html</A>.




Sorry for my spelling I'm french...hey I ain't perfect!

 

[Oracle]

Asus A7N266-E and MSI K7N420 Pro are great integrated solutions (with GF2MX-like graphics and 5.1 Dolby digital sound). Otherwise, I suggest EPoX EP-8KHA+ or Asus A7V266-E.

<font color=red>Floppy disk?!? What the heck's a floppy disk?!?</font color=red>

 

[varlo]

Personnally i like the <A HREF="http://www.giga-byte.com/products/7dxr+.htm" target="_new">Gigabyte GA7DXR+</A> as far as price/performance goes.



Sorry for my spelling I'm french...hey I ain't perfect!

 

[AMD_Man]

The IWill XP333 is the best motherboard for the Athlon (XP) platform, IMHO.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[kief]

i have to agree the ABIT boards are real nice, and if you can afford the RAID version and 2 matching hard disks run a stripped set and your system will FLY! RAID RULES! The hard disk is usually the slowest part ont he system, striped drives will spped up your system by a good margin!

Jesus saves, but Mario scores!!!

 

[OldBear]

I have an ASUS A7v266-E and have had no problems with it.

<font color=red>Remember...</font color=red><font color=blue>You get what you pay for. All advice here is free.</font color=blue>

 

[AmdMELTDOWN]

>I got 4 duds in a row,

not for nothing(don't take this any other way) but, if I sold you a mobo and you brought it back for an exchange and then came back with another return, I would look at you a bit funny, but if you bring in the third one? I'd kick your lil' whiney a$$ out of my store so quick you'll switch to a mac! here's your refund...<i>smack!</i> get lost you lil' punk! you wont get a fourth mobo from me!

I pity the ppl who had to deal with your order from hell. LOL!

"<b>AMD/VIA!</b>...you are <i>still</i> the weakest link, good bye!"

 

[Flyboy]

Hey I've been thinking of upgrading using the A7V266-E. Granted you have no issues, but how do you LIKE it? I just wanna hear more about it. I'm really curious as to the integrated solutions.

Whad do you think?

 

[tlaughrey]

Check out the Shuttle AK35GT. Four DIMM slots (almost all others have three) and six PCI slots (many have just five), good overclocking, and a good price. I've had my Shuttle AK31A (the previous version) for a few months now and am very happy. I haven't had any stability problems and I get excellent benchmark scores. People overlook Shuttle, but it's an excellent board.

<i>I made you look. But I can't make you see.</i>

 

[Flyboy]

It is strange, but I suppose they all probably came from the same batch.

Why I believe Matisaro:

1. He knows enough about computers to not quickly dismiss the problem as "faulty hardware". He's demonstrated enough computer know-how here to show that he would do his time investigating mistakes and/or problems.
2. Don't most stores do a bench-test on the defective board before giving a customer a new one? My guess is he did in fact get a bad batch. I'm sure the store would have tested these boards and if one came back as "operational" they would then charge him a bench fee and give him the boot.

 

[OldBear]

I really like it. I have unlocked my XP1800+ with a 12.5x135 fsb...1688 MHz, it is really
stable. I am running 768 meg of Crucial/Micron 2100 and have pushed it to 150 fsb but
the 135 fsb is more stable in XP for gaming. The only gripe I have is that the BIOS
reports temps 9-10ºc higher than they really are. I determined this after some people
reported it by super gluing a temp probe to the wafer next to the cpu. Mine is off 9ºc.
Hopefully a coming BIOS update will fix this. I have attatched a Swiftech MCX-462 with
a Delta (and rehostat to slow and make it more quiet) idle=Mb 23º, CPU 37º/load CPU 40º
I was in hope of finding a board as stable as my ASUS CUSL2-C and have found it.


<font color=red>Remember...</font color=red><font color=blue>You get what you pay for. All advice here is free.</font color=blue>

 

[Flyboy]

[doing the Homer drrrroool]....mmmmmm....A7V266-E...

I'm about ready to sell my body to rich old ladies to get the cash for this upgrade...(kidding of course).

 

[svol]

I know, Abit rules.

My case has so many fans that it hovers above the ground .

 

[Matisaro]

not for nothing(don't take this any other way) but, if I sold you a mobo and you brought it back for an exchange and then came back with another return, I would look at you a bit funny, but if you bring in the third one? I'd kick your lil' whiney a$$ out of my store so quick you'll switch to a mac! here's your refund...smack! get lost you lil' punk! you wont get a fourth mobo from me!

I only returned the first, I told the frys people about that mobos history and issue and demanded they let me put the system together there, they watched as the other 3 failed, then I got a kg7 raid and called it a day.

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!

 

[Matisaro]

2. Don't most stores do a bench-test on the defective board before giving a customer a new one? My guess is he did in fact get a bad batch. I'm sure the store would have tested these boards and if one came back as "operational" they would then charge him a bench fee and give him the boot.

Frys did not, the frightening thing, is they boxxed up the mobos I had proved to be bad AND PUT THEM BACK OUT ON THE SHELVES....!

"The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark"
No Overclock+stock hsf=GOOD!