8RDA3+ Available at newegg

[Zarick]

For those of you who were waiting.

 

[joshg]

Just from going over the specs, here's what I see as specification differences:

8RDA3+ only has 5 PCI slots, while 8RDA+ has 6.
8RDA3+ has no Firewire support, while 8RDA+ has "optional" via a bracket.
8RDA3+ uses C-Media CMI9739 6-channel sound chip, 8RDA+ uses Realtek ALC650E 6-channel chip.
8RDA3+ has "CPU multiplier settings are adjustable by BIOS", 8RDA+ does not.
8RDA+ has "Memory voltage settings are adjustable by BIOS", 8RDA3+ does not.
8RDA3+ has both "Magic Flash", and "Magic Health", 8RDA+ does not.
8RDA3+ has 2 x Realtek RTL8201 PHY, 8RDA+ only has 1.


But then, you look at the product shots from Newegg...

Apparently 8RDA3+ does come with Firewire, because they include the same bracket with the product.

Also, 8RDA3+ comes with rounded IDE cables, which is a nice plus, I guess.

And, it looks like 8RDA3+ comes with SATA, while 8RDA+ does not?

8RDA3+ looks like it has passive heatsink cooling on BOTH the NB and the SB - as many of you know, there is no stock cooling device on the 8RDA+ SB. This is a nice addition



Somebody hurry up and order one and tell me how the 8RDA3+ performs!!!

Sometime soon I want to upgrade and I'm currently looking at Barton 2500+/8RDA3+/1GB PC3200 (2x512) ... will want to hit somewhere around 200+ FSB, and 2.1ghz or higher with the Barton

 

[joshg]

Also... what's the difference between the C-Media and Realtek sound chips? I plan on dumping my Acoustic Edge once I get a new board and want at least decent sound.

Neither of the EPoX boards have SoundStorm, right? As I understand that would be MCP-T SB, but they both show MCP SB...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

It's definitely a feature packed overclocker's board Josh, and your right that it's using the MCP, they went with discrete controllers for everything instead. They included the dual LAN, firewire, SATA, serious overclocking voltages and features, the list goes on! The only real downers I could see from reading the reviews was the Sil3112A data corruption issue and the lack of support for the on-die temp sensor (we can all thank the Gomers who freaked out over temp readings with the 8K3A series and RMA'd and/or barraged Epox with complaints/question about it ) BTW, I've setup boards using CMedia 6ch before although I don't recall if they used the exact same chip, and it should certainly meet your criteria for "decent sound", HTH

 

[Zarick]

the question is.. is it worth 30 more than the 8rda+.
Now it is only 5 bucks cheaper than the a7n8x deluxe.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

If you're a hardcore overclocker and still want a feature packed board I'd say yes IMO, if however you just want the overclocking get the 8RDA+. It's an unpopular opinion but I think the Asus is overrated for overclocking and the number of users not even getting 200fsb with that board the way it shipped was alarming to me. For my money and when it comes to overclocking Epox>Asus for the AMD platform any day of the week. Of course I think both are stable, reliable, and feature rich with the Asus winning for sound quality.

 

[BruceLee]

I don't think there is much debate that this board has the potential to be an OC'ing champ. It is more than worth it, if the VDD actually helps get over 235 (the 8RGA was supposed to be sweet cuz of the vdd, but instead it didn't help get any higher FSB's). The 8RDA+ V2 is also something to look out for. Epox looks to be really going after the enthusiast market lately. 8RDA3+ (all the features), 8RDA+ V2 (now VDD up to 2.0), and still the 8RDA+ V1.1 which is doing over 225 DC with the right user. This is really sweet for OC'ers.

 

[squidman]

ASUS #1

 

[squidman]

Epox is ghetto

 

[SpideyCU]

Not only did you post twice in a row, your posts were very constructive, weren't they?

Anyhow, other changes I see:

* Thermal diode touches the bottom of the CPU for a more accurate temperature reading
* Josh mentioned the SB cooling, but the NB heatsink is also heftier now. No need to replace that heatsink like we did for the 8RDA+, but I imagine most big-time OC'ers will remove the thermal pad anyhow and dab on some AS3 or such.
* There also seems to be support for more USB ports, since there seem to be more pins available for it on the board, but those could be for something else. NewEgg photos don't show a USB bracket included, just a Firewire one. Interesting.

I mentioned this in another thread, but, did anyone else notice that the power supply connection on the mobo seems to have 4 extra connections next to it, like P4 boards?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

According to the reviews I read the 8RDA3+ doesn't come with a USB2.0 extra bracket or S/PDIF bracket. The thermal diode placement may be better but still is not as accurate as on die unfortunately, and NF2 boards are starting to adopt the extra 12v connector now, Soltek uses it too.

 

[Insane3D]

I don't think they are using the regular MCP on the 8RDA3+ since it would not have Firewire if they were. I am also assuming they are using the newer Cmedia chip as a replacement CODEC for the much maligned Realtek one, and it is still used in the same way to access the APU. Both boards likely use a very similar bios, and I doubt they would have less bios options on their new flagship AMD board than their older 8RDA+.

DAPUNISHER-

According to Newegg, it has the Promise S-ATA controller, not the Silicon Idustries one...not sure though...

 

[Insane3D]

Ok, here's the direct Newegg link for people who are looking...

8RDA3+ @ Newegg

Now, this is a bit confusing... According to Newegg, it uses a Promise SATA controller, but the one on the board seems to be the more popular SI one? It does have the Firewire bracket, so it must have the MCP-T, and I would be extremely surprised if they gave up support for the APU and let the Cmedia chip take over the sound. My guess is they are using it as an upgrade to the Realtek codec, and it functions in a similar way.

The board does appear to be lacking a USB add on header, but I'm sure one could be purchased quite cheaply if needed. Man, I have like 8 zillion of those around the house..

Edit:

This looks like it might be the board I upgrade around in the fall. I'm thinking 2500+ Barton, 2 x 512mb Kingston HyperX DDR400, 9700 Pro, WD Raptor 10K RPM for the OS and a 120GB WD "SE" for storage and programs...

 

[joshg]

How are the onboard SATA controllers? I keep hearing all kinds of horror stories (especially owners of Abit boards) about how there's a huge data corruption issue when they try to use the SATA connections...

I'm looking for a board that I'll be able to use right now without really upgrading much, but also able to upgrade a lot of the other elements in the future (I.E. SATA RAID 400FSB CPU, etc... )

Basically here's the features that I'm looking for:

Good, hassle-free and easy overclocking (if people are easily getting 220+ fsb then that's great for me! )
Good sound, 6-channel analog is minimum (because I'm plugging them into my 5.1 speakers which, by using a custom cable I can connect analog or digital if I wish)
NIC
Firewire is a plus
Plenty of USB ports
support for 400FSB CPUs
SATA RAID (if it's quality, at least.. )
NO IGP!

As of now I think it's between this board, original 8RDA+, and the new MSI K7N2 Delta-ILSR ... I REALLY don't like MSI, but I like EPoX ...

But then again I want to be happy with what I get..

 

[joshg]

bah, first double post ever ...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: Insane3D
I don't think they are using the regular MCP on the 8RDA3+ since it would not have Firewire if they were. I am also assuming they are using the newer Cmedia chip as a replacement CODEC for the much maligned Realtek one, and it is still used in the same way to access the APU. Both boards likely use a very similar bios, and I doubt they would have less bios options on their new flagship AMD board than their older 8RDA+.

DAPUNISHER-

According to Newegg, it has the Promise S-ATA controller, not the Silicon Idustries one...not sure though...

8RDA3+@Hexus review They were as confused as to why so many discrete controllers instead of the MCP-T too.

It's not just about pure performance grunt. This EPoX is also aimed at those who want a stack of features to play with. In that respect the fun and games start with MCP Southbridge. EPoX have decided to forego using the highly integrated MCP-T version, that is, the one that features a second internal Ethernet MAC and controller, Soundstorm technology and a FireWire controller. Instead, and perhaps a nod towards cost saving, they employ Realtek's 8101 controller for secondary LAN duties, Agere for a single-chip FireWire solution and CMI 9739A CODEC for resolving the MCP's sound . RAID, specifically S-ATA, is addressed by Silicon Image's Sil3112A controller. The debug LCD is a cracking inclusion too.

We've mentioned a lot of good aspects about the 8RDA3+. There are, however, a couple of negative points that we feel we must raise. The 8RDA3+ is a fully featured motherboard, so it should ship with all the accompanying brackets one expects. A USB2.0 bracket and S/PDIF bracket were conspicuous by their absence. The board supports these features, so why not use them to their fullest ?. The in-socket thermistor leaves a little to be desired as far as accurate temperature readings are concerned. And there's the Sil3112A's data corruption issue that needs resolving sooner rather than later.

 

[FluxCap]

Does a slk800 fit easily on the board or does it need the extensions? Important question for lots of overclockers I think If it does fit, then I may just order this thing today.
It comes with round cables? sweetness

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER

Originally posted by: Insane3D
I don't think they are using the regular MCP on the 8RDA3+ since it would not have Firewire if they were. I am also assuming they are using the newer Cmedia chip as a replacement CODEC for the much maligned Realtek one, and it is still used in the same way to access the APU. Both boards likely use a very similar bios, and I doubt they would have less bios options on their new flagship AMD board than their older 8RDA+.

DAPUNISHER-

According to Newegg, it has the Promise S-ATA controller, not the Silicon Idustries one...not sure though...

8RDA3+@Hexus review They were as confused as to why so many discrete controllers instead of the MCP-T too.

It's not just about pure performance grunt. This EPoX is also aimed at those who want a stack of features to play with. In that respect the fun and games start with MCP Southbridge. EPoX have decided to forego using the highly integrated MCP-T version, that is, the one that features a second internal Ethernet MAC and controller, Soundstorm technology and a FireWire controller. Instead, and perhaps a nod towards cost saving, they employ Realtek's 8101 controller for secondary LAN duties, Agere for a single-chip FireWire solution and CMI 9739A CODEC for resolving the MCP's sound . RAID, specifically S-ATA, is addressed by Silicon Image's Sil3112A controller. The debug LCD is a cracking inclusion too.

We've mentioned a lot of good aspects about the 8RDA3+. There are, however, a couple of negative points that we feel we must raise. The 8RDA3+ is a fully featured motherboard, so it should ship with all the accompanying brackets one expects. A USB2.0 bracket and S/PDIF bracket were conspicuous by their absence. The board supports these features, so why not use them to their fullest ?. The in-socket thermistor leaves a little to be desired as far as accurate temperature readings are concerned. And there's the Sil3112A's data corruption issue that needs resolving sooner rather than later.

Ughh...seems like a silly move to me. I think I'll stick with the 8RDA+ then, or maybe even, if I'm feeling particularly Insane, try an Abit NF7-S. I really wish Abit and Asus would dump that damn gold/yellow PCB for something for pleasing...even green is better. Isn't Abit using a black PCB on a lot of it's newer P4 boards? I haven't used Abit in years after I had board after board of theirs crap out, but maybe they have sorted those things out by now. It might be time to give them another chance..

 

[FluxCap]

The accuracy in the temp reading leaves me a bit worried, isn't that one of the first things I would check when o'cing? I think so....*sigh*

Get a rev 2.0 NF7-S Insane and I promise you that you won't be dissapointed.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: FluxCap
The accuracy in the temp reading leaves me a bit worried, isn't that one of the first things I would check when o'cing? I think so....*sigh*

Get a rev 2.0 NF7-S Insane and I promise you that you won't be dissapointed.

Yeah, maybe if I get a case without a window so I don't have to look at it...

My 3 8RDA+'s are treating me for now, so no rush...

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Hey! I :heart: my Solteks' gold :sun: PCB . The NF7-S is gettin' nothin' but love from users and overclocks like mad from what I've seen.

 

[Insane3D]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
Hey! I :heart: my Solteks' gold :sun: PCB . The NF7-S is gettin' nothin' but love from users and overclocks like mad from what I've seen.

Hehe. That's a nice looking board though...the Abit's and Asus have looked the same since the damn Slot A days...

How does the Soltek o/c?

Edit:

Damn it. That Soltek looks awesome, but why no MCP-T?!!? Damn, that board would have been for me. Why don't these companies offer a higher end model with the MCP-T for those that want it. I would gladly pay $20 more for a more full featured board. :frown:

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I have a 2500+ Barton in a SL-75FRN-L running 2.3ghz on 1.632v actual and it'll do 2.4ghz@1.776v actual both under Gromacs WU loads. It only goes to 211FSB in the bios and it can do it all@1.8vdd bios adjustable but the IGP doesn't like anything past 200 so I'd have to add a vid card. 75FRN2 users are getting as much as their ram can handle fsb wise though. Downers are not many extras, no hole around socket, and limit of 1.85v Vcore but there's a volt mod for the xtreme bunch and there are clamp on water coolers for getting around the lack of holes too.

Yeah no MCP-T *cough*Abit*cough*

 

[Insane3D]

If I get an Abit, it will be an absolute last resort. Those boards looks TERRIBLE. I would seriously need to buy a non-windowed panel for one of my cases so I wouldn't have to look at it. :frown:

 

[m305]

how many fans can you hook up to the motherboard