Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.chips (
More info?)
In article <hcnkl0t9fc53cs6t9qt5o388dlcc00ur8q@4ax.com>, hilla_nospam_
20@yahoo.ca says...
> On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:04:41 -0400, keith <krw@att.bizzzz> wrote:
> >
> >Does anyone have any experience with the subject motherboard, or the
> >Nvidia integrated video in general? I haven't looked at the low end of the
> >business for *years*, so am looking for some help.
>
> Haven't used that particular board, but I do have a bit of experience
> with nVidia integrated video. In general it's pretty good, though it
> can be a tiny bit tricky, particularly the nForce2 integrated video.
> The first thing, which you seem to already have covered, is to be sure
> you stick with PC2700 memory.
I chose PC2700 memory to match the processor's FSB. Crucial lists all
varieties (PC2100/2700/3200/4000) as compatible,though decided not to
go with them because of cost (I'd spend the $10 difference, but..)
> I don't know if it was just the
> particular board I used (Asus A7N8X-VM, nearly identical board to the
> Abit one bellow) would absolutely not work with PC3200 memory and the
> integrated video.
The Asus board is a uATX, so I didn't look into it much further. I may
look again though (and shave another $10). Not working with PC3200
memory is pretty amazing though.
In what other ways is the video "picky"?
> Secondly, if they are running Linux, you have to use Lilo as Grub does
> not work with this chipset for some reason. If they're staying in
> Windows land this shouldn't be an issue.
Win98 (I have a license "left over").
> However what WAS an issue I
> ran into in Windows land was that the nForce IDE drivers were REALLY
> picky, to the extent that it completely wrecked my WinXP installation
> and made it impossible to boot Windows with any motherboard, I had to
> re-install. You'll probably be looking at a fresh Windows install to
> get the drivers working properly on this system.
It's a new system, it'll have a fresh install. I suppose I could try
to salvage the install off the old system, but I'm not sure it's worth
the effort, particularly given your input here.
>
> In the end I got rather fed up with the Asus board and returned it for
> an ASRock K7S41GX. Dirt-cheap, no frills boards, sells for $42 from
> Newegg, but it works. I've actually been pleasantly surprised by it,
> the board certainly doesn't do anything fancy and the is noticeable
> static from the integrated sound at mid to high volume, but otherwise
> it's pretty much just worked. Combine that with a $40 ATI Radeon 9000
> video card and you might well come out ahead both in terms of cost and
> performance (there is also integrated video on this board, fine for a
> backup but somewhat weak for regular use). The downside to this board
> is that it only has 2 PCI slots, and if you're using a modem in one
> then you're pretty limited.
"ASRock" gives me the willies, as in all the PCChips junk sold in other
clothes years ago. ...maybe though. At least I know *one* works. ;-)
>
> >History: A friend's computer (Celeron 600) fried its brains recently and
> >she needs a new system, but has little money. The son wants the world
> >(who doesn't), but the target I've been given is $400. I was looking for
> >what could be done as cheaply as possible and came up with the following
> >(all from NewEgg):
> >
> >Motherboard - Abit N7F-M $89
> >Processor - AMD Athlon XP 2400+ $84
> >Memory - Kingston PC2700 256MB $42
> >Case - Antec 1650B $60 + 16$ S&H
> >Disk drive - Seagate 40GB $52.50
> >CD bunrner - Lite On $29
> >DVD-ROM - Liet On $27
> > -----
> > $399.50 (pretty close to target
😉
> >
> >The son wants to copy CDs and wants DVD capability (hence the two drives,
> >and no DVD writer). He also wanted 512MB, but I don't see where that's
> >comming from in the budget. Frankly though, I'm amazed at what one can
> >put together for small money (she has a monitor, I'm giving here a long-
> >unused modem, the floppy can ba salvaged...).
>
> You might be able to trim a few dollars off the cost of the case by
> buying one locally. Even a fairly high-quality case like an Antec can
> often be found cheaper locally when you factor shipping in. Buying in
> a store also might let you check out some lower cost cases to see if
> they are sufficient sturdy to measure up (though the power supply is a
> rather trickier issue, the main reason why sticking with a decent
> quality case isn't a bad idea).
Locally? Shirley you jest! BestBuy is the only store around (where
around is between Boston, NYC, and perhaps Montreal) that sells cases
and they're higher than a kite (in all senses of the phrase).
> As for the memory, you might be able to find something a bit cheaper,
> and remember that this is a dual-channel board, so your best bet is to
> add memory in matched pairs. You might be able to find some slightly
> cheaper name-brand memory, Newegg has a handful of low cost models
> that come with lifetime warranties. Might not be top quality stuff,
> but I've recently come to realize that Kingston memory is far from top
> quality stuff either.
Hmm, I was going Kingston because I thought they were reputable, and
sold through NewEgg (one stop shopping). Worth some thought though.
Maybe I'll take a flier on bottom-feeding memory and hope NewEgg stands
behind it, at least up-front.
Thanks for the input.
--
Keith
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