Most stable KT266A board.

[tcrosson]

I've had it with my system. Every componet seems to have "issues" with others. From my All-In-Wonder Radeon to my Abit KT7-Raid to my SB Live. I've tried every patch and upgrade imagineable. My system just isn't stable. I'm thinking I've patched so many times they all cancled each other out - or just don't work.

Regardless I've selected about every new componet except the motherboard. More then likely as follows:

Geforce 3 Ti 500
Nvidia Personal Cinema (when avaible as an addon)
1.5GB of Crucial DDR
Game Theater XP (MAYBE Sound blaster Audigy)
2 (at least) WD 100GB with 8MB cache (RAID 1)
Windows XP Pro

I'll be carrying over my current DVD/CD drives, etc.

I've heard many great things about the Soyo Dragon+ and the Epox 8KHA+ (and many others). But at this point - I don't care about speed. I just want a motherboard that will be stable and will have the fewest potential problems with my selected compontes (subject to change of course). Any reccommendations?

Also does the KT266A have the same VIA/Sound Blaster Audigy problems as it does with the KT133a? I'd perfer an Audigy Platinum, but (again) I'll give it up for the sake of stability.

 

[Mem]

<< Also does the KT266A have the same VIA/Sound Blaster Audigy problems as it does with the KT133a? >>




I`ve the Epox 8KHA+ and SB Audigy sound card ,no problems at all with this combo,I use it for gaming along with my Leadtek GF2 Ti and it`s all rock stable .

 

[tazdevl]

A7V266E... Asus is famous for their stability and being one of the top performers. There are 4-5 reviews out there on the board. Every one comments on its performance and stability. They tend to be a bit more expensive, but personally I'd pay a premium to ensure I get a board that has less of a chance of being DOA. Do a search on the 8KHA+ and see how many came in DOA.

 

[Mem]

<< Do a search on the 8KHA+ and see how many came in DOA. >>



Any board can be DOA,you could buy Asus but that does not guarantee it will not be a RMA board,as for Asus stability that`s overrated IMHO ,boards from Epox,Shuttle,MSI etc are just as stable but cheaper, Asus owners feel they are paying more for stability when in reality they are not.

 

[Cancer12]

Try running your system without the soundblaster and see if that helps

 

[tazdevl]

<<

<< Do a search on the 8KHA+ and see how many came in DOA. >>



Any board can be DOA,you could buy Asus but that does not guarantee it will not be a RMA board,as for Asus stability that`s overrated IMHO ,boards from Epox,Shuttle,MSI etc are just as stable but cheaper, Asus owners feel they are paying more for stability when in reality they are not.

>>



Mem, after grad school I did manufacturing strategy for one of the largest PC manuf in the world. I've conducted due dilligence on just about every motherboard manufacturer out there. Asus and Tyan are Tier1 companies meaning the best quality. Tiering is based on quantitative (# rejects off line, returns etc..) as well as qualitative data (equipment used on the line, quality of components used in the boards etc...). FYI Epox is Tier3.

The other companies are getting better, but they are nowhere near Asus and Tyan in quality. It isn't perceived, it's fact based on hard data. Talk to anyone in the industry that deals with motherboard/component manufacturers and they will tell you the same thing.

The other companies' marketing is becoming much more prevalent and the messaging is more aggressive. When combined with better quality, the end result is that it puts them in a consumer's purchase decision set, where 9 months ago things would have been different. Asus on the other hand, is sitting back and relying on word of mouth and repeat purchases. Sitting on their laurels in the midst of a recession is not the best marketing strategy.

 

[themadmonk]

So taz, you are saying that since Tyan and Asus are Tier 1 companies, their products are better than the rest? That one sounds a bit too "subjective".

 

[Mem]

tazdevl

The fact is I`ve owned most top brands and never had stability or boards dying on me so why should I pay extra for Asus?

At the moment I`m very happy with both my Epox and MSI boards and can see no reason why I should pay more for Asus,I`ve stability and reliabilty what more do you need in a board?

 

[tcrosson]

Cancer12,

I have ran the system without the SB Live and it runs stablely (no hard freezes in Win2k). However, as I'm sure everyone knows, Ati's drivers leave much to desire. I get streaking on almost all webpages, games run much slower then they could, look worse then they could, and worse of all, many of the All-in-Wonders feartures (which is why I bought the card) just don't work or don't work consistently. It's to the point where there are better alternatives now and I no longer have to live with these sub-standard drivers.

Tazdevil,

Although I've never tested motherboards, I know which manufactures that have worked well in my systems and which have not. Historically, I've always bought the most feature rich, first-to-the-market board out there. Unfortuneately these have been from the likes of Epox, DFI, Soyo, and Chaintech. Currently I'm using an Abit and I'm also unsatisfied with it. As you stated my only other alternative is to try another company that has a better reputation for quality. Again I'm torn between the Dragon Plus' feature rich package or Asus' well-known quality (garnered from friends and these forums). Now picking up my 12th or so motherboard, I'm going to give up a few features (some of which I probably won't even use) and pay for the quality.

mem,

I agree completely with you - on the reverse side though. I have not found a brand that will work consistently for me. It seems there is always a "fatal flaw" with the boards I've used in the past. Therefore, I'm going to keep trying and hope that I can find a brand that will work better for me (i.e. Asus, Tyan). Hopefully I can find a manufacturer I can rely on also.

Thanks everyone for the help... I would love to hear more opinions/experiences to make a more informed decision.

 

[gil11542]

I have to agree, ASUS is one of the best, user friendly, and stabile boards I have ever used. I buy and sell alot of hardware and replace components in my boxes regularly, I have less compatibility issues out of ASUS over any other board manf. I have used. Right now I have 5 ASUS and 1 ABIT board all socket A's And will be dumping the ABIT as soon as I pick up an ASUS A7V266-E this board rocks. MY .02

 

[JETninja]

MSI KT266A Pro 2-RU @3.3bios
Athlon XP1700 1.47@1.6Ghz (just starting!) FSB@145 = 1900+
Alpha PAL-8045 w/Enermax 80mm adjustable fan 36C Idle/39C Load
Gainward GeForce 2 Ti 64Mb DDR 450 "Golden Sample" (270/500)
512Mb Crucial PC2100 (In slots 1 & 2)
Maxtor 40G ATA100 7200rpm
Hercules Fortissmo II (in Slot 4)
EPO 16X DVD
Hi-Val 16x10x40 CDRW
Netgear FA311 Nic (in Slot 3)
Enermax 365P-VE
Antec SX-800
Altec-Lansing AD880 (Shipping)
USB: Mouse, Printer, Stick, Wheel, Scanner, Camera, Ipaq Cradle (not yet)
WinXP Pro 2002
Active NB Cooler, DDR Memory/Video Memory/and Mosfet Heat Sinks.
Fans everywhere! (8 out of 10 at the moment)

Love it!

 

[Duvie]

I say run a search on this exact topic considering it has been running like every other frekkin day!!!!! Don't mean to be an ass, but I am getting tired of same old threads. It is like lame-ass p4 vs athlon topics that newbie members post daily...read some reviews as well!!!

 

[tazdevl]

<< tazdevl

The fact is I`ve owned most top brands and never had stability or boards dying on me so why should I pay extra for Asus?

At the moment I`m very happy with both my Epox and MSI boards and can see no reason why I should pay more for Asus,I`ve stability and reliabilty what more do you need in a board? >>



My point is pretty simple. As a total % of boards produced, Asus and Tyan have the lowest percentage of dead boards off the line and returns. That's great you've had good luck with other brands. But again... numbers don't lie. Your probability is higher of getting a bad board with companies other than Asus or Tyan. Generally the lines are more sophisticated, cleaner, more comprehensive testing is conducted, and the components going on the boards are better than most other companies. In addition to decent BIOS, lends itself to stability.

themadmonk, read my post again. I conducted due diligence in my job on motherboard companies... no bias. Driven simply by the numbers. Tiering isn't some kind of subjective judgement, LOL. Making decisions to do multimillion dollar contracts with a company on a gut feel doesn't make too much sense. If you don't understand business, don't comment on it.

Do I prefer Asus? Yes... driven not only by my experience in my job... but also with the fact that I personally have received some quirky & DOA KT266A (Epox, Shuttle, MSI) boards from other manuf. Every time I switch back to Asus I have zero problems. Any config I run, no problems. That's a stable board in my book.

Looking outside my own experiences... read reviews on most hw sites... what do they say... Asus=stability & performance. Take a look @ the extremetech.com review of KT266A boards. The Asus board was the only one that had zero stability issues. MSI, Epox, Soyo... all had problems (Abit wasn't reviewed). There are a few others out there but I'm hitting the sack.

 

[Bovinicus]

Basically all of the KT266A boards seem to have very good stability. I have the EPoX 8KHA+ running flawlessly. I have two friends running Shuttle AK31A's running flawlessly as well.

If you need RAID:
MSI K7T 266 Pro2-RU. The USB 2.0 is a nice addition as well. For about $135 shipped, it's a pretty well priced product.

If you need RAID and overclocking:
Abit-KR7A RAID. Abit is a long time friend of enthusiasts. Get lots of tweaking options along with RAID. It's about $160 or a little more with shipping.

If you want to overclock to new heights:
EPoX 8KHA+. Many have been hitting very high bus/clock speeds with this board. The BIOS updates are frequent, the options are very abundant, and it's priced reasonably at about $110 shipped.

If you want moderate to heavy overclocking:
Shuttle AK31A. This board is a very good overclocker, you just can't select bus speeds about 166MHz. It also has 4 DIMM slots, which is nice. Let's not forget, it only costs $90 with shipping.

If you need integrated features:
Soyo SY-K7V Dragon+. It has high quality onboard sound, onboard LAN, as well as RAID. It is also a pretty good overclocker if you want to do some of that on the side. This board is about $155 with shipping.

There you have it. There are a good number of choices for various situations. I hope I have helped you pick the board that is right for you. Merry Christmas. =)

 

[Mem]

<< Do I prefer Asus? Yes... driven not only by my experience in my job... but also with the fact that I personally have received some quirky & DOA KT266A (Epox, Shuttle, MSI) boards from other manuf. Every time I switch back to Asus I have zero problems. Any config I run, no problems. That's a stable board in my book. >>




My Friend as an Asus board and he has too many problems with it of course you could say user error setup but it was built from a well known company,of course RMA comes in two forms user error setup and DOA boards,the fact is some ccompanys sell more boards then others world wide so RMA will be higher also each country as different RMA levels and my take on this is anyone can get a bad board from any brand even the best brands.




<< Every time I switch back to Asus I have zero problems. Any config I run, no problems. That's a stable board in my book. >>

Funny I get that without buying & paying Asus price .


They all come with warranty anyway so no big deal but I`ll be damned if I`ll pay extra for nothing ,Asus are good don`t get me wrong but I think other brands are now up at their level.Anyway at the end of the day it`s your money your choice >

 

[tcrosson]

I appreciate everyone's help very much. It seems that as long as I go with a KT266a from a reputable manufacturer I shouldn't have any problems. I've been searching through the forums for a few days now and I have noticed very few complaints about compatibility problems with VIA and SBLive cards/Radeon cards (far fewer then that of the KT133/a). I still haven't decided which board but my main concern seems to have been addressed - any KT266a board from a reputable manufacturer with features I need should do very well for me.

Thank you very much.

 

[DoubleL]

I build computers and have just built a Asus and a Epox, The Asus with the 5.1 live and the Epox with the audigy and had no trouble with either, I think all the KT266A are about the same, You can always get a bad board, The Asus was a fine running computer and so was the Epox and I wouldn't put a lot in all the talk about the 8KHA+ DOA, It is funny when you read why some of the people sent theirs back, Just go with the KT266A chipset and what ever board it is on most likely will make you a good stable computer

 

[Wind]

tcrosson,
Asus = stability
Epox = O/cing abilities

I had tried both mobo. Both give me no probs.

 

[Newbie77]

My vote goes to Abit KR7A-Raid.

 

[senior guy]

<< My point is pretty simple. As a total % of boards produced, Asus and Tyan have the lowest percentage of dead boards off the line and returns. That's great you've had good luck with other brands. But again... numbers don't lie. Your probability is higher of getting a bad board with companies other than Asus or Tyan. Generally the lines are more sophisticated, cleaner, more comprehensive testing is conducted, and the components going on the boards are better than most other companies. >>


tazdevl: Strong words, but you present them as fact, without any verification whatsoever. Since "due dilligence" calls for the uncovering of pertinent facts, you shouldn't mind revealing the source data that validate your assertions (quoted above).

 

[IntelConvert]

I'm with senior guy on this. I don't argue that the A7V266-E is a fine board, but without any references or other data to backup his statements. I can't swallow Tazdevl's story about Asus and Tyan using superior manufacturing methods and higher quality components than all other mobo manufacturers.

 

[Gum]

Me using Soyo K7V Dragon+ with TBird 1.33Mhz and Audigy. No problems on the Audigy in WinXP and normal drivers, didnt even 'upgrade' to XP drivers for Audigy. My full specs below:

 

[dnacard]

Assuming that tazdevl does have actual numbers to backup his claims I'd have to say I'm in agreement with him. The experience of one person or a small group is not sufficient in substaniating a claim about a particular company. Moreover, it's necessary to look at the entire population or a sufficiently large sample. In terms of DOA and setup I think you're paying for a better probability of success. There's always the chance that you'll get a crap board, but by going with, let's say, ASUS you minimize that possibility. just my two cents

 

[senior guy]

Well dnacard, you and tazdevl are both entitled to your OPINION - but until I see some form of validation, that's all it is, OPINION, and should not be passed off as fact.

Merry Christmas

 

[Bovinicus]

All KT266A boards seem to be very stable. I have an EPoX 8KHA+, no crashes yet. I highly recommend it.