Advice On Buying New MB

profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
edited November 2003 in Hardware
I am finally getting ready to do a serious upgrade (see the pathetic old HW in my sig...) and need some advice on a MB.

I will probably be going with a Barton 2500+ as the CPU, unless the price falls drastically on the faster ones (2500 seem to have the sweet price point right now).

What I want/need:

*Soundstorm audio would be nice, I'm through with Creative. Any decent onboard 4-channel audio is a plus.

*NForce chipset , I'm through with VIA, too.

*Serial ATA capability would be nice, but I probably won't get a SATA drive for some time (just bought a 160GB/8MB WD).

*I would prefer to keep each drive on it's own channel, I have a DVD-ROM, CD-RW, the WD (currently on a Promise controller card which came with the drive), and two 80GB Maxtors which will probably remain in the old computer. I'm considering using a serillel adapter for the WD, and putting the optical drives on IDE. Do the adapters work with any board, and with 160GB drives?

*If I can overclock, fine, but stability is more important. Going from a 1200 Thunderbird @1333 to a 2500+ is going to seem like a mighty big OC, anyway.

*Raid is not necessary, but I will consider it. Too much Format C: in the past.

*Price is not a problem. However, any money left over will go into my new Video Card, therefore I don't want to spend more than I need to to get the quality and features I've mentioned. I'd rather get a great MB minus a few bells & whistles AND a great Video Card, than an "all-out, price-be-damned" MB and a lesser VC.

*I intend to go with 1024MB of RAM. Once again, I don't need to have the most OC'able system.

*Onboard LAN is a take-it-or-leave-it item, since I have a 3com 905b I can use. Wouldn't turn it down, though.

*In the past, I have been most satisfied with ABIT and MSI. ASUS has bugged me a little at times, but my arm is twistable for a proven board. Bottom line: I'm looking for a sure thing, not in taking a chance by saving $25 bucks on a "maybe" deal.

*In-Stock at Newegg is a big plus - they are the company I trust most.


I will probably be ordering in the next few days, any advice would be much appreciated.
:wave:

Edit - added Newegg reference
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Comments

  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    That is an easy one Prof.
    Go for an Abit NF7-S rev. 2.0.

    It has everything you want and OC's well.
    I know you said you wouldn't OC but it is good to have the opportunity.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    MJO had this to say
    That is an easy one Prof.
    Go for an Abit NF7-S rev. 2.0.

    It has everything you want and OC's well.
    I know you said you wouldn't OC but it is good to have the opportunity.
    I've been overclocking since the days of the K6-3, (actually, since the Celeron 300A, but that's another story :p ) so I'd be more than happy to go for it!

    I was leaning toward that ABIT board to begin with; anyone want to try and talk MJO and I out of it? :D

    Edit: What sound is this?
  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    You can just ask Mackanz about the potential in that motherboard.
    He has OC'ed it farther than anyone else I have seen.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    Any details on the sound?
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    I take it that this is the serillel adapter - anyone have any experience using it with large (160GB) drives?
  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    It features nVidia SoundStorm 5.1.

    According to reviews and other sites.
    The quality of the onboard sound is on par with SBLive 5.1 or Audigy.
    A lot of people are actually saying it is better.
    The drivers are better than creatives, in my oppinion.
    It doesn't take much to be better than creative though. ;)

    Note: Only the NF7-S feature the SoundStorm.
    The NF7 has normal AC'97 onboard sound.

    EDIT: Yup that's the adapter.
    Cannot say much about large drives.
    I use it on a "tiny" 120GB.
    But it has worked perfectly.
    I would presume that there would be no problems.
    As long as the SATA bios can recognize the drive.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    There are now 3 to try and talk out of the NF7-S! :D

    I don't hink you will have any problem with that HD on the SATA controller. Just F6 to install the drivers off the included floppy during the Windows install and away you go. I am running sound through a powerful amplifier and Bose 901's and love my Soundstorm. The last drivers made a great thing even greater. I would also flash to bios "19 Equito". I had almost quit overclocking till I got this board and I soon found myself back in the thick of it.
  • t1rhinot1rhino Toronto
    edited November 2003
    I have teh NF7-S v2. I have to say it is the best mobo I have ever had. My 1700tbred does 2.4 on air no problem. Sound is actually very good considering it is onboard.
    The only thing that would make it that much better would be a couple more SATA connectors.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    NF7-S!

    The SoundStorm audio, with some equalizer tweaking, sounds identical to the Audigy2. Performance wise, it's better than all but about 3 consumer cards (Audigy2, DMX 6Fire, and one more I can't remember).

    The motherboard is god damn amazing when it comes to overclocking. I run a 230MHz FSB, I can get to 240 without any problems except the CPU being weird. My CPU runs at 2.3GHz all day long at 1.7v. This motherboard is absolutely insane.

    It has very good SATA support. I've plugged 200GB WD drives into it alright.

    The onboard LAN is efficient as all hell, better than a good portion of add-in network cards out there.

    BIOS is thorough and top notch.

    And above all... It has never crashed for me unless I made it crash.
  • EyesOnlyEyesOnly Sweden New
    edited November 2003
    I've had some thoughts of upgrading to AMD as well. I had first thought of the kv7 for it's price but some reviews made me worried. I'll check some reviews of this card too but it seems great. Can more owners of it post their thought about it.
  • ketoketo Occupied. Or is it preoccupied? Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Another vote for the NF7-S from a very satisfied user. Had it for ~4 months now, similar to Thrax' experience, it's never gone down unless I got overly ambitious with the bios. I'm not an audiophile but the SoundStorm is fine on my Altec Lansing 5.1 speakers, never any static or other extraneous (sp?) noise even at a fairly substantial 33% overclock of 211 X 11 with a 2100+.

    It's reasonably priced, and NewEgg stocks it. Memory recommendation Corsair PC3200 TwinX LL, runs 2-2-2-5 (or 2-2-2-11) no problemo @ above settings and I believe that's what Thrax uses in his big FSB system. There are plenty of good choices for memory but I'm a believer in 'you get what you pay for' with memory. Look for a refurb 9700Pro, look for a 9500Pro, look for a 9600XT, look for a 9600Pro, in that order in the mid-budget video segment. Not sure about the new nVidia's such as the 5700 etc.
  • MachineGunKellyMachineGunKelly The STICKS, Illinois
    edited November 2003
    I'm stickin' with the A7N8X for one reason, stability. I've still got bad taste in the mouth from multiple Abit doo doo...:D
    Sure, it won't O/C as well, but it can do everything else you want and do it nice and smooth. Have built two for kids and have been very satisfied with performance and stability. My 2 cents!:thumbsup:
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I would also like to echo Thrax and Keto on the stability standpoint. Mine has never been down or not been stable unles I was doing some hard core playing with it and thus being mu fault. I am running 7 months on the original OS install with zero problems!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited November 2003
    Either the ABIT NF7-S or the ASUS A7N8X/A7N8X-Deluxe

    Both are excellent boards, and you'll be happy with either one.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited November 2003
    I am going to get the NF7-S for Christmas if the An7 doesnt come out before then.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    mmonnin had this to say
    I am going to get the NF7-S for Christmas if the An7 doesnt come out before then.
    What are the details on the An7 (i.e. why is it better?)
  • t1rhinot1rhino Toronto
    edited November 2003
    http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=207
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    'ppreciate it, t1!
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited November 2003
    Again, either the ABit NF7-S or Asus A7N8X-Deluxe, both which feature the SoundStorm APU, will do you fine. :)

    The ABit board overclocks slightly better, but both are equally stable.

    My A7N8X/2500+ @ 2.3 hasn't let me down yet :)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited November 2003
    Yeah, I'll second what Simguy said...

    The ABIT overclocks better (SIGNIFICANTLY better in my case, but then, it's a rev. 2.0, while my A7N8X-Deluxe is a rev. 1.4), but both of them are extremely stable, reliable boards. You can't go wrong with either one. The onboard features are identical, except for the second LAN on the A7N8X-Deluxe. Get either the NF7-S or the A7N8X-Deluxe, whichever is cheaper.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I have owned 2 NF7-s now. I killed my 1.2 and got a 2.0 from the rma. The 1.2 was as good as the 2.0 if you can live with only 220 fsb. So, an 1.2 is actually a very good buy second handed but if a new board, Abit NF7-S 2.0 rules.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    I appreciate the input everyone has given. I've decided to go with the Abit NF7-S 2.0.

    I'd been leaning to the Barton 2500, but see that the price on the Barton 2600 has dropped. Any reason not to spend another few bucks for the extra MHz?

    These prices are for comparing the relative $$$ difference only, I intend to go Newegg, unless someone talks me out of it. ;)
    amd.jpg 14.3K
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    I've been pushing the 2600 Bartons since they came out. I wanna see some results on one.
  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited November 2003
    Buying the 2600+ instead of the 2500+ is like throwing $13 in the bin unless they can proove that the 2600+ is unlocked and the 2500+ isn't. Off course, there are golden cpu's on all speeds but the variables is just to many and you just need good old luck to get a nice one. Good combo whatever you choose on the NF7-S though :)

    There are several guys here that knows a lot from that board, just ask if you need help.
  • t1rhinot1rhino Toronto
    edited November 2003
    Even if it is locked, you can always use the wire trick to unlock it. :)
  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    No need to buy the 2600+ if you intend to OC.
    But make sure that you get an unlocked chip.
    Amd has begun locking their chips lately.
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    How do you make sure you're getting an unlocked chip? Are all 2500's known to be unlocked?
  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    Umm no it is a bit difficult actually.
    There is no pattern in the locking. It is not like all chips from a certain week are locked.
    Some chips from one week is locked others are not.
    Different chips from different periods may be locked.

    No all 2500 are not unlocked, but you might as well save the money.
    The 2500 (unlocked and the right stepping) will go as high as you want it to. Well almost that is. ;)

    Look here:
    http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6027
    And here (long thread)
    http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244237
  • profdlpprofdlp The Holy City Of Westlake, Ohio
    edited November 2003
    My logic buying CPU's is to look for the clear price jump (in this case between the 2600 and the 2700) and go with the bargain. They'll all be worth much less a couple years from now. For instance, I could buy two 2500's for the price of one 2800. Even if only one of them was a decent OC'er I'd be ahead (and could stick the other one in my daughter's computer).

    If the OC is there to be had without jumping through too many hoops I'll go for it. If not, I'll still be happy enough. As I mentioned before, after living with my 1200@1333 (will run at 1400 if you don't mind a lockup once a week or so) anything new I get will be a huge improvement.
  • MJOMJO Denmark New
    edited November 2003
    There isn't much sense in buying the latest and greatest.
    It is way too expensive.
    2500 or 2600?
    Doesn't matter, if unlocked and with the right stepping they should reach the same speeds.
    OC is a nice way to save some money.
    And a nice hobby/obsession. ;)
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