939 OC MB advice

[SniperWulf]

I currently have the ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2. We all know its a nice board, but its a little lacking on the OC side of things. This is my first 939 setup so I haven't tried any other boards or whatever. On the ASRock, i've been able to get as high as 260FSB to post at 1.4v on a 3800+ Manchester with a Zalman 7700 copper fan, but without the extra juice, I'm SOL sooo... After doing some research, I've kinda narrowed it down to these:

ASUS A8N-E
ASUS A8R-MVP
ASUS A8N-SLI
ABIT A8N Ultra
DFI nF4 Ultra Infinity
DFI nF4 Ultra-D
EPoX EP-9NPA+
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum

Any input and OC results would be appreciated

 

[the cobbler]

Originally posted by: SniperWulf


DFI nF4 Ultra-D

the best, make sure you get revision A.D.O.

 

[SniperWulf]

I take it these are what I would most likely get if I were to buy one from newegg today right?

 

[Yourself]

One vote for an Epox 9NPA+. Good overclocking board as I run my Opty 146 at 290 24/7 without issue. It has good voltage options and isn't too picky about memory from my experiences. The only issue I have is a layout issue with regard to the ATX connector, but for me it is a minor annoyance. Hope that helps...


Self

 

[the cobbler]

Originally posted by: SniperWulf
I take it these are what I would most likely get if I were to buy one from newegg today right?

yes, I believe all DFI LP UT NF4 boards are now shipping revision ADO from Newegg, Monarch and ZipZoomFly. Or you can pick one up locally, so you can read the ID tag on the #1 PCIEx16 slot. ADO revisions include some voltage regulation improvements that allow higher FSB and solve various stability issues, but they will also include epoxied nForce4 chips, so they will be a bit harder to mod to SLI. fwtw.

along with the DFI, the Epox in your list is a very good OC mobo. If you can part with the $$= DFI SLI-DR Expert. If you can part with the $$ and find one= DFI SLI-DR Venus. best boards out there.

 

[Allio]

My 9NPA+SLI does 370 HTT, which you'd imagine is more headroom than anybody could ever reasonably need.

 

[Gbaby1008]

Originally posted by: SniperWulf
DFI nF4 Ultra-D

or you could also try the volt mod for your board, i have the regular dual sata and the mod is very easy

 

[gus6464]

I recently bought a DFI expert mobo but had to rma to newegg because i could not get a video signal on bootup half the time and its not because my other parts were faulty. It has great oc options but if you are going to get it i suggest you to be very patient with it as it can be a pain to get up and running smoothly. Also it has issues with certain component brands like seasonic, antec psus.

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

stay away from ASUS. I have the A8n-E and it's been a nightmare.

 

[jto168]

Originally posted by: Cr0nJ0b
stay away from ASUS. I have the A8n-E and it's been a nightmare.

I disagree.
I have the ASUS A8N-E which was my 2nd choice actually. I originally wanted a DFI, but support for it is quite limited in my area so I chose ASUS.

It has been working very well after the kinks were worked out.

What kinks you may ask?
If you are going to be using an Opteron Processor, you need BIOS 1011 (latest) in order for the MB to recognize it.

If you overclock, you have to be very patient and experiment with the memory divider and timings to find the sweet spot for your processor and memory overclocks.

I've pushed my Opteron 144 (1.80 GHz stock) to 2.60 GHz on air.
My memory is running at DDR472 speeds when it is orginally rated for DDR400 (OCZ Platinum EL 2GB Dual Channel Kit, 2-3-2-5)

Good luck!