Abit NF7-S2 Or Abit NF7-M?

alright. i am ordering my new mobo tomorrow. the s2 is $70
and the m is $89. i have two questions. is is better to go with the abit nf7-m because it has onboard video. and if the mobos could support single channel ram. since it says it supports dual channel. sorry if i confused any of you

stats for s2: ABIT "NF7-S2" nForce2 Ultra 400 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL

Model# NF7-S2
Item # N82E16813127185

Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Duron/Athlon/Athlon XP Processors
Chipset: nForce2 Ultra 400 + MCP-RAID
FSB: 266/333/400MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM Supports Dual channel DDR266/333/400 Max 3GB
Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x COM, 1x LPT, 6x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1xRJ45, Audio Ports
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
Onboard SATA/RAID: 2x SATA with RAID 0,1
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC 97 CODEC on board
Onboard LAN: 10/100M LAN
Form Factor: ATX


stats for nf7-m: ABIT "NF7-M" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL

Model# NF7-M
Item # N82E16813127150

Specifications:
Supported CPU: AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron Processors
Chipset: nForce2 IGP + MCP
FSB: 333/266/200MHz
RAM: 3x DIMM for Dual-Channel DDR333/266/200 Max 3GB, 2x DIMM for Dual-Channel DDR400 Max 2GB
IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices
Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI
Ports: 2xPS/2,1xCOM,1xVGA,1xLPT,SPDIF Out,6xUSB2.0(Rear 2),1xLAN,Audio Ports
Onboard Audio: 6-Channel AC97 CODEC
Onboard Video: Intergrated GeForce4 MX GPU
Onboard LAN: 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet
Form Factor: ATX


i was thinking about the s2 because it supports sata and raid. help is appreciated.

Iirc, you are buying a video card for this system, so you don't need or want onboard video. You do want SATA and RAID for future play potential. Add in price, and this is an easy choice: s2

No doubt about it... get the s2!!! SATA is faster (and the hard drives are only like 5$ more expensive).

Yes you can have single-channel memory... Just put one stick and that's it!! hehe. Dual channel is when you have 2 identical memory sticks that sorta work together and are faster than 2 sticks with no dual channel.

And also the s2 supports the 400MHz FSB... so you'll always be ready to upgrade to processors such as the XP 3200+!!!

Also, from what I'va heard of onboard video it sucks! Even if you are not a gamer or something. Just save yourself the pain and get a lower end video card or something... (60$ to 100$ canadian for something not too bad...)

thanks again karsh. but im also wondering if the mobos support like single channel ram or w/e.

All support single channel, dual channel is a bonus.

i just ordered (actually i have it already) the ABIT NF7-S2 and on the back of the box it explains the main features of the SG2, S2, S, regular NF7, and M. i didn't even know how many variations there were but i think i lucked out and chose the top 1 or 2 of the 5. avoid the M for the same reasons karsh said and because it has the slower of the two available FSB speeds (333MHz). all of the "S" versions support Sata raid and the NF7-S is the only one that has Firewire connections, but costs 20 bucks more for only that reason. and the M costs 20 bucks more for the integrated grafix and it doesn't support SATA and it has the slowest FSB :\ the only difference between the SG2 and my SG is the Gbe which is the Gigabit LAN controller which most networks don't even support yet. so your best bets are the -S2 if you just want the faster FSB and the SATA support (this one is the cheapest at $70) or the -S if you need Firewire connections.

karsh, if the other ones don't say they support Dual-channel is it safe to assume they don't?

thanks again karsh and constant_fie.i wasnt really sure about the dual channel so i was curious.

wasn't sure either but i lucked out that my mobo does support DC i guess it's like the Raid 0 of the memory world :P

What about me??? *cries*

lmao... whatever this is my 100th post!!!

Congratulations! You should go post in the "Milestone Posting" thread in the Lounge

sorry..thanks gt3_dk. lol