I want the opinions of the REAL experts.

[bullterror]

I'm about to purchase a new mainboard setup. I'm looking at two options:

AMD Athlon 1333 266FSB
ASUS A7V133 (kt-133A chipset)
256 mb crucial cas2 pc133
(Reasoning: ASUS a7-v133 was top rated on tom's harware, and I hear it overclocks well)

AMD Athlon 1333 266FSB
ASUS A7M266 (AMD 761 chipset)
some kind of low latency pc2100 namebrand ram.
(Reasoning: speed, the amd 761 chipset is FAST)

I'm leary about the A7M266 because of the expense, and I've heard about stability problems with the chipset, and that asus stopped shipping them.
I also am having trouble finding CAS2 pc2100 of a good brand (I love micron/crucial)

I'm going to use a water cooler or TEC, but until I get that set up I'd like a nice air cooler. What's the reccomendation?

I'd like to buy an asus mainboard, but I am flexible on that. As a computer technician, I can testify that ASUS mainboards are the least likely to fail. They do crap out, but not nearly at the rate of others. They're very reliable, and I've never had a major problem with them, unlike TYAN. Do not buy a TYAN mainboard. Is there any reason I should not buy the A7V133?

I'm planning on getting an ATI radeon with vid in and out. Any objections?

 

[Dr_Kildare]

Atm I would opt for the A7V133... For price, performance & a decently matured chipset...
The extra cost of the DDR SDRAM is not worth the ~10% performance gain...

However I would have to agree to go ASUS...

 

[Dutch]

I would go with the A7V133, just because, DDR has not fully matured yet, and it is not much faster than the standard SDRAM

 

[Tachyon]

bullterror (May 07, 2001 10:57 p.m.):
I'm about to purchase a new mainboard setup. I'm looking at two options:

AMD Athlon 1333 266FSB
ASUS A7V133 (kt-133A chipset)
256 mb crucial cas2 pc133
(Reasoning: ASUS a7-v133 was top rated on tom's harware, and I hear it overclocks well)

AMD Athlon 1333 266FSB
ASUS A7M266 (AMD 761 chipset)
some kind of low latency pc2100 namebrand ram.
(Reasoning: speed, the amd 761 chipset is FAST)

I'm leary about the A7M266 because of the expense, and I've heard about stability problems with the chipset, and that asus stopped shipping them.
I also am having trouble finding CAS2 pc2100 of a good brand (I love micron/crucial)


The concerns I would have with DDR is lack of maturity and the possibility of a complete redesign that would leave the current generation without an upgrade path.


I'm going to use a water cooler or TEC, but until I get that set up I'd like a nice air cooler. What's the reccomendation?

The GlobalWin CAK 38, Alpha PAL6035 and Vantec FCE-62540D would be good air cooling choices

I'd like to buy an asus mainboard, but I am flexible on that. As a computer technician, I can testify that ASUS mainboards are the least likely to fail. They do crap out, but not nearly at the rate of others. They're very reliable, and I've never had a major problem with them, unlike TYAN. Do not buy a TYAN mainboard. Is there any reason I should not buy the A7V133?

Asus does make good boards. I have heard that their support is not what it used to be

I'm planning on getting an ATI radeon with vid in and out. Any objections?

No experience with radeon cards....sorry

 

[quadcity]

Go with kt133a board. Get the IWILL kk266. Read the proof at the end of the faq at fullon3d.com. 25 reviews all done after the abit and asus and it kicks butt. It did not even have the turbo bios in most of the reviews....Check out the IWILL forum at amdmb.com. There are quite a few ex abit and asus owners there. It FSB OC's better than ANY board out there, it is faster than any other kt133a board, it is also more stable, and has some great support. Witness the asus ipanel incident and amdm.com. Also witness the faq that a bad review had led asus to stop shipping product to them. No wonder they always get high praise!!!

 

[Tachyon]

Reviews are a lousy source for several reasons. Reviewers run them for maybe 24 hours (most don't) and play with a few benchmarks. If they have a BIOS problem the manufacturer busts their *** to get them a new one. Most review sites get the product for free to test.

Want honesty? Talk to people who have bought them and run them.

 

[quadcity]

Tach,

I agree with everything you said. That is why I sent the links to the IWILL forum at amdmb.com. There are many users there who have tried all three boards, and KEPT the IWILL. Plus, the faq is created by us users...people who love the board and have started to figure it out and tweak the hell out of it.

BUT, can 25 reviewers all be wrong? Can 25 sites that ALWAYS love the Abit or ASUS be bought by little old IWILL? I think not.

You really do not know the extreme satisfaction of running your system at 166FSB all the time until you actualy do it.

 

[Tachyon]

My response wasn't meant to be a slam. I've seen too many reviews that say "this is a 10!!!", tested it and found it to be mediocre. I've also gotten tired of trying to get new products from manufacturers and had them say "but we haven't even sent it to the review sites yet".

That said, everyone has their own preferences. Some want control thru BIOS instead of jumpers. Some have a legacy ISA card that they want to use, etc.

I too have heard good things about IWill products and support but try to limit my answer to the context of the question instead of saying "no...you want THIS".

 

[quadcity]

Hey tach, I did not take it as a slam. And I do think that 1 or 2 good reviews mean nothing. But it is hard to argue with 25. And the loyaly that we users in the IWILL forum is just amazing. WEWILL die for this board....

 

[Kriegster]

i've had my iwill kk266-r for a couple months now and it most definately rocks I run at 166 bus (333 ddr) on a daily basis without any lockups. I can run it up to 170 fsb but my cpu's sweet spot is 166 The raid was a breeze to setup as well and works great. I know a few people with the kt7a and it appears to be a decent board as well.

btw, better take this with a grain of salt as i am certainly no expert well, maybe an expert at loafing if you want to speak to experts you should try emailing dell. heheheheh

 

[_jubei_]

I also had Iwill Ka266R mb, although it was great for overclocking , I could not use 2 x 128 mb PC2100 DDR ram. So I got Asus A7A266 mb and MAN is this board STABLE. However I have to disagree with some of you concerning the DDR vs SDR situation. DDR setup is not very expensive. You can get 256 mb of Crucial DDR PC2100 2.5cl for $100 . DDR MB costs around $150...I would rather get PC2100 than PC133 even for 10% increase .

 

[Da Whip]

I have not had a problem w/ my board and would recommend it highly to anyone. This was my first O/C and this MOBO is so easy to set up and O/C it is almost idiot proof. KK266R rocks.