Need a new DDR motherboard SOON!

Len · May 11, 2001

I've got to order a new mb within the next 2 weeks. Just can't wait any longer. I'm mostly convinced DDR is the way to go. DDR RAM costs about the same as PC133. Mbs are only about $30 more. No big deal.

But I still have no idea what mb to choose. I don't want to spend more than $150. The board must be overclocker friendly and stable and perform reasonably well.

BTW, I've found that Anandtech's weekly motherboard price guide summarizes the boards nicely from week to week.

The AMD 760 seems to still be the best chipset but there doesn't seem to be many overclocker mbs out there. What do you think about the MSI K7 Master?

Ali Magik is slow and maybe not too stable. This chipset just doesn't seem like a good choice right now? Opinions?

I think the VIA KT266 will eventually be a good chipset but right now it seems a little uncertain. And not much choice for a mb. Its the MSI KT7 Pro266 or nothing. If you get the correct revision (with the proper resistor or whatever), is this a good board?

So what does everyone think is the best overall balance of stability, performance and overclockability in a DDR mb right now?

Len · May 12, 2001

Does anyone have any thoughts? Anyone else looking to buy a DDR motherboard real soon?

skip · May 12, 2001

I'm using an IWill KA266R and find it is SLIGHTLY slower than the other boards but not by enough to worry about it. At 145FSB running at 1.4G I get Sandra scores of 698 ALU and 825 FPU These aren't far off the MSI scores. The board has been totally stable so far and is a pretty good overclocker. The Latest Bios from IWill has really shown a performance boost and fixed some of the initial stability problems.

The Faceless Rebel · May 12, 2001

I wouldn't buy DDR now...

ALi apparently has a new rev. of the MaGiK1 chipset which is much much faster. It should start making it's way into mobos soon.

VIA is fleshing out the KT266 and there should be some more mobos with that chipset soon.

SiS has demonstrated the 735 chipset, which it claims is much faster than other DDR chipsets. Whether it really is, and how much faster, we shall have to see.

And AMD is finally releasing the 760MP chipset...yummy, 2 Palominos running DDR....sounds good to me

mrpcman · May 12, 2001

Yeah. I say wait a little while for ddr. Let the chipsets improve.

Len · May 13, 2001

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. I need a fully operation upgraded PC by first or second week in June at the latest.

Isn't it always this way ... something better just around the corner.

Jumper · May 13, 2001

Len
I'd have to disagree with the other posts. If you must buy a mb in the next 2 weeks why not buy one that allows you to reuse the memory in the future. If you buy SDR you'll have obsolete memory in a year from now. I'd suggest you consider the FIC AD11 for a low-priced, stable, overclockable solution ($109 @newegg) or the MSI K7T266 if you're willing to tweak and overclocking is something you do a lot. I'm leaning towards the MSI and must buy something this week. Be sure to ask the seller to visually inspect the MSI to insure that the resistor is at 126, NOT 127. Good luck and let me know what you decide,
Jumper

Len · May 14, 2001

Isn't the rumor that PC2100 will also be somewhat obsolete in a year when the incompatible PC2600 becomes popular?

Jumper · May 15, 2001

I haven't heard of pc2600 but it wouldn't surprise me (can't stay current for even a week). Do yu have a site w/info on 2600?

Len · May 15, 2001

No, I'm afraid I don't. I heard about it here on the forums. I just heard that it won't be compatible with today's PC1600 and PC2100 DDR. I think it will fit into a different socket or something.

ExtremeOC · May 17, 2001

i heard that in maxium PC, i think.
yeS, i buy the MAG, not jsut read the on-liine stuff....

I suggest the MSI board, due to teh fact it got a really good review @ http://www.xbitlabs.com
just read it, am impressed myself.

SDR is just about 5-10% slower, and it's still great for us poor people(wait, i'm the only poor guy on this forum, lol) so i say pick up a K7T Turbo-R, enjoy for a while, wait for DDR to come into it's own, and get the 50% performance that us ee on vid cards, and was SUPPOSTED to happen on mobos. I hear the pallys will REALLY be able to crank DDR up. I cant wait =)
a pally with SDR should be a treat, too.

Jin · May 18, 2001

hi!
i am on the market for a DDR board now too..

i've been looking into upgrading my computer for my company ( 3d rendering )
so AMD is the way to go..

now was the SDRAM or DDR question ..

with the down of the price of the DDR ram today..i'm sure i have to go DDR way ..

the DDR isn't that pricy as it was..
+ we starting to see cas 2 ddr at good price

the only problem i have is the same as u..

WICH MOBO to get ???
eheh

from all the benchmark i've seen...
the ASUS were alwasy on top for performance..

and for the chipset..the AMD761 was onlways on top for memory performance too..

but unfortunatly..thre isn't a lot of options avaible for AMD chipset now..

though...gigabyte is coming out with a new revised verions of it's 760 mobo..
that seems to perform very well and have lots of features..

i think i'll be looking into that mobo from now..

u should give it a look too ..

http://fullon3d.com/reports/7dxr/

theres one review of it..

7DXR ..

bare in mind that the AMD chipset alwasy won performance benchmarks on most tests..

and wass the point to get 15% OC when u'r mobo starts with a -10% of competition..

what do u guys think?

flyman0 · May 18, 2001

I'm getting the IWILL DDR board in about a week. I have seen allot of good reviews of it lately, esspesially with the new BIOS upgrade. I just have one question, will current boards be compatable with the Palamino when it comes out? I have heard that it will, and that it won't. Does anybody have a definate answer to that?

stroligo · May 20, 2001

---The AMD 760 seems to still be the best chipset but there doesn't seem to be many overclocker mbs out there. What do you think about the MSI K7 Master?

I've had it about two weeks now, had some odd problems at the beginning, but it seems to have settled down. Problem is, a month from now, I'll likely say something else is better. The K7Master is limited to 150Mhz and a PCI divisor of /4; the K7T266s will likely have a PCI divisor of /5, and when that happens, people will be shooting for 166Mhz+ FSBs.

---I think the VIA KT266 will eventually be a good chipset but right now it seems a little uncertain.

That's being kind.

---And not much choice for a mb. Its the MSI KT7 Pro266 or nothing. If you get the correct revision (with the proper resistor or whatever), is this a good board?

I wouldn't buy it. If we don't see more of these out there within a month, I'm really going to start wondering.

---So what does everyone think is the best overall balance of stability, performance and overclockability in a DDR mb right now?[/quote]

The K7Master is OK, but you're likely to be cursing yourself in a little bit for not waiting.

Len · May 26, 2001

What a tought decision this is turning out to be. I basically want a motherboard that is stable, reasonably fast and easy to overclock. Jumperless would be nice too - I swore I would never buy a mb which needed jumpers to overclock but I'm willing to consider it in my desperate situation.

I also swore I wouldn't touch the Ali Magik chipset because of performance & stability issues but now I just don't know.

Anyone have a FIC AD11? Not jumperless I know but cheap and relatively overclocking friendly. Only $109 an newegg.com. I was also considering the MSI K7 Master but its pricey at $150. The MSI K7T266Pro is in the middle at around $135. What's up with the VIA KT266 anyway? Have bios revisions improved the K7T266Pro?

DaveB · May 26, 2001

Go with the FIC. I've seen basically no problem posts for this mobo and have seen only positive reviews. IMO, the AMD 760 chipset is the best of the three. Nothing you buy now will be compatible with the next generation of DDR SDRAM anyway, so going cheap now makes sense. I agree with you that DIP switch multiplier settings are stupid, but what the hell, once you've got it setup you'll not need to touch them again anyway.

Plus, like everyone else said, the ALi chip might get a new revision and the VIA chip is still really a beta product. So, if you have to buy now, the FIC AD11 is a really good deal, is overclockable, and has excellent performance.

Len · May 26, 2001

DaveB, do you have the AD11? Are the dipswitches easy to reach and change when everything is installed in the PC including all the cables? I suppose dips are better than jumpers. I guess I don't mind the dips as long as they are relatively each to reach and change.

typer · May 29, 2001

Go with the EPOX 8k7A +. It's the cheapest 760 board out there. Around $130 plus has RAID and all the overclocking features (vcore setting, clock multiplier, and FSB adjustments up to 166. Check out socketa.com for a review.

Len · May 29, 2001

typer, I read that review over the weekend and decided to go with the Epox. I like the FIC AD11 but the board layout bugged me a bit. Also, according to the review at socketa.com the Expox is faster than the AD11 which makes it one of the fastest mbs out there if not THE fastest. The Epox also appears to be more flexible for overclocking and every bit as stable as the AD11.

BTW, I don't think you get RAID for the $130 price. I believe there are two versions: the non-raid 8K7A and the RAID 8K7A+. As far as I can tell, I only see the non-RAID 8K7A on pricewatch.

Paul -The Mad Hatter · May 30, 2001

len, the k7t266 is all fixed up ther's no worry about the resistor issue because thats been gone for a while. new bios have improved performance and its much faster now that all those problems are fixed

Need a new DDR motherboard SOON!

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