Well, after trying the ECS K7S5A and absolutely having a horrable experience with it (this is also my first AMD experience all together), I was quite recluctant to try this whole AMD thing again.
BUT, long and behold I just RMA'd that ECS board and ordered myself a 8K3A (the non-raid version) which if it goes like the last order (was first time ordering from newegg.com, which was a great experience, I dont care for the steep restocking fee, but, oh well) it should be here Monday morning.
When I got the ECS board I got a 1800+XP Athlon to go with it. I am not entirely interested in overclocking, I probably will be, but, I'd like to see a STABLE AMD system come out of all of this, out of the box (ie. before worrying about overclocking).
So I'm curious, what do I have to know about this 8K3A with an Ahtlon 1800+ XP? What type of RAM do you recommend? I dont have tons of money, therefore cannot afford the XP full install version for $160 (cheapest I could find it) and will therefore run Windows 98.
However, I dont have a full version of 98 either. What I usually have done with all my Intel systems is install 95, get it stable, then upgrade to 98, 98 usually then finds/recognizes everything better than 95 did, then I would install the mobo drivers, etc, etc.
Anyone experience problems from this board out of the box? If so what was the fix?
I am skeptical, I'll admit that. Its my first AMD experience (well this will be the second) and if this doesnt go well, I believe I will stay a loyal Intel person forever, despite advances in core speeds.
If you are curious to know what problems I had with the ECS board, well, I'll tell ya. I couldnt RUN (as in first reboot after installing) Windows 95 OR Windows 98 without first disabling the L1 and L2 cache in the BIOS. Go figure. Needless to say a computer without the cache is sloooooow and there was no way I was going to keep it set like that. It would get (specifically) the "Windows Protection Error."
Well anyway, enough about the old... time for.. in with the new. What RAM should I get for this to ensure maximum compatibility and stability. Keep in mind, overclocking is FAR from a "must." I want an affordable/economic system that is stable and capatible. I hope THIS configuration will show just that.
Thanks again.
BUT, long and behold I just RMA'd that ECS board and ordered myself a 8K3A (the non-raid version) which if it goes like the last order (was first time ordering from newegg.com, which was a great experience, I dont care for the steep restocking fee, but, oh well) it should be here Monday morning.
When I got the ECS board I got a 1800+XP Athlon to go with it. I am not entirely interested in overclocking, I probably will be, but, I'd like to see a STABLE AMD system come out of all of this, out of the box (ie. before worrying about overclocking).
So I'm curious, what do I have to know about this 8K3A with an Ahtlon 1800+ XP? What type of RAM do you recommend? I dont have tons of money, therefore cannot afford the XP full install version for $160 (cheapest I could find it) and will therefore run Windows 98.
However, I dont have a full version of 98 either. What I usually have done with all my Intel systems is install 95, get it stable, then upgrade to 98, 98 usually then finds/recognizes everything better than 95 did, then I would install the mobo drivers, etc, etc.
Anyone experience problems from this board out of the box? If so what was the fix?
I am skeptical, I'll admit that. Its my first AMD experience (well this will be the second) and if this doesnt go well, I believe I will stay a loyal Intel person forever, despite advances in core speeds.
If you are curious to know what problems I had with the ECS board, well, I'll tell ya. I couldnt RUN (as in first reboot after installing) Windows 95 OR Windows 98 without first disabling the L1 and L2 cache in the BIOS. Go figure. Needless to say a computer without the cache is sloooooow and there was no way I was going to keep it set like that. It would get (specifically) the "Windows Protection Error."
Well anyway, enough about the old... time for.. in with the new. What RAM should I get for this to ensure maximum compatibility and stability. Keep in mind, overclocking is FAR from a "must." I want an affordable/economic system that is stable and capatible. I hope THIS configuration will show just that.
Thanks again.
