What mobo for a AMD XP 1900+ ??

[Anonymous]

What mobo should I go for?

Epox? ASUS?

I want my computer to be stable, but I also want a lot of control.
A 1900+ will deliver a lot of speed. So I think I can set the priority on the mobo before speed. (I don't think you'll notice the difference eh?)

I'm running my P2 266MMX 24/7 with w2k. Only things that has bothered me is suck ass drivers.

Anyway.

Epox seems to be nice, haven't checked them out thou.
Also thinking about ASUS...

I'm thinking about this one:
ASUS A7N266 NFORCE SOCKET A 266MHZ FSB

http://www.asus.com/mb/socketa/a7n266-e/overview.htm

It seems reeeeally nice. Does anyone know if that integrated NVIDIA GeForce2 'card' is neat? I mean, integrated graphics usually sucks...

I read somewhere that not all mobo's support AMD XP's overheating function. Is that true?
I mean, the only reason why I choose AMD now is because they have fixed their overheating problems and they are cheaper that Intel.

Dunno what to buy :(

I'm going to use the comp for gaming, 3D Modelling and stuff. So I need a fast and stable comp.

What else mobo options do I have?
That ASUS mobo seems to rock thou.

[Darthtanion]

When it comes to choosing a motherboard, it really depends on what features you're looking for. As a rule, get a board using the VIA KT266A chipset since it's the cream of the crop right now. KT333 boards have been starting to hit the streets, but there's not a whole lot of improvement there... yet. If you have patience, then you might see when the KT333A chipsets will come to market.

As for the nForce based boards, you'll be paying a premium proce for the luxury of having a GF2 module built into the board. You can buy a good KT266A based board and a decent video card for about the same money, and you'll be getting better performance as well. It really wasn't able to match the hype that was floating around.

Both companies you listed make good boards, but don't rely on Asus' thermal probe system for temperatures. They are rather notorious for being way off the mark. A couple of other good companies are Abit and Shuttle. The Shuttle AK35GTR has been making waves in the community lately. I've got one that I'll be looking at later this week, so won't be able to personally recommend for or against until after it's tested.

Good luck!

[Neone]

So I should go for a KT266A chipset u say?
I don't think that I will be overclocking.
But it would be nice to have those features.

I've heard that the speed should be a lot faster with the integrated GeForce card.
Maybe I should use my existing GeForce Annihilator PRO 256 32Mb DDR card?

I think I'm going for 256Mb DDR ram. Maybe I should go for 512Mb instead? :D

Btw, U have any tips for quiet fans?

[Wiggo]

The price of the nForce board maybe a little high and they're not quite mature enough yet.
As Darth said go for a KT266A based board. :smokin:

[Darthtanion]

[b]So I should go for a KT266A chipset u say?

The KT266A is an outstanding choice. The newer ones coming to market may offer better performance, but the jury is still out on this at the moment. The KT266A will offer very good performance and still allow you to stay on a budget. It will also be a viable motherboard for some time still, so an upgrade won't necessarily have to done too soon (unless you want to).
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[B]I don't think that I will be overclocking.
But it would be nice to have those features.

There's no rule that says that you HAVE to overclock... but is sure is nice knowing that you can if you want to later on.
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[B]I've heard that the speed should be a lot faster with the integrated GeForce card.

Bah... faster or not, it is still based on the GeForce2 technology. You can pick up a GeForce3 card for very reasonab;e rates and it will blow the socks off the inbred graphics chip that is built into the nForce boards.
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[B]I think I'm going for 256Mb DDR ram. Maybe I should go for 512Mb instead?

If you plan on running a system based on the WinXP operating system, then go ahead and grab up about 512MB of memory. If you'll be using the Win9x/ME OS, then 256MB will be all that you want.
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[B]Btw, U have any tips for quiet fans?

Which fans are we talking about? If you're talking about heatsinks, then take a look at the review that I just did on the Thermaltake Volcano 7+. It really surprised me with its performance, and on the low and medium settings, it was very quiet. Even the high fan speeds weren't as loud as the screaming 60mm fans that power a majority of today's HSF units.
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Hopefully I managed to answer all your questions. If not, then just ask away and we'll try to help out where we can. :)

Good luck!

[Neone]

Damn good "service" u get here! :D
KT266 Chipset. I think I'll go for that then. It doesn't matter what vendor I choose? ASUS, ABIT, Microstar etc...

Btw, I think I'll stick to my GeForce card till I can afford a GeForce3. Then I can save some money on the mobo.

[Darthtanion]

Glad to help out, but make sure to get a board based on the KT266A chipset. That letter on the back end is very important since the original KT266 was rather bug-ridden.

Good luck on your project. ;)

[Neone]

Well, since we're in the subject of buying stuff. Maybe u have any case to recomend? I'm thinking about a Chieftech Fulltower with a 'quiet!' powersupply. It's supposed to be extra quiet.
And u can install 2-4 extra fans! :D That rocks if I want to cool down the monster or something. hehe

[Darthtanion]

It's my understanding that Chieftech is the same case design as Antec, but doesn't have their high-end PSU installed. That said, it should be a very good case. I have used an Antec SX1030 for the past couple of years, and it has been like a rock. Very solid design and great cooling potential (of which I use all of them). So get one... you'll like it. :)

[Neone]

"high-end PSU"

What is that?

[Darthtanion]

Let me rephrase that term and use "High Quality" since it is more in tuned with my meaning. Antec power supplies are very stable, quiet, and have a long life. They also provide a very steady flow of power so that your components won't be going crazy.

Here's an example of one of their units:

http://www.antec-inc.com/product/powers/pp412x.htm

[Morgan_Lander]

I'll second that one. Antec makes very nice PSU's.

[Albinus]

Well, if you ask all the regulars on their motherboard choice they will probably all give a different answer :laugh:

I have always been served well by AOpen motherboards, never had a single one fail on me, and that's a lot of boards! The AK77 Pro "A" is the standard model based on the VIA KT266A chipset, and the AK77 Plus "A" features onboard Promise IDE RAID. Make sure to get the "A" version of the board, because the version without it is based on the older VIA KT266 chipset, which was slower and had a few little incompatibilities.

But virtually any board with the KT266A chipset should serve you well - don't waste time and money on the KT333 ;)