Need replacement for MSI board

[Monstermile]

I am looking for a replacement for my MSI KT4 Ultra mobo. I built a new system a few months ago and found the mobo to be bad. I RMA'ed it to MSI and they sent me a refurb instead of a new. I am pretty convinced that this board is the root of my problems and I want to try something else. I don't even want to deal with those morons at MSI or this board anymore. Here is what I currently have:

MSI KT4 Ultra
Athlon 1700+ tbred B
512MB Kingston HyperX PC2700
WD 80g SE
Excaliber 9000 PRO 128MB
Win98

I want something in the same price range. A board that is going to be reilable, and is known stable. Also one that is easy to use, set up and is compatible with what I have. I don't need anything hardcore. Any suggestions?? And please unbiased suggestions only.

Thanks

[pickel]

I just assembled a box with ECS K7S5A PRO and it seems to be really stable.

Duron 1.3
Maxtor 40 7200 rpm
PNY Nvidia MX 420
Liteon DVD
Plextor CDRW

[rourkchris]

Epox 8RDA+

[Eladijaz]

Hi,
Normally MSI are quite good, quality wise, but have been slipping a tad lately.
As much as I like them personally I'd probably avoid ECS boards if you want to be as sure as possible of a hassle free installation. You could try the Epox above or the ASUS A7V8X KT400 333FSB 3DDR is quite cheap now and Asus make good quality products - this one has the same chipset as the KT4 ultra.
After having said that, I'd try to get yourself a board with an nforce2 or SIS chipset as VIA sometimes have some compatibility issues, particularly with soundcards.
Regards,
Elad.

[MrPurple]

You can try Gigabyte boards.
They receive good reviews, and yes I am a proud owner of one, and have worked with other systems that use them.
The board is very stable, and the dual bios feature is not just some cool gimick, but does work, and saved my system a couple of times. The only problem that I see is that they are not overclocking friendly. Well mine is not, and I have the GA-7VRXP 2.0. I can jack up the FSB to 150, but after shutdown and reboot it drops back to 133.
Other boards that are good are Abit, but they are pricy.
I would stay away from Soyo, and Asus (memory compatibility problems).
As to ECS, Epox, well I have no experiance, so I can not say how they stack up with the rest.

Good luck to you.

[Monstermile]

Thanks everyone. I'll read up on all suggestions. My original choice before the MSI was either Gigabyte, Asus, or Abit. I regret going with MSI. If nothing else their customer service and return policy really sucks. Not even including the fact that I have got two junk boards from them. This whole experience has really tarnished the fun of my first build.

[Monstermile]

Another question. Is there any compatability or stability issues when using Athlon processors and Radeon graphics cards on nforce2 boards. I remember reading somewhere that there were some issues like that.

[Monstermile]

Any opinions on the Soltek SL-75FRN2???

[Darthgary]

Definetly avoid Elite Group ECS. For a good board try getting a Nforce 2 board preferably from ASUS or MSI. Asus has the A7n2 and MSI has the K7N2, Both are very good boards and you can get the K7N2 for under $100.

[cyclist110]

Personally I like the MSI boards but once you've had a bad experience it's hard to go back. It's MSI's loss there right.

Stay away from the ECS boards as suggested, they are as cheap as they come and usually use crappy SIS chipsets.

Most people swear by anything with with an NForce2 chipset.

Personally I love my 8rda+

C.