my new machine

[dbnoll03]

These are the specs for my new computer I am building this summer:

AMD Athlon 1.4MHz 266Mhz FSB Processor
EPoX EP-8K7A+ Motherboard
Enlight EN-72370X3 Mid-Tower Case
256MB PC2100 DDR RAM
Winfast Geforce2 Pro GTS 64MB 5ns DDR
SoundBlaster Live X-Gamer 5.1
Teac 1.44MB Floppy Drive (OEM)
IBM DeskStar 60GXP 60GB (OEM)
PC-DVD Encore 12x Dxr3
DeskTop Theater 5.1 DTT3500
Logitech Cordless MouseMan Optical
Logitech iTouch Internet Keyboard

Is the Winfast GeForce2 Pro better then the CardExpert? I can get he CardExpert for $25 less.

Anybody had any experience with the EPoX 8k7a+? I don't hear much about it, but it must be popular cause it is sold out EVERYWHERE! I will have to wait another 1-2 weeks to build my computer now, so it better be worth it. Is it? Any suggestions for other motherboards?

Thanks for the help. Looking forward to your replys.

[Brangwen]

bnoll03:

Looks good! Be sure to have a <u>well</u> <u>ventilated</u> case as that will likely be a warm system.

And unless you use a screw-through-the-mobo heatsink (like a Swiftech), I'd suggest a triple clasp HS like the one shown below:

<IMG SRC="http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1663681&a=12748497&p=51471625" border=0>

Good luck & have fun!

Brangwen http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif

[dbnoll03]

which one is that shown up there?

[Nick CPU]

I would not recomend geting the dxr3 board because it will do only one thing for your computer, take up a PCI slot. I would grab the Ovation drive and save a slot and $50. I am running a Pentium 4 and I just put in an ovation drive using a Geforce 2 MX 400. Looks great, sounds great, and only cost me $100 new. It's even cheaper now.

[RamonGTP]

I agree with nick, the DXR3 with your system is a total waste of money and a PCI slot. My 1.333 athlon does a very good job of decoding DVD's on its own, and I am also using a Mx400 64MB. Infact I had an extra Dxr2 decoder card laying around, and I installed it to see if there was a difference. The only difference I saw was that the video looked like **** with the Dxr2 as compared with just software decoding using PowerDVD.

-Ramon

[alphageek]

I've got a DXR-2 and it dose look like **** on the monitor, but I can watch my DVD on a TV while still browsing the internet on my monitor.

[gfunkmartin]

if you're going to make a computer that is so high-end, why don't you go for 512 MB of DDR, since RAM prices are so cheap?

[Imperion1]

I have the 8k7a, not the + (raid) board, and I like this board alot.
Have the vcore @ default(1.7) and overclocked my Tbird 1G 266fsb @ 1.33G using just the multiplier jumper. And its running stable. Haven't crashed it yet. And I've tried.
Here's my specs:
Epox 8k7a
AMD Tbird 1G 266fsb @ 1.33G (10 x 133)
Global Win WBK32 w/ Delta Black Label Fan
256 mb PC2100 DDR Crucial Ram
Visiontek GeForce3 using BlueOrb HS/Fan
Hauppauge PCI- Stereo TV Vid. Capture Card
Creative Blaster X-Gamer 5.1
Siig UDMA 100 Card
Linksys 10/100mb netcard
52x Cdrom
Lite-On 12x10x32 Burner
Creative PC-Dvd Dxr2 (using software not hardware decoder card)
Maxtor 40Gig 7200rpm ATA100 (in pullout rack)
SanDisk USB card reader
Logitech optical mouse
Logitech POK (Plain Ol Keyboard)
Logitech Wingman Extreme USB
Saitek Cyborg 3D USB
300W Antec PS & Full Tower Case

And the DVD does play smoothly using a software decoder. The only reason to use a Decoder card nowadays is if you want to watch DVD on a TV.