can any fine feathered friend recommend a all in 1 mobo???? [Archive]

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preludexl

03-12-2001, 08:16 PM

hi, can you guys recommend a good all in 1 board for a poor soul out there without the moola for those new fandangled RAID and DDR mofo mobos out there? i just want to build a nice Duron 800 that isnt a piece of **** and will last me 3-4 years. (p.s. i don't play shoot them up games that require those DDR's i keep hearing at work. thank you. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif

preludexl

03-12-2001, 08:18 PM

oh yes i read the previous topic. i already heard about pc chips/amptron...um the majority opinion seems to be that they suck. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/frown.gif

Barney

03-12-2001, 08:37 PM

Yes they suck ( http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif ), if you want a computer that lasts 3~4 years, don't buy a mobo with everything onboard. The stuff like the videocard and soundcard that's onboard is usually outdated a year before you bought it. When you want to upgrade the videocard later, you can't even find a PCI videocard anymore. And you don't want a mobo with onboard PCI card (they suck, too http://www.sysopt.com/forum/wink.gif ) either, even though you can upgrade the videocard (it has an AGP slot).

Ronald

Peter M

03-13-2001, 02:03 AM

Yes they suck - during setup. The "problem" with the all-in-ones is, you must manage to get your drivers right all at once. You can't put the stuff together piece by piece - and that's where the inexperienced fail and blame it on the boards.

Nevertheless, boards like the PC-Chips M810LMR are a nice option to build a REALLY cheap box good enough for your home tasks. Will it last 3-4 years? If your requirements don't shift too far up, it will - but that's always true for any kind of computer ...

oh, btw, Barney, modern all-in-ones like the above have integrated AGP graphics _and_ an AGP slot for later upgrades.

Regards, Peter

RobRich

03-13-2001, 02:24 AM

I agree with Peter in regards to all-in-one type boards. Once properly configured, these solutions are great for those needing decent performance with little interest in gaming. And even those seeking better 3D performance, can now often upgrade to an AGP card with the latest round of chipsets. For Intel, the i815E offers a superb solution with acceptable video quality and performance. For AMD, chipsets such as SIS's 730S offer a wealth of options for a low price point. You can even reference my pre-release SIS 730S chipset review here at SysOpt.

http://www.sysopt.com/articles/sis730/index.html

While not a superb performer as compared to the VIA KT-133a, it does offer proven quality, stability, and reliability. Factor in the low cost, and then one can see the positive aspects regarding this type of configuration.

Catch ya' later,
Robert Richmond

elroy

03-13-2001, 11:54 AM

I've run a PC Chips M598 [onboard sound & video] for a couple years now in my #1 PC. I don't play games either but it's on the internet 14 hours a day and works great. I started out with a Cyrix 333 and had several cpu's until I worked up to an AMD 550. I just upgraded my #2 machine to an Epox 8KTA3, Duron 800@980, Matrox G450. I already suspect I should have gone with an 810LMR. The performance is not that much better on the high end boards and video unless you require it for gaming. Buy the 810LMR and upgrade in 2 years, when a board costs $90 w/video & sound you're not out much.