recommendations for an amd-based board PLEASE

[kony]

thank you, kony...
that is good to know now and not later... that's the only onBoard video
based board i can find so i guess i'll go agp (it's been around longer)
are you familiar with this one?
SOLTEK K8TPRO-939 ATHLON64 S939 K8T800 DDR AGP 5PCI SATA RAID SOUND
1000LAN MOTHERBOARD
i've read 2 good reviews...
thanks
sincerely
Tanya

I dont' know anything about that board, it looks interesting
but i suggest that Asus, Abit, MSI and Gigabyte are the top
brands and *usually* the safest bets. If the cost
difference is large enough though, might be a worthy
candidate, I don't know.

You might be able to get a lot of feedback from fellow users
of particular boards at web forums like
http://forums.pcper.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

 

[Derek Baker]

I dont' know anything about that board, it looks interesting
but i suggest that Asus, Abit, MSI and Gigabyte are the top
brands and *usually* the safest bets. If the cost
difference is large enough though, might be a worthy
candidate, I don't know.

You might be able to get a lot of feedback from fellow users
of particular boards at web forums like
http://forums.pcper.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q="SOLTEK+K8TPRO-939"+review&meta=lr=lang_en|lang_fr

I'd agree with kony about the best brands though: I've had MIS for my last
tow and they've been fine.

 

[Derek Baker]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q="SOLTEK+K8TPRO-939"+review&meta=lr=lang_en|lang_fr

I'd agree with kony about the best brands though: I've had MIS for my last
tow and they've been fine.

Make that MSI

 

[Tanya]

I dont' know anything about that board, it looks interesting
but i suggest that Asus, Abit, MSI and Gigabyte are the top
brands and *usually* the safest bets. If the cost
difference is large enough though, might be a worthy
candidate, I don't know.

the cost difference is pretty big: many of the reviews state that this board
has features found in the top brands even though it costs less.
i'm grateful for the advice re: better known brands though.

You might be able to get a lot of feedback from fellow users
of particular boards at web forums like
http://forums.pcper.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

thanks for the link!
sincerely
Tanya

 

[Tanya]

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&safe=off&q="SOLTEK+K8TPRO-939"+review&meta=lr=lang_en|lang_fr

I'd agree with kony about the best brands though: I've had MIS for my last
tow and they've been fine.

hi Derek,
thanks very much for the advice and for the search link! it's great -- read many reviews which are very
useful!
often there were comments on its stability, and many features for a very low cost.
but i certainly appreciate the advice about soltek vs. asus, msi etc.
sincerely
Tanya

 

[johns]

why are big boards desirable?
thanks

They are not. Data moves slow as crap, and capacitance
makes them noisy and subject to constant rebooting.
ASUS mobos are re-booters in the extreme. Kids and
gamers might live with that, but I won't. I ship them back
by the dozen when the students bring them in to me.
You want a tight fast system like the new nVidia 3 or 4 chipset
mobos. Go with Gigabyte.

johns

 

[johns]

the retailer i will use told me to 'stay away' from gigabyte (GIGABYTE
GA-K8NS ULTRA)
i don't know much about that brand...

I do. I have maybe 1200 Gigabyte mobos up and running
across this University. I've tried all the rest, and they were
unstable .. especially the ASUS mobos. I've tested all
of them fairly, and I know what I'm talking about. If you
want a nice stable system ... good tech support .. and
even better warranty support, I recommend the plain
vanilla K8NS with the nVidia3 chipset. About the hard
drive, make sure you get a Maxtor with the 3 year
warranty ... you are gonna need it

johns

 

[kony]

They are not. Data moves slow as crap,

No, this is a basic misunderstanding on your part. Data
rate depends on clock rate and that doesn't change.

and capacitance
makes them noisy and subject to constant rebooting.
Nonsense.


ASUS mobos are re-booters in the extreme. Kids and
gamers might live with that, but I won't.

After millions of people have had these boards w/o issue, I
have to think you jumped to conclusions instead of fixing
(whatever) other problem was present. Perhaps you had a bad
board or who-knows-what, but if anything the larger boards
are MORE stable. Ever seen a full server board?

I ship them back
by the dozen when the students bring them in to me.
You want a tight fast system like the new nVidia 3 or 4 chipset
mobos. Go with Gigabyte.

Reads a bit like fiction

 

[Ruel Smith]

I do. I have maybe 1200 Gigabyte mobos up and running
across this University. I've tried all the rest, and they were
unstable .. especially the ASUS mobos. I've tested all
of them fairly, and I know what I'm talking about. If you
want a nice stable system ... good tech support .. and
even better warranty support, I recommend the plain
vanilla K8NS with the nVidia3 chipset. About the hard
drive, make sure you get a Maxtor with the 3 year
warranty ... you are gonna need it

Funny, how the billions of systems built using Asus boards and Asus has
developed a reputation based on word of mouth of being the most stable and
reliable brand, yet your "scientific" evaluation says different? I doubt
it. I've built Gigabyte, Asus, Soyo, and MSI based systems, and so far,
Asus has been the best, bar none.

 

[Morituri-|-Max]

what operating system...what programs do you run(other than the card
games)?

Well here is a short list..

WinXP Pro SP2

Adobe Photoshop CS (texture work)
Paintshop Pro 9 (texture work)
Rhinoceros 3D CAD
Lightwave CAD
Maya CAD
HalfLife2 Counterstrike
Star Wars Republic Commando

As you can see, I do quite a bit of graphics work.. and I do play a few
games to relieve tension... I actually mainly mess with a little Java applet
for playing GO online.

Have a good one!

 

[Morituri-|-Max]

thanks for the information (re: the nforce4) and the other posts' info re:
the
sli)
i have to look at the ASUS A8N-SLI board again -- it does sound good...
thanks,
sincerely
Tanya

Good Luck in your Holy Quest! Heh....