StarDestroyer.Net BBS

To follow up on a previous topic, it appears that my desktop's ABIT NF7 motherboard is a goner. I tried resetting the CMOS by jumper and replaced the battery, but neither variable fixed my problem, and since I did these with an open case, I saw that the motherboard fan at the center (rear of the RAM, south of the CPU, north of the AGP) ran erratically and sometimes stopped.

As it is, could anyone suggest a (nice if budget) motherboard that at minimum is compatible with an AMD (I believe Athlon) XP 2500+ processor?

Newegg and TigerDirect both only have one Socket A board, the PC CHIPS M848A.

Edward Yee wrote:To follow up on a previous topic, it appears that my desktop's ABIT NF7 motherboard is a goner. I tried resetting the CMOS by jumper and replaced the battery, but neither variable fixed my problem, and since I did these with an open case, I saw that the motherboard fan at the center (rear of the RAM, south of the CPU, north of the AGP) ran erratically and sometimes stopped.

As it is, could anyone suggest a (nice if budget) motherboard that at minimum is compatible with an AMD (I believe Athlon) XP 2500+ processor?

Looks like your Northbridge fan's malfunctioned. You could buy a new motherboard or get a new NB fan/cooler.

Executor32 wrote:Newegg and TigerDirect both only have one Socket A board, the PC CHIPS M848A.

You really, really don't want to buy PC Chips (or ECS, or any of the other brands under that particular company's umbrella). The OP would be better off hunting eBay for parts.

Or alternately, upgrading to this combination? AMD Athlon 64 X2 (2.1 GB w/ 45W power consumption)* and Asus M2N or Asus M2V.

* AMD's take on the CPU, since I'm not sure whether it's "really" a 64-bit dual core. Also wouldn't know which is better between the two Asus MBs, or even how good Asus' rep is at SDN.

Uh yeah.... the X2's are 64bit... Not sure why you're going for the low power one.

Asus usually makes solid motherboards, but occasionally have had some stinkers. That particular X2 is also one of the lower-power versions and will cost him extra. The M2N is going to be a better board; VIA chipsets tend not to be as good as their competition.

What about, if not upgrading, the A7N8X Deluxe or A7N8X-E Delux?

Those are well-regarded motherboards, certainly. The only trouble is finding them.

phongn wrote:

Executor32 wrote:Newegg and TigerDirect both only have one Socket A board, the PC CHIPS M848A.

You really, really don't want to buy PC Chips (or ECS, or any of the other brands under that particular company's umbrella).

Why not?

The OP would be better off hunting eBay for parts.

Trying, but no luck yet -- one auction for one of the Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe's went up by $50 in less than an hour IIRC...

PC Chips/ECS makes crap. Oh, occasionally they make a half-decent product, but in general, they make shoddy motherboards. Hell, years ago they got caught selling fake cache.