Motherboard Replacement Advice....

[Guest byoung]

I am getting sick of this problem I am having with the VIA chipset. So I am thinking about replacing my motherboard, can you believe it? However, I want to salvage (can't think of a better word) the memory and CPU.The processor is a AMD XP 2200Memory is DDR PC 2100Now the question is:What motherboard should I buy? It has to be 100% compatible with CH USB devices.Thanks!Barry

[Steve Dra 7,557]

Hey Barry,The best place I've found to research your new motherboard purchase is http://www.amdforums.comThey have dedicated forums for each MB manufacturer and tons of experienced posters.Just start wading thru them and make a choice! :)P.S.If you want to get out of a Via board (I don't blame you based on all the trouble my techie friends have with thiers...a.k.a 4 in 1...you know what I mean) ;)...I'm using a board with the SIS chip and have had no problems running an XP1700 overclocked to a 2000+...of course, every system is different...I just know what works for me! :)Regards,Steve Dra

[Guest byoung]

Which SIS Chipset are you using?CH Products Tech Support highly recommends against SIS chipsets as well.Barry

[Guest sbdwag]

Hey I just installed a Soyo Dragon KT-400 motherboard the other night. And I love it. Its got Raid, the best C-media 5.1 sound onboard 10/100 lan and great overclocking features. Ive had nada problems with it. Im running my 2100XP at 1860 (13x143) with no problems. Plus its supports DDR3200 Sdram and 333mhz athlon chipsets. So I have a upgrade path to eventually go to a 2800XP or higher. Also supports ata133 and serial bus harddrives. Oh yeah its got a manual about as thick as your handSome reviews claim its slightly slower that the competition but Anandtech benchmarks showed it the fastest KT-400 chipsets based motherboard currently out there.Best of all its 122.00 at googlegear.com with .050 second day shippingcheck it outDennis

[Guest byoung]

What about compatibility with CH USB Devices (Yoke and Rudder Pedals)? Any problems?Barry

[Guest sbdwag]

Comes with two onboard USB ports and include a riser with 4 additional USB2.0 ports.Dennis

[Guest byoung]

Again, any problem with the CH USB Devices?Barry

[Guest JonP01]

Actually I just got sick of Via recently as well and bought an Athlon XP 2400+ CPU coupled with an ASUS A7S333 mainboard. This mainboard runs the SiS 745 chipset. I must say it was a great "homecoming" to come back to SiS. My first PC (still going strong) was SiS through and through. It might not have been fast but geez it has never given me an ounce of trouble. The new SiS board is totally rock solid stable and with the Athlon handles anything FS2002 can throw at it with remarkable ease. SiS have really come of age recently and the chipset performance can no longer be sneazed at. The performance / price ratio is agruably the best there is. Considering the difference in price here in Oz between the ASUS A7S333 (SiS) and the ASUS A7V333 is more than $100, I didn't need much more pursuading to go with the A7S333 (although I had made up my mind in any case to go with the A7S333). One caveat with the SiS 745 chipset is, however, that it often doesn't like to run the DDR memory asyncronously. Meaning that it needs to be coupled with 266 Mhz DDR RAM rather than 333Mhz DDR RAM. Nevertheless, for the equivalent of only a few hundred dollars $US, that board and CPU were the biggest and best flight simming upgrade I've ever performed. And the rock solid stability just caps it all off.

[Steve Dra 7,557]

Hey Barry,I think its the 735, and I don't have any CH USB products running on it, so I can't comment on that. :(Regards,Steve Dra

[Guest GeorgeDorkofikis]

Barry...Don't rush out there and buy a new motherboard!The chipset is NOT to blame for the problems we have with the CH USB products!!!I was using a VIA KT133 based Motherboard for 2 years WITH the CH ProPedals USB with NO PROBLEMS... The only difference was that I was running Win98SE and NOT WinXP!Again, don't rush getting a new Mobo... If the problem is the drivers of WinXP (or CH) which I'm 99% sure, the problem WILL exist in the new mobo too.IMHO I don't think it's a good idea to bet $100 just to make another $100 device to work, furthermore when you are not certain that that's the cause.We have to convince CH to program CORRECT drivers for the WinXP.George DorkofikisAthens, Greece

[Guest byoung]

Hey George,I spoke to CH Products Tech Support yesterday. They said there is nothing they can do. So unless VIA or Micorsoft come through, we are SOL.The Tech Support Rep did say that he is using the ASUS A7V333 and it has been working perfectly under Windows XP using the CH Products USB Yoke and Pedals.How do you explain that? Right now as far as enjoying my hobby it is on hold until this problem is resolved. I have lots of $ invested in equipment, etc and I am not able to enjoy it. If a $70 mobo will correct the problem, it will save countless hours of frustration. Is it worth it?I will probably give it one more week, and then if no resolution surfaces, a new mobo is the direction.Barry

[Guest gasebah]

I do not know about the CH problem although I have winXP and a Via chipset. But I want to get a new Mobo with the new NForce2 chipset as I cannot upgrade the CPU on my older MSI board (older ? it is hardly a year old). My decision is made: Asus.Go here:http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1759&p=1Alex

[scott967 62]

I agree that if you want to keep an AMD and don't like Via, you are pretty much looking at NVidia NForce. Or dump AMD and get an Intel solution. I have a SiS board I bought, only because it was the cheapest solution available, but my performance machine is still AMD/Via (Asus A7M266).scott s..

[Guest jase439]

I can't blame you. I had a VIA board and had a lifetime of trouble with it. Always patching...applying hacks and tweaks to "stabilize" the AGP bus, yada yada. Finally ditched it for an Intel 845G and a P4 and I haven't even thought about chipsets since ;-)Good luck with your purchase. If you stick with AMD...SiS is probably the way to go.J

[Guest byoung]

Again, the question is:Will the SIS chipset work with the CH Products Yoke and Pedals?CH Products Tech Support indicated problems with SIS chipsets as well.Thanks!Barry