Deciding to go DDR

[thestramel]

Ok, I've decided to jump on the DDR bandwagon. I've pretty much narrowed down my decision to the following short list

(1) Shuttle AK31 Rev.2
(2) Abit KG-7 Raid
(3) MSI K7 Master

I haven't included the Epox 8K7A+ because I have an Enermax model 765 psu and I've heard this board has problems with Enermax psus (specifically the 5V rail). Although I do have a spare Power Man 300watt laying around somewhere.

I definitely want a tweakers board. Feel free to mention any boards I may have neglected to research.

Also, I'm thinking about upgrading to Win2k. Will this be a problem using the TB Santa Cruz and ATI Radeon? I generally do a lot of audio processing and some light gaming.

[Neptune]

Well I had 2 8K7A's, and you're right, they definitly have 5v Rail problems with Enermax PSU's. Besides, if you want a board that is going to last you a long time through palamino upgrades, i think you're going to want one with a 3-phase power solution, which the 8K7A does not have.

I'm currently running a Shuttle AK31 rev 2 that I got yesterday and i must say that it's a really nice board, especially at the price.
After reading the reviews, i was under the impression that the board could go over 1.85v. This is so far unfounded by me and the BIOS i'm running now (performance 907 BIOS) I'm currently trying to confirm this with other users, so i'm not sure.
Do you use a lot of USB devices? If so, the KT266 chipset does not overclock past 137mhz with USB devices, that is unless you get a USB PCI card.
Other than those minor issues, the board has a lot of serious potential... we'll have to see what the BIOS updates do for it.

As far as the KG7 goes, I don't have one yet, but i'm getting one sometime next week (Need another SETI cruncher :D ) so i'll let you know how that goes. It too only goes upto 1.85v by default, so it will need a voltage mod.

[thestramel]

Are there currently any boards that do include a 3-phase power solution?

Thanx for the replies btw.

[Neptune]

Just about all newer boards do have 3-phase power, including the Shuttle Board and the KG7. The AMD761 chipset performs better than the KT266, so if you have an extra 25-30 bones, consider the Kg7. It's still pretty new, so you might want to see how its debut pans out.

Would71- Yeah, the 8K7A is an awesome board if you get a good one, believe me, i had one. The key is getting a good one though. THESTRAMEL, if you can get the 8K7A at a local store with a good return policy, you can still consider this. I was able to do a mod on my Enermax PSU by adding a 1k trimmer on the inside at a particular resistor that fixed the problem, but i'm using a different model than you, so I don't see how you can justify getting a newer powersupply for a mobo. I think in time that the KG7 will prove to be the better of the two AMD761 boards, but again, this is only my opinion.

Hold off for a week and i'll let you know how the KG7 is :)