Hot for some: Cheap FlexATX motherboard (great for tiny cases or custom work) ~$25 shipped w/coupon

[kenkhanh]

Thanks for the great deal OP. Need to upgrade 2 of the 6 Netvista cases that I bought from eFlay awhile back.

4 PCI slots on a F-ATX mobo is just amazing. And if it supports FC-PGA2 w/ the latest BIOS, it's just awesome!. This, plus a small case like the Netvista, an abundance possibilities!

Now I can have a FreeBSD box acting as a server/router w/ 2-port hub and WiFi AP! Gotta figure out how a riser card and 3 low-profile NICs will fit

Update1: 20031209.0011 - I bought my ATX extension power cables from Cablesonline.com. Had a smooth transaction but I can't remember how much I paid for each when I bought 7 of them at the same time. Their current price is $3 before shipping (Tax to NY). http://store.yahoo.com/cablesonline/6atxmotpowex.html

 

[nnnyyy]

Just ordered one of these boards over the weekend and it shipped out monday morning! Great deal. Looks like they are going fast though. There was 24 when I bought it and now it's down to 9 left!
By the way, can anyone tell me what they used to get that orange paint of the netvista case (if you bought one from ebay). Cant seem to scrub it off with paint thinner.

 

[k1114]

Originally posted by: nnnyyy
Just ordered one of these boards over the weekend and it shipped out monday morning! Great deal. Looks like they are going fast though. There was 24 when I bought it and now it's down to 9 left!
By the way, can anyone tell me what they used to get that orange paint of the netvista case (if you bought one from ebay). Cant seem to scrub it off with paint thinner.

Not sure on the paint, I bought one without for a couple bucks more. There is a guy on ebay selling both. Hopefully this place won't sell out too fast, i'm thinking of building a second netvista case system just for fun!

 

[fishsauce]

To get the paint off use the paint thinner called toluene (i think thats how its spelled). Its very corrosive and very bad for your lungs, so do it outside. And remember not to use cottonballs because the fibers will get stuck on the case because some off the original paint will come off too.

 

[FrankSchwab]

Actually, Acetone (fingernail polish remover) worked very well to get the orange paint off my NetVista case, and it's a whole lot safer and better smelling than toluene.

Doesn't affect the original paint, either.

/frank

 

[KoolAidKid]

Good deal on the motherboard.

FYI - Asus P4S333-M and P4S333-VM motherboards will fit in the Netvista case. The motherboard takes up to a p4 2.4 (400 FSB) CPU, I believe.
Also, Powercolor makes a low profile Radeon 9200 w/ TV out for $63 shipped.

 

[k1114]

Originally posted by: KoolAidKid
Good deal on the motherboard.

FYI - Asus P4S333-M and P4S333-VM motherboards will fit in the Netvista case. The motherboard takes up to a p4 2.4 (400 FSB) CPU, I believe.
Also, Powercolor makes a low profile Radeon 9200 w/ TV out for $63 shipped.

Yeah the p4s333-m and -vm definately fit, i've seen pics of them mounted, although I definately wouldn't run a p4 setup without upgrading the psu as well, and you would definately need to find some way to up the cooling power, maybe a blowhole cut in the top?

 

[huesmann]

Originally posted by: fishsauce
What a coincidence. I just finished building a system with the same exact case today.
These are what I used:
matsonic ms8188e (VIA km400/a)
Aopen gf4 mx440 8x
Black Face Lite On 16x dvd-rom
1.4ghz Duron

Sorry I don't have pics to my system yet, but I'll post them as soon as I can.

I'd like to note that I could only fit one stick of ram due ide wire (from the dvd drive) obstructing the second ram slot.

Edit: I forgot to add a very important piece - The PSU

Dude, what did you use for cooling the CPU, if I might ask?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

That looks like a microATX. A Flex ATX board would have it's edge where the 2nd PCI slot is, and if you need two slots you have to use a particular style of riser card (which that one doesn't support)

 

[flynclippr]

Originally posted by: huesmann
[Dude, what did you use for cooling the CPU, if I might ask?

It was just a cheap Cooler Master HSF. Originally it was meant for just a 1 ghz Duron so it didn't seem like there was a need to splurge on a better cooler. That chip ended up cracking (repeated heatsink mounting while testing motherboards) and we got the duron 1.4 to replace it. Next time we're going to use a different cooler.

The case can only fit heatsink/fans up to ~60 mm in height.


edit: the board doesn't seem to have 5.1 audio. sorry about that.

 

[dragonlord2112]

Sorry guys, I bought the last one :evil:
My Netvista will finally have something in after a year or so

 

[ntsf]

Well, now that these are gone...

I'm going to compile a list of boards that are compatible with the netvista case... Anyone care to contribute names/models of boards that you know work in the case?

 

[KoolAidKid]

Try a search for Netvista on the Sudhian forums. Lots of good info there.

 

[k1114]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
That looks like a microATX. A Flex ATX board would have it's edge where the 2nd PCI slot is, and if you need two slots you have to use a particular style of riser card (which that one doesn't support)

No, this is FlexATX as stated earlier in the thread. Look at the four lower mounting holes on the board, the bottom right one doesn't line up the same on MicroATX boards. Also note the dimensions, this one fits the FlexATX standard perfectly. I've already got mine up and running, it's definately the smaller of the two

Oh and here is that sudhian forums thread -> link

 

[Ultanium]

GRRRR.... I needed a few of these. I think I need to quit my job so I can stay on top of the deals at AT!

Ult

 

[kenkhanh]

Originally posted by: ntsf
Well, now that these are gone...

I'm going to compile a list of boards that are compatible with the netvista case... Anyone care to contribute names/models of boards that you know work in the case?

When I first bought the IBM cases last year, it took awhile with some help from google to look for a mobo that fits.

I bought ECS P6STP-FN. ECS has two other Flex-ATX mobos list at their site, P6STF (SiS 630ST Chipset) and P6STP-FL (SiS 630E Chipset). These are socket 370 FC-PGA(1) boards.

I think the maximum mobo dimension the Netvista case can support is 200mm x 240mm. But the layout of the board is as important as the dimension, i.e. the placement of the non-tilted memory slots. K1114 uses the current deal's mobo and he has the same minor problem as I do w/ the ECS mobo. My regular-size CDROM drive barely touches the outer-edge DIMM, and that's not having the IDE cable connected.

HTH.

 

[slunk]

What's the least expensive CPU that will run in a Asus P4S333-VM?

 

[KoolAidKid]

pricewatch lists a p4-1.6 (socket 478) for $97, and a p4-1.7 for $98. In my experience, the 1.6 overclocks better.

 

[slunk]

Thanks. Will any socket 478 Celeron work well, also? I was given the Asus p4s333-vm from a friend, and I thought I might throw it in a Netvista case with a cheap, cool-running processor. What's the lowest rated Celeron that would work? I'm on a tight budget, and I just want to make a multi-purpose server out of it.

 

[KoolAidKid]

The P4S333-VM takes any socket 478, 400 MHz FSB CPU. This includes Celerons from 1.7 to 2.4 GHz, and 400 FSB P4's from 1.4 to 2.4. You can get a Celery 2.4 for $69 shipped, according to pricewatch.

 

[slunk]

Exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you!