Recomendations for basic Athlon 64 board

[zybch]

I think the subject says it all.
I have just got hold of the XP-64 trial and now need something to run it on :)

[scottluebke2003]

Well bro, just be sure to get a motherboard socket model that will support future CPU's. B/c otherwise this "basic" system will be basically useless by the time that O/S gets done. You know?

[zybch]

That doesn't bother me too much. I usually only keep equipment for 6-9 months before selling it on.

The MSI K8T Neo-FIS2R has caught my eye so far.
Its not too expensive, has enough ide controllers for my CD and HDD drives and has received some positive reviews.

[sm8000]

ECS 755-A2 (http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1952) - probably the fastest chipset choice, currently.

[zybch]

I'm not sure about ECS. I have had problems with that brand in the past. However the anandtech article paints a pretty picture. I'll see if my supplier can get hold of them.
The position of the ram so close to the HSF is a bit of a drawback though as althought I don't want a huge hsf like a zalman, I'll certanly not be sticking with the stock cooler.
Also, I like the MSI because it has ieee1394 and an additional pata-133 along side the sata connectors so I won't have to ditch one of my cd drives.

[sm8000]

They're usually fine, provided your RAM is acting like it should and your PSU does the same. And of course, CPU cooling.

[EA6B]

I just bought that MSI board, but the system isn't up yet.

E

[zybch]

Keep me posted :)

SM800, I have some suitable crucial RAM and a nice Thermaltake psu that runs my current athlon2800 very nicely. I'll probably get a Tt Venus 12 hsf, they look pretty good and I like having the thermally controlled fan, even if the motherboard (MSI) does support this itself using the cool'n'quiet thing.

[sm8000]

Right on. I think you'll like the ECS board - probably the best chipset and implementation of HyperTransport :)

[zybch]

But lacking in what I consider to be the basics, firewire and more than 2 ata-133 sockets. I don't want to fill the thing up with PCI cards that fulfill these functions (that I both use extensivley).

[sm8000]

Ah. Well you could switch to SATA ... but best to do what works for you.

[zybch]

I allready have 3x120Gb drives and don't want to have to replace them. SATA drives still cost a premium.