Which older motherboard would be better for my server?

[fourtwenty]

I have 2 motherboards and need to build 2 computers. One is for simple web surfing the other will be a gaming server/music studio.

The question I have is, would the server be better suited to use the K7S5A with 512MB DDR, or should I use the K7T Turbo with 512MB PC133 SDRAM? Assume the SDRAM will just be generic stuff.

The rest of the system configs will be as follows:

Server
XP2100+
120GB WD
TNT2 32MB
Creative Live! Drive


Net surfer
Athlon 1000MHz
20GB WD
voodoo3 3000
generic sound
generic 56k modem


Any opinions/suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

 

[Steven the Leech]

I would recomend that you use the one that you dont have to purchase any/least amount of, hardware for. I have a k7t turbo as my file server with 256 of pc133 and a athlon 1.3 cpu. It serves my needs well, I do have gigabit NIC,s and a gigabit switch on several of my pc's for transfer speed. With that being said i would probably use the ECS and DDR [if I didnt have to make a purchase to use it] [If you do have to buy hardware, I would recomend the cheapest to set up] as both will work very well for your needs.

I would use the net surfer as my Server, and your Server as your net surfer, and switch the hard drives around.

 

[fourtwenty]

Thanks for the comments. I already have the hardware listed except the 120GB HDD. Also, the net surfer is not for me, it's for a friends mother so I'd prefer to have the server as the higher performing machine since even with only the 1GHz processor she's getting a significant upgrade from what she had. I have a pretty decent gaming machine already that I use for surfing too.

Also, the XP CPU I have is actually a 2100+, not a 1700+. I always get the running speed and "+" speed confused. I have it running at 1950MHz right now, so I guess another question I have would be if I overclock it in the K7T would this make up for the difference bewteen DDR & SDRAM?

 

[Budman]

K7S5A with 512MB DDR definately.

 

[Zepper]

The K7S5A is too flaky to be trusted with server duty. I would buy one of Newegg's 'refurb' KT600 or KT880 mobos if I were building a basic server today. Both of those are MUCH better than any previous Sock-A and very stable running stock speeds ($30. up, shipped). You may have to buy or "social engineer" an I/O shield for your 'refurb' as Newegg's refurbs are like a box of chocolates... Took about a month of wheedling, but I finally got some I/O shields out of Asus for the A7V600 refurbs I bought and they work great.

.bh.

 

[Budman]

Originally posted by: Zepper
The K7S5A is too flaky to be trusted with server duty. I would buy one of Newegg's 'refurb' KT600 or KT880 mobos if I were building a basic server today. Both of those are MUCH better than any previous Sock-A and very stable running stock speeds ($30. up, shipped). You may have to buy or "social engineer" an I/O shield for your 'refurb' as Newegg's refurbs are like a box of chocolates... Took about a month of wheedling, but I finally got some I/O shields out of Asus for the A7V600 refurbs I bought and they work great.

.bh.

I bet to differ,the K7S5A is a very reliable board.

2 reasons I chose the K7S5A over the KT7,for 1 ddr is faster than sdram and ide controller is much faster on the K7S5a than on the Abit.

Most problems that people had was because often they paired that mobo with very cheaply made psu and that's why some people had problems.

I built quite a few of them for family & relatives & after years of use they still run perfect still today.

 

[fourtwenty]

Yes, the K7S5A that I have was in my brothers computer for a few years and he never had any problems with it.

 

[imported_Kensai]

I personally stay away from anything ECS made.

 

[Steven the Leech]

Originally posted by: Budman

Originally posted by: Zepper
The K7S5A is too flaky to be trusted with server duty. I would buy one of Newegg's 'refurb' KT600 or KT880 mobos if I were building a basic server today. Both of those are MUCH better than any previous Sock-A and very stable running stock speeds ($30. up, shipped). You may have to buy or "social engineer" an I/O shield for your 'refurb' as Newegg's refurbs are like a box of chocolates... Took about a month of wheedling, but I finally got some I/O shields out of Asus for the A7V600 refurbs I bought and they work great.

.bh.

I bet to differ,the K7S5A is a very reliable board.

2 reasons I chose the K7S5A over the KT7,for 1 ddr is faster than sdram and ide controller is much faster on the K7S5a than on the Abit.

Most problems that people had was because often they paired that mobo with very cheaply made psu and that's why some people had problems.

I built quite a few of them for family & relatives & after years of use they still run perfect still today.

I have to agree As I have built a number of ECS systems that are perfect for what they are for, have not had a problem with any of them.

K7S5A is one of my favorite budget boards, too bad they quit making them.

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: Budman
K7S5A with 512MB DDR definately.

 

[Pabster]

Originally posted by: Zepper
The K7S5A is too flaky to be trusted with server duty. I would buy one of Newegg's 'refurb' KT600 or KT880 mobos if I were building a basic server today. Both of those are MUCH better than any previous Sock-A and very stable running stock speeds ($30. up, shipped). You may have to buy or "social engineer" an I/O shield for your 'refurb' as Newegg's refurbs are like a box of chocolates... Took about a month of wheedling, but I finally got some I/O shields out of Asus for the A7V600 refurbs I bought and they work great.

.bh.

LOL. The K7S5A is actually a very solid and reliable mainboard. I literally built tens of machines with it and none of them have had any issues. And considering the price...

So my vote would definitely be the K7S5A. Stay away from MSI...

 

[bocamojo]

The K7S5A (Rev 1) I have is rock stable, and has been for about 3 or 4 years. Not one problem with it. Very fast chipset and well suited to light server duty.