Which of these two setups is the better performer?

[Lawton]

Hey guys. In my recent other thread I was asking for help getting my Soltek KT266a mobo to run a T-bred XP2100. It won't run it. I do have another motherboard that will run the T-bred 2100--an ECS K7S5A rev2 (SiS chipset). So I'm wondering which of the two following mobo/cpu combos is going to be the better performer:

1) KT266A motherboard & XP2000+ (Palomino) CPU
2) SiS735 motherboard & XP2100 (Thoroughbred) CPU

I have the understanding that the KT266A chipset is a better chipset (better memory controller, more overall system bandwidth, ATA133...). Will the T-bred's enhancements (over the Palomino) make up for the inferiority of the SiS chipset? Which would you be running, given the choice?

I'll be using the same stick of Crucial CAS2 PC2100 with either board, btw.

Thanks!

 

[Pilsnerpete]

If your SiS chipset board overclocks, you'll probly get more out of the 2100+. It's a B, right?

 

[Lawton]

How do I tell if it's a B-stepping chip? It's an AIUHB, I believe.

 

[magomago]

There is a new ECS board out that is actually a good overclocker @ newegg for 66 shipped- check out that if you haven't bought an ecs k75sa yet

 

[lycurgus]

Originally posted by: Lawton
How do I tell if it's a B-stepping chip? It's an AIUHB, I believe.

My understanding is that it ends in a "B", so it's a B.

You sure that there's no BIOS revision to allow the KT266A to run the Tbred? If you're not planning on OC'ing, then I would go with the KT266A.

 

[Lawton]

Hey. Yes, I am sure that my Soltek KT266a board will not run the T-bred. I have tried all the available BIOS updates, and it's still a no-go. The likelihood (based on what I'm seeing with other KT266a boards) is that the problem is only with the XP2000+ and 2100+ T-breds. The Rev2 K7S5A is overclockable with a beta BIOS. It allows you to adjust the frequency, but NOT the voltage... so this 2100+ will have to be a good o/c chip for that to work.