recommended board

[Anonymous]

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings). Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming, video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding to mpeg2.

Thanks!

 

[Ben Pope]

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a
bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost
savings). Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more
stable/faster?

The -X is like a slightly cut-down version without Dual Channel, but memory
performance isn't really changed that much.

What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing
gaming, video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't
need to be an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video
editing/encoding to mpeg2.

I have the Deluxe and it's excellent. The A7N8X-E Deluxe looks pretty good
too (Gigabit ethernet).

It seems that the nForce2 is the way to go with Socket A.

Ben

 

[Ben Pope]

I have the Deluxe and it's excellent. The A7N8X-E Deluxe looks pretty
good too (Gigabit ethernet).

I should point out that I have the A7N8X Deluxe!

Ben

 

[\(\) |\\/| 3 G /-\\]

are you overclocking?
if so, go with nforce2.

if not, then either/or.

many people say via sux. i have had EXPERIENCE with via chipsets (3 boards)
and all 3 (2x cheap celeron cpu jetways, and 1 asus a7v333 AXP board) have
been rock solid.
i now own an nforce2-400 (a7n8x dlx) and it's rock solid too.

go on features & price if overclocking isnt your aim. i see there all asus
boards too - cant go far wrong with them!

in case you dont know, the KT600 dont have locked agp/pci dividers, the
nforce2 does, so when you up the FSB, your agp/pci fsb increases which can
lead to stability problems on your pci/agp cards, even if your system fsb
isnt max'ed out (on the via chipset's)

tim

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a

bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings).
Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more

stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming,
video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be
an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding
to mpeg2.

 

[Leadfoot]

If you are into overclocking you should really look into the ABIT NF-7S

But the A7N8X is a fine board too. I've owned both and have no complaints
with either one.

Get the deluxe and make sure it's rev 2.0 The primary difference is that in
a Rev2.0 is that the nForce2 chip is 400fsb qualified whereas in a rev1.xx
its only 333FSB at least in the A7N8X deluxe.

And just run that 2600 at 400FSB. Shouldn't need more than 1.75 vcore to
run stably

Don't even bother with the VIA boards, nForce2 just kicks ass.

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a

bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings).
Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more

stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming,
video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be
an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding
to mpeg2.

 

[Fishface]

What do people think about the KT600?

It should be pointed-out that the KT600 and some later KT400 boards
use the VIA VT8237 South Bridge, which has native support for SATA
raid, unlike the NF-2 boards, which simply saddled it onto the PCI bus.

 

[Wayne Youngman]

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a

bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings).
Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more

stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming,
video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be
an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding
to mpeg2.


Hi,

I think the ABIT NF7-S v2.0 is the best choice if you are into overclocking.
It also has the best onboard sound. I been playing around with a friends
ASUS A7N8X Deluxe (v1.0) and the BIOS layout stinks! I'm certainly no
expert but the ABIT BIOS is so much easier to use, more *intuitive*.

The nForce2 chipsets out now are either 400 or Ultra 400. The Ultra chipset
offers SATA RAID, Firewire, and upgraded *Sound-Storm* onboard audio.

The price difference between the two chipsets is not very much, so I think
it's worth going with the *Ultra* to have the added SATA controller and
Firewire. . . .
--
Wayne ][

Barton (AQXEA) XP2500+ @ 2.2GHz (10x220) - 1.775vCore
CoolerMaster Aero 7 Lite - 3,200rpm
ABIT NF7-S (v2.0 - BIOS#14)
512MB Dual TwiSTER PC3500 @ DDR440 1:1 (9,3,3,2.0 - 2.7v)
Sapphire Atlantis 9800 - 3.3ns Samsung (325/290 Default)
240GB (2x120GB) WD-SE SATA RAID-0 (16k Stripe)
Antec SX630II Mini-Tower Case Inc 300w PSU
2 x CoolerMaster 80mm Blue Neon Fans
WinXP-PRO-SP1
Cat 3.7 - DX9.0b

 

[Ben Pope]

I think the ABIT NF7-S v2.0 is the best choice if you are into
overclocking. It also has the best onboard sound. I been playing around
with a friends ASUS A7N8X Deluxe (v1.0) and the BIOS layout stinks! I'm
certainly no expert but the ABIT BIOS is so much easier to use, more
*intuitive*.

The A7N8X range all use Award/Pheonix 6, except for the -X which uses AMI,
I'm led to believe.

I like the Award BIOS layout, and hate AMI.

The nForce2 chipsets out now are either 400 or Ultra 400.

That'll be the Northbridge (IGP or SPP)

The Ultra chipset offers SATA RAID, Firewire, and upgraded
*Sound-Storm* onboard audio.

Now you're talking about the Southbridge (MCP or MCP-T), which does not
support SATA or RAID. Soundstorm is not "upgraded" either, since the
non-Deluxe boards simply don't have Soundstorm.

The price difference between the two chipsets is not very much, so I think
it's worth going with the *Ultra* to have the added SATA controller and
Firewire. . . .

Absolute rubbish.

Start reading:
http://www.nvidia.com/page/nforce.html
http://www.nvidia.com/object/nppa.html

Ben

 

[Arnie Berger]

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings). Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming, video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding to mpeg2.

Thanks!

I had an ABIT KT7A with a Via chipset. The chipset had real bugs.
There were several workarounds, but it kind of soured me on VIA. The
board worked OK once I got it going. Other problems that I remember:

o Incorrectly reported core and I/O voltages
o Problem with WD drives
o Problem with Zip drives
o Leaky filter capacitors (not me, but lotsa users )

arnie

 

[Jeff Labute]

From what i hear,...the ABit NF7-S v2 is very good.
I just ordered one myself...it has lots of features... even optical out.
Uses nforce2 chipset... seems to be more standle than the KT400 chipset for
sure
and faster.

I have an Asus A7N8X which has been very stable too.... i am happy with it.

Jeff

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a

bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings).
Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more

stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming,
video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be
an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding
to mpeg2.

 

[Napalm]

I'm in the market to upgrade my aging A7M266/1900+ tbird to something a

bit faster. Will be using a 2600+ 333 chip (not a 400 due to cost savings).
Here are the choices:

A7N8X nVidia nForce2-S
A7N8X-X nVidia nForce2-400
A7V600 VIA KT600

What's the difference in the nforce2 chip sets? Is one more

stable/faster? What do people think about the KT600? I'll be doing gaming,
video editing, and just standard stuff with this box. I doesn't need to be
an extreme gaming box or anything. Mostly be doing video editing/encoding
to mpeg2.

Thanks!

I've just upgraded to an MSI KT6 Delta FISR MoBo with the Via KT600 chipset
and I'm extremely happy with the performance I get out of it. I'm not a
hardcore gamer but I do game quite a bit and a majority of the reveiws I
read showed the MSI only a little bit slowere than the Nforce boards.

Napalm

 

[DaveL]

The difference between the 400 and the Ultra 400 is the Ultra has dual
memory (128 bit) support.

Dave