- Joined
- Jan 4, 2001
- Location
- Northern VA
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!
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!