kony wrote:

> On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 10:08:23 -0700, Robert Heiling
> <robheil@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> >kony wrote:
> >
> >> On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 14:10:25 -0700, Robert Heiling
> >> <robheil@comcast.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> >The one I found is the Biostar M7VKE Socket A at:
> >> ><http://www.gearxs.com/gearxs/product_info.php?products_id=3624m> Since the board I'm replacing is a
> >> >PCChips M805LR with VIA KT133 chipset, AMD Duron and Athlon Socket A, PC133 SDRAM up to 1
> >> >GB, and AGP 4X (AGP2.0), the specs are very close.
> >>
> >> That's not a very high quality board, though it might be
> >> sufficient for a couple years use. It isn't KT133 though,
> >> it's the integrated-video version of it. That may be fine,
> >> windows may make the minor changes (which are only device
> >> names, functionally it's the same chipset plus the video),
> >> but I'd think it might be better to go with the KT133A since
> >> you don't need the integrated video. <SNIP>
> >
> >Sorry to bug you again on this, but I'd like your opinion if you would please. I've located another board
> >that fits all my specs - MSI built, Socket A, KT133, AGP, mATX, 200MHz FSB, etc and I can use my PC133
> >memory. They claim the boards are OEM overstock or pulls. Boards like this are pretty old and the technology
> >is outdated I would think, so the ones I've previously seen were priced from ~$20-$32. In this case, they're
> >asking $80 and claim that they will have no trouble selling them at that price. Who would buy them except
> >people in the same boat as I am with a failed motherboard? What do you think about that $80 price? Maybe I'm
> >just being too conservative.
>
> $80 is a bit overpriced, they might not've cost that much at
> many vendors when brand new and modern technology. I can't
> help but think the whole reason they still have them is
> because nobody pays $80 for it these days. Even so, this
> can be what happens to older hardware- the lowest cost
> vendors sell out and so on, till online the high-priced
> options remain.
>
> "Overstock or pulls" is a pretty big difference though...
> No way I'd pay $80 for a pull today.
>
> Here's one for $40, there may be others if you look around
> the 'net.
> http://www.targetpcinc.com/Details.a...mID=2485&Res=2
>
> I"m not claiming it's a great board, but rather I have no
> experience with it and generally avoid Chaintech. Even so,
> $40 less with option to return it if it doesn't work right
> seems a worthwhile risk.

and yet another question! As mentioned in another post, I ordered the Chaintech board above that you found at
TargetPC, it has arrived, and I've got everything apart and am ready to drop the cpu & memory into the new board
and install it. However, before I do .....

The new board is the CT-7AIA and has a KT133 (note: not a KT133A) chipset and Socket A. Its included manual says:
"Supports AMD Socket A processors up to 950MHz". My cpu is 1000Mhz (1GHz and I read on another review site of a
different board that: "As with any other Socket A based board, the issue of CPU multiplier selection is locked
after by the CPU itself with an internally locked multiplier."). I've been so used to seeing the websites give
Socket A claims of up to 1.2GHz & 1.5GHz that I didn't realize that the TargetPC site didn't mention cpu speed at
all. In fact, my old board, which is also KT133 claims support for 500MHz to 1GHz. Is it possibly the case that
950MHz was the fastest Athlon out at the time they wrote that manual and that it will actually support 1GHz? or am
I in trouble?

Bob