Best Mobos

[yawningdog]

As an upstart builder, I'm concerned with the quality of the stuff I sell. That in mind, I'd like some of you samaurai techs to weigh in with your top five MB manufacturers. Non-server, desktop type stuff if you please.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.

[nimnorf2]

Ah yawner,
you ask the million dollar question. I've perused this forum for some time and the opinions vary and at the same time it really depends on other issues. Stability, cost considerations, compatibility....What do you want to build and for whom and for how much. If you were to search at Google, for example, just put the word mother board in and you'll get enough to read for a month. Tom's Hardware site is pretty simple and strait forward. You can even search this forum with the word mother board and there seem to be hundreds of posts from the past with the same question....so....what's my point, great question, I wish there were an unequivocal greater answer. I'm noticing that none of the real "geeks" have picked up on this yet ...hang in there, they will and their advice will be pretty helpful. They'll even give you one click links in their posts. I don't know how they do that yet. Still learning and will enjoy seeing how you are answered
peace and good luck to you

[nimnorf2]

Oops double post somehow http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[This message has been edited by nimnorf2 (edited 05-22-2001).]

[Adam Pintar]

These are my top 5

1 asus (overall good in all aspects and never had a problem)
2 gigabyte (good and Amd boards are good)
3 aopen
4 soyo
5 a-trend


this list goes from expensive to cheap. usually i find the intel boards are more expensive then the via ones but the intel chipsets(not the processors but the northbridge and southbridge ) are better performers.

Hope this help if any further questions dont hesitate to email me

Adam http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Adam Pintar (edited 05-22-2001).]

[Paleo Pete]

I'd add Tyan and Abit to the list, possibly DTK, if they're still around(early Pentium 200ish boards were teriffic, not sure about more recent).

nimnorf:

[_url=http://www.google.com]Google[/url]

without the underscores ( _ ) and no spaces there either will create a link.

See the "click for details" link to the left of the text window for more, when you post a message.

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[Adam Pintar]

I agree about the Tyan boards being ok but I have ran into problems with the Abit boards. Im not saying that abit boards are not good but they are not the best. The boards above are basically are the best boards that I have dealt with at work and at home. I am very picky when coming to chosing motherboards because of the cmos/bios and what features they come with.

The list above is a variety of prices but have all the needed features such as the asus board is around $200 canadian for the via and the a-trend was $110. I gave the a_trend to a friend since it was my first board and he has had no problems with it as either did I . The asus boards are user friendly especially when coming to flashing the bios/cmos since it comes with an application that allows you to do it in a windows environment instead of dos. (good for the beginner)

Anyways I talk to much http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Adam

[yawningdog]

Thanks for the input everyone. I wasn't really going for dogma nimnorf2, just opinions based on experience. Anyone care to talk about why FIC didn't make the list? (It's what I'm currently using.)

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Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.

[Lensman]

Hi, First time caller, long time listener.
I've gone thru quite a few mobos in the past 2 years. ( some idiot sent me a GOLD CARD )always looking for that extra bit of speed. I've settled on two. The asus p3v4x is a good fast board thats easy to step up a notch. But you'll need patience cause it's a little fussy. And intel vc820. also a good fast board and a snap to work with. It's practicaly plug and play.

Ok, How'd I do ?

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When in doubt, update it

[Adam Pintar]

what is fic

[yawningdog]

Greetings Lensman! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

Thanks so much for the input, but all things considered, I think I'll opt for non-fussiness when buying (and selling) MBs, and Ill seriously consider the Intel, but I don't really sell much besides AMD.

Here (http://www.fica.com) is FIC Adam Pintar.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.

[nimnorf2]

Hope this doesn't sound like more dogma...just ignore it if it does.

I was considering building a system based on a FIC board until I read a couple reviews that slammed the name. I'm sorry I don't remember where I read it. If I remember correctly, what was said suggested that FIC was tied somehow to PC Chips, (a pretty low end group) but both of the negative reports I read were from two to three years back. The sense I got was that FIC has done a good job in the last year and a half working on their quality and that today they deliver a decent product.
Peace

[Bokus]

I put together a couple of MSI systems back in July that have functioned with pretty much zero problems.
MSI probably doesn't match up to boards like Abit and Asus, as far as speed and overclocking ability, but they are an extremely stable mb.

[Bailey]

I have read/heard that the quality of both the FIC and PC Chips boards had gone up dramatically in the last year. But I don't work with those boards so don't know first hand. (Have heard some bad things too)

The MSI 815EP is a rock solid board...have had no problems with it.

Abit-good

Asus-Best

IMO

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"Ooooh, They have the
internet on computers now!" - Homer Simpson

[yawningdog]

Thanks so much everyone. I personally built my own machine on an AZ-11 for this reason. I had built a few machines around the Aopen MX-33 and found the layout a little awkward which I read at Motherboard Homeworld to be a common, albeit not serious problem among socket A platforms. Then a customer requested the AZ-11 and I found that FIC had not only tackled the problem, but hog tied and pimp-slapped it for good measure. Unfortunately I must report that the sound card has never worked properly, but otherwise I'm happy.

Thanks again all.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler.

[Bill Russell]

ASUS boards kick ass the hardest. Buy one and you'll see for yourself!