Poll: Motherbaord Choice? (DDR)

[sh33p]

Hi, I'm getting a new system, but due to a shortage of Gigabyte GA-7DXR's, I need to choose a new motherboard. Here are the ones I'm considering, what do you think?

Gigabyte GA-7VTX
Abit KG7-RAID
EPoX EP-8K7A
Asus A7M266

Right now, that's the order I'm looking at them in.. I've read good things about the GA-7VTX. If it makes any difference, I'll be getting a T-bird 1.33 (266fsb), 512 DDR Ram, SB Live Value, and Hercules Prophet 4500... any of these likely to cause problems with any of the boards mentioned?


sh33p

 

[Boonesmi]

i dont know enough about the abit board to really know what i think of it, it does have potential though i only wish it didnt need registered ram to use all the dimm slots

but.... leaving out the abit i like:
epox 8k7a
asus a7m266

 

[whistleclient]

EPoX EP-8K7A

 

[Spoon]

I just ordered the Epox 10 minutes ago

 

[heffe734]

EPOX EPOX EPOX

 

[sh33p]

So ...
General feeling seems to be EPoX...
I was sorta looking into the KG7-RAID.. it seems like a contender..
Anyone have any problems with this board?

 

[judgmentday1]

I agree. The Abit KG7-Raid looks beautiful!

 

[chainbolt]

The Gigabyte 7VTX is really good accroding to the benchamrks and the discussion n the amdmb.com gigabyte forum. I prefer the 7DXR, which seems to be even better, see the review.

 

[Athlon4all]

KG7-RAID once it's price goes down, until then MSI's K7 Master.

 

[sh33p]

Cool...
I can't get the GA-7DXR due to a shortage.. and I like the AMD chipset.. so it's looking like the epox or the abit..
Leaning toward the abit..
Like the bluish colour

 

[tjll11a]

i'm running epox 8k7a and runs fine

 

[Buz2b]

What the heck, at the risk of being shouted down, I vote for the A7M266. I just got one and it is stable, stable, stable. I know it has the Multiplier limitation, but you can still OC this board. Did I mention stable??

 

[BruinGuy]

My vote for the EPoX EP-8K7A

 

[AppleTalking]

I also vote for the Epox 8K7A. It's a good, stable board, relatively cheap, and is great for overclocking. As for a power supply, I run my 8K7A and a Tbird 1.2GHz. on the 300W power supply that came with my Enlight 7237 case. Haven't had a problem yet. But then again, I don't really like to overclock my machines that much.

But if you have any doubts, go for a higher-rated PS.

Good luck!
Nick

 

[Bingo13]

I have the following in systems at home-

Asus A7M266
Gigabyte 7DXR
Epox 8K7A+
Gigabyte 7VTX

All of these boards are very stable, well manufactured, and offer excellent performance. Each board has its advantages along with certain quirks. You cannot go wrong with any of these choices.

Asus A7M266- excellent stability, very good performance, top quality components everywhere, funky layout, does not have multiplier adjustments unless modded.
Expensive. Limited Supplies at times.

Gigabyte 7DXR- excellent stability, top performance, top quality components and layout, on-board raid (promise 20265r), upgraded on-board sound(ct5880), blue, three DDR slots (really need registered memory for all three), requires a combination of jumpers/bios settings for tweaking.
Expensive. Very Limited or Zero Supplies. Did I mention blue?

Epox 8K7A+ - very good stability, very good performance (best board for high FSB ability), quality components and layout, on-board raid (hpt370), requires a combination of jumpers/bios settings for tweaking.
Reasonable cost, excellent cost without raid option. Available.

Gigabyte 7VTX- excellent stability, almost top performance (with same FSB settings, best performance) , top quality components and layout, upgraded on-board sound(ct5880), blue, three DDR slots (do not need registered memory for all three slots), requires a combination of jumpers/bios settings for tweaking, lacks CPU voltage adjustment.
Reasonable cost. Available but limited vendors. Did I mention blue?

My favorite at this time is the 7VTX because I can populate all three memory slots (768mb) which helps since I run W2K. It also offers the best overall system performance in my opinion along with the fact that I can use the on-board audio for about 95% of my needs. I still prefer the add-in cards for audio. I wish it would have had a raid option so I could utilize more IDE devices without adding a card.
If I could only have one board out of the group it would be the Gigabyte 7DXR with registered memory for all three slots.

 

[manster]

Hi,
I've been considering getting the MSI K7 Master. I have not familiar with the EPoX EP-8K7A board. How do these boards compare in terms of stability and performance?

 

[greenpoint]

Not a word about MSI K7T266 Pro Raid DDR?
Isn't it worth to think about?
I just plan to buy one
Seems to be stable, stable...and faaast... Isn't it?

greenpoint

 

[Bingo13]

greenpoint,

After using the the Gigabyte 7VTX and the MSI K7T266Pro-R, I would go with the Gigabyte board unless you need the on-board raid and cpu voltage adjustment. The Gigabyte out performs the MSI board and is far more stable in my experiences. Not to say that the MSI board is bad (not now anyway) just that the Gigabyte board is better. Anyway, several new KT266 boards will start arriving in late July to early August so who knows what Asus/Epox/Iwill/Abit/Shuttle will be truly capable of with this chipset. It is amazing the choices that will be available for AMD platforms over the next few months.

 

[greenpoint]

Thanks Bingo 13.
The best choice is to wait and see.
And Raid is a must (video editing).

greenpoint

 

[sh33p]

Raid would be nice..
Thats what makes me lean toward the EPoX board...
Is the KG7-RAID out yet even?


sh33p

 

[qilin]

i am using Epox, no experience with others

 

[Athlon4all]

Yah, KG7-RAID is out on Pricewatch, but enormously expensive, almost $200. By the end of Summer, price should be back down to competitive rate with other DDR boards.

 

[HansXP]

I'd go with the Asus A7M266. Very stable and super fast.

 

[chainbolt]

Bingo: nice comparison, I 100% agree these boards are all good, it's more a matter of taste(we luv the blue Giga, don't we) and availability

 

[Bingo13]

Chainbolt,

I love the blue, of course the performance of the boards help a great deal also. I just built a inexpensive second system for my Dad that has the Abit KT7E (great board and blue) along with a Hercules 4500 (blue), blue orbs, blue Thermal memory heatsinks, blue cables, Logitech white/blue keyboard, logitech blue optical mouse, SGI monitor(blue), and a Lian-Li PC30 case painted Ford blue along with the CDRW/DVD face plates. It turned out really nice with some contrasting yellow/red wiring and fans. (he is a ford car nut) I just received another 7VTX so I might be repeating most of the above for my office system.

Anyway, all of these boards truly are very good. It will be a very interesting time when the new KT266 layouts arrive shortly along with the SIS735 and Nvidia boards in the fall. By this time next year who will remember the AMD761? It will be like the Intel LX chipset once the BX arrived.