Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/704



Introduction

It's time once again for AnandTech's Memory and Motherboard price guide.

The basic goal is to provide you with the best deals, and follow price trends of the listed products. We have selected a leading team of on-line vendors, and will be tracking their progress on weekly basis. Please note that all vendors were selected according to their best price offered. Some vendors may ask that you place a phone-order to make sure that you receive our listed price; others simply ask that you mention where you found the price (in this case AnandTech). We have tried to eliminate vendors with low feedback rating, but we do encourage you to do some research before purchasing any product from this list.

If you encounter any problems with a vendor on our list, please email us, and we will take appropriate action. Remember that we will only list vendors with positive customer feedback. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know.

Also be sure to check out AnandTech's Hot Deals Forum for even more great memory, motherboard, CPU, video card and other technology buys.

Disclaimer

AnandTech does not endorse any vendor listed in the following price guide. AnandTech does not receive any advertising fees and/or sponsorship from the listed vendors. All views expressed by listed vendors do not reflect the opinions of AnandTech.

AnandTech, nor any of the vendors mentioned guarantee that the prices listed in this guide are accurate.

This Week

Our last memory price guide which debuted at the start of the year showed memory prices in flux where some modules were up and some down. This week we see that for the most part memory prices are still falling but how long these drops will last is unknown so cash in while the prices are low. Overall there are quite a few significant price drops especially since Crucial has opened the PC1600 flood gates and is now selling those modules to the general public. A couple of PC133 modules are up in price and several have remained the same but again, prices are great making quality memory affordable for the end user.

In the motherboard arena we have started to find KT133A and AMD 760 chipset-based motherboards in the market thus we have added a few to our guide for the week. This should make the motherboard market very interesting in the coming months as KT133A and DDR solutions battle it out which will most likely drive prices down further, all the better for the buyer. In addition we've also added a few i815EP chipset motherboards to our list. If you remember, the i815EP chipset differs from the i815E in that there is no integrated video making it a cheaper solution.

For this week i815E motherboards have risen slightly more in price and KT133 boards are in motion with price drops and hikes yet for the present prices you can still get a solid motherboard for a great price.



Memory

AnandTech Weekly Memory Prices
Memory Type - Size Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
PC2100 DDR - 256MB $395 $69 Mushkin $6.00 2 Day Shipping
PC2100 DDR - 128MB $164 $46 Mushkin $6.00 2 Day Shipping
PC2100 DDR - 64MB $101 $17 AxionTech $7.50 UPS Ground
PC1600 DDR - 256MB $144 $27 Crucial $5.50 Priority Shipping
PC1600 DDR - 128MB $77 $1 Crucial $5.50 Priority Shipping
PC1600 DDR - 64MB $49 $0 Crucial $5.50 Priority Shipping
PC800 RDRAM - 256MB $469 $65 StarComponents $11.00 Lifetime Warranty
PC800 RDRAM - 128MB $163 $0 StarComponents

$11.00

Lifetime Warranty
PC800 RDRAM - 64MB $102 $23 AccessMicro $9.95 UPS Ground
VC133 - 128MB $73 $0 MWave $8.00 Priority Shipping
VC133 - 64MB $53 $0 MWave $8.00 Priority Shipping
PC150 CAS2 - 256MB $159 $10 AccessMicro $9.95 UPS Ground
PC150 CAS2 - 128MB $68 $5 AccessMicro $9.95 UPS Ground
PC133 CAS3 - 256MB $110 $3 AxionTech $7.50 UPS Ground
PC133 CAS3 - 128MB $53 $4 Affordable Computers UPS Ground
PC133 CAS3 - 64MB $30 $2 PC Progress $14.00 UPS Ground
PC133 CAS2 - 256MB $143 $36 Crucial $5.50 Priority Shipping
PC133 CAS2 - 128MB $62 $3 Premier Systems $4.85 UPS Ground
PC133 CAS2 - 64MB $49 $0 Crucial $5.50 Priority Shipping
PC100 ECC 128MB $58 $6 Jazz Technology USA $10.95
PC100 ECC 64MB $33 $1 Memory Shippers $11.50 and up UPS Ground/Fedex
PC100 512MB $275 $8 StarComponents $11.00 Lifetime Warranty
PC100 256MB $91 $14 Memplus $10.95 UPS Ensured
PC100 128MB $52 $0 Jazz Technology USA $10.95
PC100 64MB $24 $3 Memplus $10.95 UPS Ensured

Except for 64MB module of RDRAM, prices for this once very expensive memory solution are still on the fall as more and more Pentium 4 systems enter the market. We will most likely continue to see such price drops as the months pass by as Pentium 4 systems gain a greater presence in the market which will in turn make RDRAM more and more affordable. This week we notice that for the most part both PC2100 and PC1600 modules are come down significantly in price with drops of 15% with 256MB PC2100 and 22% with 128MB PC2100 DDR SDRAM.

Virtual channel memory has remained the same in price although most other PC133 and PC100 modules continue their descent in price. As we have proved in the past, the price premium that VC SDRAM carries is really not worth the marginal performance gains so this shouldn't affect most users.

Unlike last week PC133 CAS2 memory has shot up in price as well as some midrange PC133 CAS3 modules which may be a precursor to general SDRAM price hikes which we may see down the road however it is still too early to decide. PC100 modules continue to fall making them great buys for the budget user. Overall prices are in their prime at the moment so now is the time to buy if you're in the market for a memory upgrade.

Remember, more memory means less disk swapping and as we all know, your disk I/O can often be the weak link in your high performance system.

Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest Memory and Chipset reviews for more information.

Memory Reviews Publication Date
PC133 SDRAM Roundup - April 2000 April 3rd, 2000

Chipset Reviews Publication Date
DDR SDRAM on the AMD Athlon - Performance Preview September 14th, 2000
AMD's 760 Chipset: DDR for the Athlon is here October 30th, 2000
ALi MAGiK 1 Chipset: The Athlon gets a second DDR platform November 29th, 2000
VIA KT133A Socket-A Chipset: AMD 760 Performance without DDR SDRAM December 21st, 2000


i815(E) Socket-370 Motherboards

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Intel Socket-370 i815E
Motherboard Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
ASUS CUSL2 $135 $4 Atacom $8.95 and up UPS Ground
ABIT SE6 $124 $2 Essential Computer $12.00 Fedex 2 Day Ship
ABIT SA6R $143 $0 MicroBarn $11.00 UPS Ground
Transcend TS-ASL3 $101 $8 Jazz Technology USA $13.95 and up UPS Ground
Microstar 815E Pro $98 $2 MicroBarn $11.00 UPS Ground
AOpen AX3S Pro $145 $0 AxionTech $7.50 UPS Ground

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - i815EP Motherboards
Motherboard Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Epox EP-3SPA3 $99 NA MWave $8.00 Priority Shipping
ASUS CUSL2-C $113 NA Monarch Computer $10.00 and up Fedex 2/3 Day Saver

 

Most of the i815E boards have seen a price hike since our last guide but the increases are not tremendously high. As with our previous motherboard price guides we still recommend the ASUS CUSL2 simply because of it's rock solid stability and top notch performance.

The Transcend TS-ASL3 is a good buy if you're looking for a basic 815 motherboard and it has come down very nicely in price which makes it an even better buy for the budget minded since you get overclocking features, stability, and performance for $101.

As far as the i815EP motherboards are concerned, we recommend the ASUS CUSL2-C based on reviews from around the web which generally agree that the CUSL2-C exhibits all the trademark qualities of ASUS motherboards in that it is a very stable board with solid performance and has got overclocking features. The CUSL2-C is also based closely on the CUSL2 design which, as we just mentioned, is far from disappointing.

Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest i815 Socket-370 Motherboard reviews for more information.

Socket-370 Motherboard Reviews Publication Date
ASUS CUSL2 Socket-370 i815E ATX
July 9th, 2000
ABIT SE6 Socket-370 i815E ATX
October 25th, 2000
Transcend TS-ASL3 Socket-370 i815E ATX
October 27th, 2000
ABIT SA6R Socket-370 i815E + RAID ATX November 13th, 2000
Intel i815(E) Chipset
June 27th, 2000
Intel i815 / i815E Motherboard Roundup - August 2000
August 3rd, 2000


Socket-A Motherboards

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - AMD Socket-A KT133
Motherboard Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
ASUS A7V (Non-RAID) $132 $2 SMK Internet Components      
ABIT KT7-RAID $144 $6 Atacom $8.95 and up UPS Ground
ABIT KT7 $120 $1 MicroBarn $11.00 UPS Ground
Microstar K7T Pro $102 $2 Tufshop $13.10   
Microstar K7T Pro2 $110 $0 PC Progress $14.00 UPS Ground
Chaintech 7AJA $94 $5 PCBoost $15.85 UPS Ground
Chaintech CT-7AIA $89 $5 Openlinx $7.00 UPS Flat Rate
EPoX EP-8KTA2 $110 $0 MWave $8.00 UPS Ground
FIC AZ11 $83 $5 Essential Computer $12.00 Fedex 2 Day Ship
Gigabyte GA-7ZX $105 $0 Essential Computer $12.00 Fedex 2 Day Ship
AOpen AK73 Pro $131 NA AxionTech $7.50 UPS Ground


AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Socket-A KT133A Motherboards
Motherboard Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
Epox 8KTA3 $129 NA Bunta Technology    UPS Ground
Abit KT7A-RAID $156 NA MicroBarn $11.00 UPS Ground
Abit KT7A $152 NA Atacom $8.95 and up UPS Ground

AnandTech Weekly Motherboard Prices - Socket-A DDR Motherboards
Motherboard Model Price Change Vendor Shipping Promotion
ASUS A7M266 $180 NA TC Computers    UPS/Fedex
Gigabyte GA-7DXC $189 NA AxionTech $7.50 UPS Ground

Prices are up and down with the KT133 boards but the changes are not great overall. If you notice this week we've added the AOpen AK73 motherboard to our price listing and it is currently a bit more expensive than the rest of the KT133 boards.

We still recommend the MSI K7T Pro2 as our pick for the best overall KT133 motherboard as mentioned in our recent roundup thanks to its good price, performance, and features as well as being the the most stable KT133 board we've tested to date. The ABIT KT7-RAID is another great motherboard and comes with the popular SoftMenu III feature and ATA/100 RAID support although it has risen slightly in price.

As mentioned earlier this week's guide features some KT133A boards which differ from their KT133 cousins since they feature official support for the 133MHz DDR FSB compared to the 100MHz DDR FSB support of the KT133. Granted that you will need to either pick up a new 133MHz DDR Athlon or change the clock multiplier on your current CPU to accomodate the 33% increase in FSB frequency, but as we've seen in our review of the KT133A chipset, the performance gains are definitely worth it.

Currently our pick from the KT133A bunch is the Epox 8KTA3 motherboard because of its overclocking capabilities (tweaked through the BIOS) and its price is competitive with KT133 boards making it a consideration if you're looking for a high perfomance system to build. Our review of the 8KTA3 is in the works and you should see it before the next Motherboard Price Guide hits.

As far as the AMD 760 motherboards are concerned they are on a bit of the pricey side being $50 to $80 more expensive than KT133 boards yet if you're in the market for one we recommend the ASUS A7M266 which features great overclocking capabilities and we have never been let down by ASUS' quality before.

Related Articles

Make sure you check out our latest Socket-A motherboard and chipset reviews for more information.

Socket-A Motherboard Reviews Publication Date
AOpen AK73 Pro Socket-A KT133 (686B) ATX December 7th, 2000
ASUS A7V Socket-A KT133 ATX
August 22nd, 2000
ABIT KT7-RAID Socket-A KT133 ATX
August 12th, 2000
Microstar K7T Pro Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 23rd, 2000
Microstar K7T Pro2 Socket-A KT133 ATX
October 16th, 2000
Chaintech CT-7AIV2 Socket-A KT133 microATX
October 5th, 2000
FIC AZ-11 Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 8th, 2000
FIC AZ-11E Socket-A KT133 ATX
November 15th , 2000
EPoX EP-8KTA2 Socket-A KT133 (686B) ATX
November 14th, 2000
Gigabyte GA-7ZX Socket-A KT133 ATX
July 15th, 2000
VIA KX133 Athlon Chipset - Guide
February 7th, 2000
Socket-A VIA KT133 Motherboard Roundup - November 2000 November 30th, 2000
AMD 760: DDR for the Athlon is here October 30th, 2000
ALi MAGIK1: The Athlon gets a second DDR platform November 29th, 2000
VIA KT133A Socket-A Chipset: AMD 760 Performance without DDR SDRAM December 21st, 2000

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now