SOMEONE recommend a MOTHERBOARD for me+my Duron

[Kev]

im about to my a new motherboard after deciding my Gigabyte 7IXE4 is pants...it sux ....big style...im after something that supports ATA100, AGP4x, 133MhzRam...and it needs to have a FSB and multiplier option ....i diont think i need 266FSB version mobos cos the Duron is only 200Mhz .....anyway, i need to know.....and tell me what the cheapest of the options is....thanks

 

[UnseenMenace]

I would reccomend a Abit mobo such as the KT7A or KT7A-Raid.. for the following reasons, not only has the mobo recieved great reviews but it is widely used on this forum which I think says a great deal more about its quality... It is also easier to get advice about a mobo that is used by a few people.. I use a Abit KT7A-Raid mobo with a Duron and was pleased that the manual is well written and clearly laid out. The mobo is easy to set up and the Soft Bios a great feature. I did have one question which resulted im me emailing Abit, from which I got a swift and detailed reply.. Overall a great motherboard from a company that appears to care about its customers.. Well worth the money
-------------------------------------------------------
Duron 800 @ 1050 with Global Win FOP-32 (140 x 7.5)
Abit KT7A-Raid Mobo
512 mb (Crucial Stuff CAS 2)
Hard Drive Cooler
Elsa Eraser X2 Gforce with Blue Orb (modified to display as a Quadro and overclocked http://www.tweakhardware.com/guide/quadro/ )
Sound Blaster Live Value
Full Tower with 5 (120 mm) case fans with seperate PSU

 

[Megahurtz]

Oops....double. See post below,

T

 

[Megahurtz]

I don't equate 'cheap' with overclocking..I do not frivolously throw extra money at this hobby, either. You can get quality components without spending large sums of money in most cases.

If you want the least expensive motherboard that could be called a true overclocker's board, and doesn't appear to suffer from too many of the KT133(A) issues, I would suggest that you take a look at a KT133E motherbord, namely the Abit KT7E.

If you want to feed one rung up on the food chain, either the above mentioned board(the Abit KT7A), or the Iwill KK266 will serve you nicely. You need to take any suggestions given here and conduct your own research...think of this as a starting point.

Enjoy your quest,

T

 

[Kev]

so, er...do you work for Abit?...only kiddin'...no, honestly, it does sound like a good board, but its 266FSB..isnt that a waste on a Duron which is only 200FSB?...or am i being silly?

 

[bruce]

If you want a good board, keep an eye out for A-bit's board based on the Via 133E chipset. It doesn't "officially" support a 266Mhz fsb, but from what I've read, it is on par with the KT7A but cheaper, also, you might really want to get a board that can do 266Mhz fsb for upgrading later...I recently got a kit for a buddy I'm building a pc for, and he paid $168 for a shuttle 133A board, 750 Duron, and case! Check out pricewatch and goodluck!

 

[Da Whip]

You will eventually want to upgrade the CPU, w/ 266fsb you will be able to improve overall performance down the road. The price difference is nominal.

 

[Megahurtz]

You can run your Duron at the faster bus speed. You may need to reduce the default multiplier in order to do so, but the increase in memory bandwidth will have a very positive impact on performance.

There are a lot of people that do this, myself included. My Duron 700 booted right up at the default multiplier at 133Mhz FSB(266 effective). An easy 930Mhz.

You are looking at a difference between a full featured KT133A motherboard, and the less featured KT133E motherboard of approx. 15-20 USD. For the true budget overclocker, the KT133E motherboard is a fine choice. (While the chipset doesn't officially support the 133Mhz bus, the Abit motherboard has no trouble achieving this FSB speed)

T

 

[bruce]

Also FYI-for a good review of the A-Bit KT7E check out [H]ard OCP, the Asus 133E chipset should be comperable in performance, Personally I have an Iwill KK266, and it was not too expensive and it's one hellofa performer! It's generally cheaper than Asus or A-Bit and it sports a 266Mhz fsb (Via 133A chipset) check it out at Pricewatch, just watch out for ver. 1.2 of the board!

 

[Despotes]

Go here to check out the mobo review

http://www4.tomshardware.com/mainboard/01q2/010509/alimagik1-08.html

 

[Rottys-R-Us]

Read this - http://www.viahardware.com/abitkt7e.shtm

It made my mind up, and have not regretted it.

And have NOT had one problem with it at ALL, NONE.

For not being an Official 200 FSB mine has been @ 277.

 

[Tacoman667]

Right before I got my TBird, I decided to unlock my Duron 850 and try a little something. I had the FSB up to 133 with the multiplier at 7 and it worked just fine. The next day I recieved my 1gig TBird, so I didn't really feel like challenging it after that, but it did just fine at 133FSB. Your Duron will do the same. Just make sure you up the vcore voltage when you OC it.

 

[AZZKICKER]

yup that KT7E is fast stable and cheep

awsome board

 

[Rottys-R-Us]

Should have said not Official @ 233 FSB not.

For not being an Official 200 FSB

And I only have generic CAS 3 ram.

Duhh. Let me go pull my head out of my #$$

 

[Kev]

if you are able to take the KT7E to an FSB of 133, what does the KT7A have that the KT7E hasn't? ....is this right?....maybe i misunderstood.

 

[Rottys-R-Us]

Kev (May 29, 2001 05:46 a.m.):
if you are able to take the KT7E to an FSB of 133, what does the KT7A have that the KT7E hasn't? ....is this right?....maybe i misunderstood.

Have you read the article?

Oh yah and price.

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[Kev]

WOW!!!!!!!!!! im geting one NOW!!!!!! ive decided!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow!!!!!!!!! ...its worth it!!!! WOW!!!!!! .....:¬) ...cheers!

 

[Kev]

I've seen an Abit KT7 for sale for quite cheap.....im not sure how good it is?

Can someone rank the KT7, KT7E and the KT7A from best to worst?

 

[Kev]

bump

 

[oc jason]

For complete reviews go to www.socketa.com

KT7-no raid only 100FSB supported kt133 chipset
KT7A(raid) supported RAID, 133+FSB supported kt133a chipset-BIOS adjustable settings.

KT7E- no raid-technically only 100mz FSB supported, but over 133 have been reached on all the KT7E boards BIOS adjustable settings kt133e chipset

KT7A raid - is THE mnost stable