MSI vs. Asus

[JuDgE_DrEaD]

im in a bit of a jam and need some advice. My budget is around $700 for a cpu and a mobo and the cpu i have decided to get is a 1ghz tbird(unless you reccomend better) and now for the tought part. I visited 2 dealerships and the first one i went to was an amd certified store. they told me that MSI mobos are the only way to go and that asus was a pretty crappy(their words exactly) boards and that abit are entry level boards(meaning even s&^%ier)After that i visited summit direct, but them having a lesser selection for amd boards, them having only the asus a7v133 and the a7ve. They hadnt even heard of msi, and theyre a pretty big store(theyre employees know what theyre talking about). Now the question for all you experts is what do i do?

 

[Da Whip]

First off, don't believe everything you are told.(especially from sales people)
2nd, You have been here for 6+ weeks and posted 110+times. Do you read the other sections and pay attention to what is being said. There is a wealth of info here and plenty of comments on almost all the Mobo's made for AMD chips.
3rd, Any store that has not heard of MSI, considers Asus crap and Abit even worse, does not deserve your business. Shop elsewhwere.
Finally, before I get off my soapbox, do a bit of reasearch and look at the reviews and comments out on the "Net". Do you really want someone else to make the decision for you?

 

[Keldogg]

If they haven't heard of MSI, consider Asus crap, and Abit even worse. I would begin to wonder if they even knew how to use a computer. Seriously, buy off the internet or go to another store.

 

[ACiD_PoWeR]

I would choose MSI K7T Turbo with RAID

 

[App]

People who haven't heard of the top board makers names like MSI, Asus, Abit, etc, are not the right specialist to base your purchases on. Like adviced in other replies to this topic, do your homework and dig through the forums and reviews. Teach yourself by reading those.

 

[Gunjaa]

What it comes down to is the price/performance ratio, the MSI takes the cake in this department.
i opted for the asus a7v-133 mainly because it has an onboard promise ata-100 raid controller, and they are well known for their stability and overclockableness (is that a word ?? lol)

 

[Willis]

Both are good boards. Looking at what are some of the more poplular boards are around here with overclockers, and ASUS, Abit, and MSI are in the top 3 or 4. I personally am a big fan of the MSI KT7-Turbo w/raid. I originally ordered one with my 1ghz AXIA t-bird, and within a day or so (allowed some time for a burn-in!), I was cruising at 1.4ghz. My MSI never had any issue's at that speed. When I updated my heatsink to a Swiftech MC462, an awful and terrible thing occured that ruined the board.....it was due to a bit of impatience. I learned my lesson.

Anyhoo, I decided to go with a A7V-133 w/raid because of the good reviews and because I could buy it locally. I was really dissapointed with it. It wouldn't allow my AXIA to do anything! I tried everything, new bios, new drivers, better memory.....no avail. I ended up mailordering another MSI Turbo and within 5 minutes, was back at 1.4ghz.

This is my experience with the two boards, but with my luck I just got a bad one. Both will take you to Mach2 if you treat them right!

Hope this helps!!

 

[harderclock]

those salesman sound like real winners overthere asus and abit boards in my (experiece) are great boards.sounds to me like they were overstocked on msi boards to me

 

[Oni]

I think those salespeople better call the hospital for a severe case of CRI (Cranial-rectial insertion)

Asus boards are among the best. They are relyable, stable, and have lots of features. If I were you, I'd go w/ an Asus A7V133 (Remember to make sure its an A7V133, not just an A7V), and something along the lines of 1000/200 or a 1200/266 w/ AXIA stepping. Or, if you wanna shell out more bux, you could pick up a 1333/266 AYHJA stepping. Those are just as overclockable as the AXIA stepping, but run much cooler. I hope that this helps!

 

[TranceBear]

Well I have the best luck with the K7T Turbo. I had that puppy at over 1.5 ghz with just minor mods. I truley love this board!! And MSI has a great overclocking BIOS for it, talk about support!! Good Luck

 

[The Stickie]

calling asus crap is enough for me to never buy a thing from this guy...
some of their boards are good, some are better and the rest is best...
but none of them are bad