KT400 motherboard, but which one???

[3WAYsplit]

Im planning to build a new PC, but I cant decide which motherboard to get. :? :arrow:Features & Cost also important

I was looking at these:

Gigabyte GA-7VAX
GA-7VAXP
GA-7VAXP Ultra

Asus A7V8X

MSI KT4 Ultra

Shuttle AK37GT/R

What do you guys think of these boards :?:

I would appreciate all the help you can give me :)

:idea: Are there other boards that you guys like :?:


Must have: sound / LAN / Firewire / USB2.0 / 5+PCI / AGP8X
3+memory slots/ 3GB+ DDR
Would like: Video 64MB DDR+ / Raid ?


(specs with (+) like: 5+ PCI = board must have 5 PCI slots or more, etc..)

[Lem6687]

I would go with the MSI KT4 Ultra....real good board :D

[mrmagic97_99]

I also am building a system and like the kt400 but how bout the new nforce2 chipset like the chaintech or the asus just a thought although if i chose it would defintely be the asus....

[n0strax]

i have an msi, i love it, go with the kt4

[Gooey_GUI]

The KT400 boards are having alot of problems running the PC3200 RAM. Be real careful about tested memory configurations and go with those.

It's only a few more weeks before the VIA KT400A chipset is going to be here. It will have full DDR 3200 support.

[SOGsnakebite]

im running the ga-7vax and i love it very stable and fast

[rpfaff5685]

Go with the MSI KT4 Ultra, I have it and it works great

[brianmcenulty]

i would get any nforce2 based mobo over a kt400 cause of the performance dif. the new abit nf7 rev. 1.2 is probably the best you'll be able to get for any type of amd mobo right now

[kart94racer]

I like my Biostar M7vit. The only thing it does not have is the fire wire.

[Evil_Spork]

if you REALLY want a kt400 get the msi.

but kt400 mobos suck.. they are slower than kt333 and have memory problems. go for a new nforce2 mobo. they are the best thing out. for overclocking get the epox and the asus for options.

[SpeedFreak]

i have Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra Platinum Edition which works fine, but if i were you i'd get a newer nForce2 mobo instead. they are top performers now for gaming.
here's a good comparison of some nForce2 models:
http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/2003...nforce2-14.html (http://www.tomshardware.com/mainboard/20030214/nforce2-14.html)

[chazhick]

I have a Soyo board. I love it. No compatibilty problems for me, but the the nforce boards look really nice. They might cost you a little more if that is a factor.

[Anonymous]

i'll have to agree with SpeedFreak, go with the nForce2, besides you cant get good sound like on a nForce2 board on any VIA board, i'd still probably use my Audigy2 over the nForce2 onboard though.

[Anonymous]

For not much more then a new nForce2 monterboard you could get a Shuttle SN41G2 micro PC, they are amazing, full size tower perfomance in a tiny package, take a look at it www.shuttleonline.com

[chazhick]

He said he needed PCI slots i think and the shuttle only has one. I dont think that the shuttle pc's for amd have agp either. i might be wrong. Shuttles are cool but not at all expandable.

[Anonymous]

The Shuttle SN41G2 has

nForce2 chipset
1 PCI slot
1 8x AGP Slot
upto AMD 3000+ and support for new 333MHz FSB
upto 2GB PC3200 DDR400
space for 2 HDD
ATA 133
onboard GF4 MX 460 with dual monitor output
TV out
onboard 10/100
3 Firewire ports
4 USB 2.0 ports
6 channel Audio chipset with S/PDIF out
1 5-1/4" CD-Rom bay
1 3-1/2" floppy bay, can be used for anyting that fits in 3-1/2" (6in1 card reader, hard drive)

SIZE 200 x 181 x 280 mm

with a 2400+, 512mb ddr @ 333mhz, and radeon 9700 the unit got 14000+ 3dmark2001 marks, not bad at all for something being that small, and thats not even the maximum the system can do

nice review here http://www.hexus.net/review.php?review=482

http://www.shuttle.com/new/images/productimages/sn41g2.jpg

[Crews]

what about the SY-KT400 DRAGON Ultra (Platinum Edition)

all your needs plus 4 ide channels :)

[Master Bob]

Asus P4G8x Deluxe gold edition!!!!!!!!

Edit: The thing is you should go with Intel. Id go with Asus anyways if you go with AMD.

[chazhick]

The Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra is nice. Here are the specs. (http://www.soyousa.com/products/proddesc.php?id=185)

[Tuesday630]

I'd go with an nForce2 mobo, but if you're really into VIA, they just released KT400A, which is faster than the KT400 and has built in native serial ATA. I don't think any board are available yet, but should be soon.

[[GF]Burke]

Asus=RMA

PCI?? why? better sound card?...

[Alucard]

I'm getting a MSI K7N2G-L Socket A (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3403645123&category=31496) I didnt win that specefic bid but I got mine on ebay for the same price

[Kemo Racer]

I would get a NVIDIA nForce 2 chipset. It boasts many dazzling features such as integrated graphics equal to a GeForce 4 mx, dual ddr sdram, and lots of extra little features that are always helpful. The nForce 2 chipset has been named the best AMD chipset so far by many honorable websites and magazines including Tom's Hardware Guide and Maximum PC. If you get it get an ASUS board which clearly depicts the nForce 2's beautiful features.

[SpeedFreak]

i wouldn't get anything but an nForce2 chipset mobo at the current time.
there is nothing better out there on the market for AMD.

[GhostDog]

I have the MSI KT4 and I have had no probs with it! Its running a 1800xp.

[SpeedFreak]

notice im recommending the nForce2 and i have the Soyo KT400.
get nForce2 or at least the newer KT400a
no i'm not having any problems, but performance will be better on those two than regular KT400 chipset.

[OKeydokey]

I have a MSI KT333 and i love it!!! I love MSI!!!!

The new one is awsome, i was looking at the otherday


~okeydokey
Http://OKeydokey.no-ip.com (http://Http://OKeydokey.no-ip.com)

[greg_gorrell]

Has anyone ever used a soltek? If so, how do they perform and are they a good board?

[sibertekt]

The Soyo KT400 Dragon Ultra is nice. Here are the specs. (http://www.soyousa.com/products/proddesc.php?id=185)

Hey chazhick, i also have the soyo kt-400 dragon. I was wondering which heatsink you were using, I have a amd 2200xp with a thermalright sk-6 and it's not doing the job. I know I am exceeding the sk-7's cooling, but I have a 80mm tornado case fan on it. It is really loud, was thinking about using the zalman heatsink. I appreciate your help. Thanks.

[Maverick2K4]

Go with the MSI KT4, and don't go ASUS. Yet, ASUS is a good brand. Here's why I don't like ASUS, or don't reccomend it as often.

- On my brother's P3BF board, it always finds a way to do IRQ sharing, therefore he has some IRQ problems. No matter what I do to the BIOS settings, it ALWAYS does IRQ sharing. I had the same problem with my A7V133 board, updated the BIOS and everything, still had IRQ sharing problems, I could only have 2 cards on the board, video and sound.

- The boot times are slow. My dad's A7V333 takes ages to boot compared to my MSI KT3 Ultra.

So there's my 2 cents on which board is best. MSI is what I like best, it's what I use. It's fast, no problems as of yet, and VERY reliable.

[cumulus]

I use the ASUS A7V8X with no problem if you want to serial ata drives you need to make sure you get the one with it not all the a7v8x have it and the later boards have the 333mhz bus version 2.0 and above.

[ektay]

Hey chazhick, i also have the soyo kt-400 dragon. I was wondering which heatsink you were using, I have a amd 2200xp with a thermalright sk-6 and it's not doing the job. I know I am exceeding the sk-7's cooling, but I have a 80mm tornado case fan on it. It is really loud, was thinking about using the zalman heatsink. I appreciate your help. Thanks.


if u went to a zalman u would not be disapointed i know a few ppl that run it and get killer results with it, but im running a vantec cck6035h it was there firs generation of there newst coper hs the 6040h the only diff realy is the weight and clip more weight to the one i have but the clip is crapy here is a link http://www.vantecusa.com/cck6040h.html i might also add that im running a 80mm fan not a 60mm fan more cfms and less noise if it wasent for the fact i have a thermal diode inbeded in the hs i would

[Polar]

I have the Gigabyte KT400A (sig) had it for a week now.
Came from a GA-7NNXP (still Have it).

And I would have to say I'm really enjoying this board. I've hit the FSB ceiling (sig) but have yet to hit the MHz Limit.

I've had three Nforce2 boards ( still have 2 of them) 2-333FSB and 1-400FSB.
All with the exact same setup I'm running with now, And with this VIA board I've been able to over clock my 1800 to 2.2G but only @185FSB but with the Nforce2 boards I was only able to get 2G out of this CPU@205FSB(with the Gigabyte being the leader).
And I'm not sure if its because of the lower FSB or What,I pretty new at this.

The other noteable positive is that I have only installed XP once (The Original on this board) and have yet to corrupt a win32config file.
Now with all the other Nforce2 boards.
When I started tweaking around in the bios looking for the edge I would get the (you have a win32config file missing or any number of things,Like if I was running a bench after a recient bios tweak if the board would crash 9 times out of 10 I would loose a file and scan disk never once fixed them.
I problely had to reinstall XP 20 times between the 3 boards during my learning curve.
Now with this 400A board I can max every setting out and get a loud beep tone a black screen and a couple other noises. But all I have to do is hit the rear Power switch and then proceed on my mairre way.
I've crashed this board 9 times during benches (Black Screen and some kinda tone) and always just hit the power switch(On the Powes Supply) and then boot uplike normal.

Sorry for the long post I don't get out much.



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