Who makes the worst motherboard??

[Radical Dreamer]

Originally posted by NooNoo
Aopen I remember reading on a best mobo thread was defended heavily as a good motherboard in the cheap bracket. Might be worth checking the related topics on a thread with the word "best" in it

I've used only 2 Aopen boards, and no problems outta either.

[Radical Dreamer]

Originally posted by Gollo
FIC makes decent value boards. I had an AZ11 for 2 and a half years before it pooped on me but I think that's because my PS went bad and it was a chain reaction. Soyo is decent. I have made a couple of systems with their boards and so far they have been solid.

I had the same board, I also had mine for about 2 years with an athlon 1.1ghz, mine also chit its self after the psu went tits up. Other than that it was a solid board

[kato2274]

this debate reminds me of the many I've read dealing with car audio components.

the bottom line is that everyone make $hit sometimes. granted some companies more than others. . . . but everyone makes $hit. The most important factor is the setup and the knowledge of the person doing the setup.

you can give an uniformed "hobbyist" all the best car audio components and the system won't sound as good as a professional who used nothing but pyramid components.

but I've had more than one isolated positive experience with all of the consensus worst mobos mentioned here. I've built several budget machines using ECS and PCCHIPS late model boards using SIS 730 and VIA KT133a chipsets and they have been wonderfully stable performers. I've had a biostar board with a celeron 900 in my home that ran like a champ. I've even used jetway for someone because I got it for such a song and he was cheap, and I haven't seen it come back to me or heard any complaints. . . . . . .

but the 3 abit boards I've personally owned have offered me worlds of minor and extremely irritating issues, and a buddy of mine wrestled with 3 ASUS replacement boards before finally getting a stable one.

there is no one great manufacture. quality varies between models. so that's how I tend to look at it. when a new chipset comes out I research the boards with that chipset and the reviews they are getting from both the public and the professional critics.

just buying from one or two manufactures based on loyalty seems as silly to me as walking into the voting booth and voting the party without knowing any of the individual candidates.

[Mwarhead]

Anything ABIT, I have found that ABIT doesn't support these boards after they aren't high selling anymore. Also ABIT boards have problem with power supply and have intermitent usb support.

[Budd]

Originally posted by NooNoo
Aopen I remember reading on a best mobo thread was defended heavily as a good motherboard in the cheap bracket. Might be worth checking the related topics on a thread with the word "best" in it

i will defend anything made by Aopen. mobos, cd roms, modems, cases, sound cards, video cards. i've tons of them all for the last few years and have only had to rma 2 cd rom drives. cheap reliable stuff

personally i stay away from ECS, MSI, and i hate to say it, but i have to add Abit to that list now. i know people say "well i have a ECS board thats ran stable for years" well thats great. i to have seen a few stable ecs boards, but for every 1 of the stable ecs boards i've seen, i've seen 15 that were garbage.

if you're looking for cheap and stable i would look at Aopen, Shuttle, FIC, and Biostar. i would recommend anyone of those for a "lowend system". sure you don't get raid, or 6 channel sound, or 5 ata133 ide cables, but its a budget board. you get what you pay for. lately i've been tempted by the Albatron kt400 board for $80, i'll let you know how that goes.

[moliver]

Only problems I've had with Abit is the HD led wouldn't work on 2 of them. PCChips nuttin but probs.

[nytiger73]

Definitley PC Chips without a doubt. I saw someone mention the M751 as being OK. Isn't that the Viagra board? Meaning a VIA chipset with graphics on board.

If so, that board has got to be the absolute worst I have ever worked with. Never I have worked with a board that you'd test the board out of the case, take the board and install it in the case, power up.....and.....dead.

These boards just suck.

[red4]

From what i have seen and heard, PC Chips and ECS are to be avoided if possible, However I bought a chaintech with the sis 735 chipset and I have to say that it is one of the most reliable mobos I have seen.

currently I have a shuttle ak31 with my althon xp 1700+ and I have to say that it rocks.... the only problem I have ever had with it is when i had the ram in the first two slots, .. (some programs and games acted weird) but since I put it in slots 1 and 3 it has been vary stable.

That is about the extend of my mobo expirence.

[Damned Angel]

giga-byte

never anything but headaches when dealing with them. Almost always intermitant problems with them too. When ever I get a system in for repair with a giga-byte board, the board gets swapped with an asus, qdi or ecs, any one of the 3 is way better that giga-byte.

[Chris_MacMahon]

Cheap Ram, well you're going to get an unstable board...

That being said....

that's hardware...you can always put in a wonderful os Windows ME, the finest, stable os there is on the market, and then you can get a stable computer...

so to get a stable computer it’s not just mobo, but everything…..

[G Man]

ECS / PcChips are definetely the worst, I had my celeron in one previously and there must have been something wrong with the clock generator or somethin coz it was underclocking the board (this was proven by benchmarks with another board - in the PCchips my 667 was apparently doin ~200!)

Also, Jetway isnt a good idea either, I've got one right now, and there have been a fair few problems....

[Guts3d]

if you're looking for cheap and stable i would look at Aopen, Shuttle, FIC, and Biostar. i would recommend anyone of those for a "lowend system". sure you don't get raid, or 6 channel sound, or 5 ata133 ide cables, but its a budget board. you get what you pay for. lately i've been tempted by the Albatron kt400 board for $80, i'll let you know how that goes.

Hey, I just built two systems with those exact boards two weeks ago, went together like a dream, and stable as you could ask for with X.P. Pro. Good luck!

[+Daemon+]

ASUS!!!!

[clascomp]

Originally posted by Gollo
Any PC Chips motherboard. They are just plain CRAP.

The big problem is everybody wants CHEAP computers. The only way cheap can be built is with PC Chips or similar boards.

We sell two different lines of computers. A low end and a high end.
The low end or less expensive computers are generally directed at business for use as workstations. We have a disclaimer that states "this line of computers is not designed for high end game use". We have put hundreds of these systems into business use over the years, with PC Chips boards, and have had very little trouble.
Even with the disclaimer, people often buy these for home use. And often, two days later, we get a call of complaint because these do not play 3D games well.

If all you are going to do is surf, type letters, or play solitair, chances are cheap is going to work fine.

If your going to edit video, play 3D games, run Autocad, etc.. then you would be wise to look at a higher end system designed for these purposes.

BOTTOM LINE: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

[olaf]

I think The worse Main boards that ia laid my hands on are ARISTO/MERCURY/PC-PARTNER/ACORP(6 models tried none worked ok!!!)/ECS/OLDER MATSONIC(i was satisfied with the sis 730 chipset based ones) and with early KT133 based mbos from MSI they were horid but the one that takes the cake is POWERCOLOR