In need of good recommendations for nForce2 IGP Board

Ok, it's time to enlist some of the great minds here.

My parents and aunts/uncles want to upgrade my Grandma's old HP 466 Celeron machine for the holiday season. It was my idea, and the idea is to do it cost effective yet good. (Actually my idea was to just replace it since it's so darn slow, but everyone thought it'd be a great christmas gift...)

Right now I'm usnure of the budget...but before everyone got invovled I priced it at 300 bucks, after donating some stuff I had, including a 17" monitor. That may go up depending on how much money I'm given from everyone.

ANYWAY!

At first I was going to use an ASUS A7N266-VM AA, the AMD Assured nForce IGP board from ASUS. I've used one before with a tbred 1700, and it is dead silent, and stable.

But, I don't want to take risks on Grandma. I want a system that is fast, but not a gaming rig. Mainly, I want stable and reliable.

I've had good luck with that board, but wonder if it's worth getting an nForce2 IGP board. Problem is, the ASUS A7N8X-VM board doesn't get as good reviews as the original ASUS nForce mATX board...

There are a few others out there, mainly the Shuttle and Albatrons, and then ofcourse the Abit/Epox full ATX IGP boards.

I'm looking for your suggestions on what is the most reliable nForce2 board with the IGP (onboard vid.).

Remember, the idea isn't for a machine that will be upgraded in 6 months, but for something that should last atleast 3 years.

If you could be so kind to post suggestions, personal experience, or reviews/comparisons (reputable ones please!) that would be greatly appreciated!

I know it's alot to ask, but at this stage I'm just kinda figuring out what I want to use, even though my final budget is unknown.

Just keep in mind it's for grandma, so I don't need dual LAN or soundstorm or a 9800XT.

Thanks!

Hey, my shuttle mn31n was bought at newegg refurb for $55 and came with everything. It is a top notch and stable igp nforce2 with the mcpT. Video is gameable and sound is better than my soundblaster live 5.1. Only problems are overclocking. Only way is by fsb and wire in socket mod but I dont think grandma will miss those options.

What are you thoughts on a SFF shuttle rig? About $200 for the box, then you need to add some other bits, but should be right around $300.

Is that Shuttle their mATX board? I think I was looking at that as a good alternative...had better reviews than the A7N8X-VM...

Also, I have looked at that shuttle SFF, and I'm considering it. Gotta see what the budget permits. To be honest though, it's not at the top of the list. I know with a standard desktop I can get it Dell-quiet and cool, not sure I can pull that off in a SFF.

The thing is, this system isn't for me...so I'm being quite picky. I want something to keep grandma happy for years, and something that is quiet, reliable, and looks nice so my family thinks I did a good job.

Right now I'm probably just gonna use an Antec sonata w/ the 380 truepower...killer deal, 380w true power and the sweet sonata case for 95 bucks...

Anyway, if you have any more thoughts on that shuttle board, let me know. I'm just looking for something non-quirky.