I typically use the FIC VA503+ (or its ATX counterpart) for price, ease of
installation & setup, and features.  Plan to use Windows 98 with this board
(or any board with Via MVP3 chipset) rather than 95 for compatibility.  Any
DIMM will work in this board if BIOS are set correctly (mix & match is
fine).  DFI and Tekram boards are also good bargains, for example.  None of
these are top-of-the-line, but they are good bang-for-$.  The FIC board
(v1.2a, which I recommend) can take most AMD chips on the market right now
(K6-2 and above), including K6-2 and K6-3.  Take a look at K6-2 450 MHz
because it's only $15 to $20 more than the 400 MHz right now (450 is around
$100 or less).  The AMD chips will advance along the same lines as Intel
chips, meaning that SS7 vs. slot1 is more a brand choice than an upgrade
limitation.  The boards with integrated video and/or sound are typically
problematic and limit upgrade and repair options at best.  I have a FIC 503+
with AMD K6-2 450 running Win98 and WinNT  (and using 2 different off-brands
of DIMM) right now, and it performs significantly better than my Celeron
400A machine.
Martin Kurr
email [log in to unmask]
> From:         Uzi Paz[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Subject:      [PCBUILD] mobo for K6II-400
> I need to assemble a non expensive PC for someone, so I thought of
> either K6II-400MHz or Celeron 400MHz.<clip>

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