Since it looks like no one has started a thread on this, I thought I'd bring it up for discussion...
What do you guys think of ATI's answer to nVidia's NF-4/3 lineup, with the release of their ATI Xpress 200 (RX480/RS480) line? ATI Xpress 200 Review
Personally, to be truthful, I was very doubtful that ATI would come out with a chipset that would even remotely rival nVidia's NF chipset, but from the looks of things I might be purchasing an ATI RX480/RS480 to go along with my 90nm A64 chip.
I think the biggest factor, in which ATI sets itself apart from a mediocore chipset maker from a "good" one (which it looks to be) is the fact that they included a very detailed and "scable" bios. This is excellent for overclocking. I know, along with myself, a lot of people were not sure ATI could pull of a good mobo that would not just perform good graphically, but also perform well in workstation/encoding/etc etc benchmarks in stock conditions and also be able to OC on the drop of a dime, without a hitch. ATI's mobo was able to OC to a max FSB of 283
ATI RX480/RS480 MOBO OC with 2 DIMMS...now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't DFI's board (known as one of the "great" A64 overclockers) based off of the NF3-Gb chipset, only OC to a max FSB of 270 DFI NF3-Gb MOBO OC with 2 DIMMS? The performance gains between 270 and 283 FSB might be marginal, but maybe this is just a prequel of what's to come/be expected of ATI's new chipset...AMAZING PERFORMANCE!!! hehe...j/k I know I can't wait to see some "real life" benchies from AT members/other forum members who buy an ATI Xpress 200 mobo.
So other pros of this mobo is that it supports a RAID configuration similar to nVidia's "Any-Drive" and their integrated graphics solution. I know a lot of people "will/might" be happy if ATI's on-board RAID config is anything compared to nVidia's...nuff said. ATI really did an excellent job on the integrated graphics of this mobo, I know a lot of these boards are going to be going OEM to 3rd party distributors (think of HP, Compaq...might I dare say Dell? j/k) and this is probably the defining reason why this chipset will be so successful. I know a lot of sells goto to hobbyist, such as myself and YOU, but people like HP and Compaq (or should I say HP/Compaq) are going to be jumping on this like hot cakes.
While ATI has done well, IMO stumped nVidia, as in where to go from here, I think we can look to ATI to really step it up from here on out in the chipset area. I think where nVidia is going to get screwed here, is that they just released NF4/NF4-SLI and ATI is really stealing nVidia's thunder when it comes to people thinking about buying NF4 for their next mobo. I know I am seriously considering getting an RX480/RS480 board, as in compared to 1 month ago...I just "knew" I was going to be getting an NF4 mobo...hmm... (I think ATI has accomplished #6 on the "to do list" ...lol and I know a lot of people here feel the same way.
Now all that's left is to see what nVidia's response will be, or if they even have one?!?!
What do you guys think of ATI's answer to nVidia's NF-4/3 lineup, with the release of their ATI Xpress 200 (RX480/RS480) line? ATI Xpress 200 Review
Personally, to be truthful, I was very doubtful that ATI would come out with a chipset that would even remotely rival nVidia's NF chipset, but from the looks of things I might be purchasing an ATI RX480/RS480 to go along with my 90nm A64 chip.
I think the biggest factor, in which ATI sets itself apart from a mediocore chipset maker from a "good" one (which it looks to be) is the fact that they included a very detailed and "scable" bios. This is excellent for overclocking. I know, along with myself, a lot of people were not sure ATI could pull of a good mobo that would not just perform good graphically, but also perform well in workstation/encoding/etc etc benchmarks in stock conditions and also be able to OC on the drop of a dime, without a hitch. ATI's mobo was able to OC to a max FSB of 283
ATI RX480/RS480 MOBO OC with 2 DIMMS...now correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't DFI's board (known as one of the "great" A64 overclockers) based off of the NF3-Gb chipset, only OC to a max FSB of 270 DFI NF3-Gb MOBO OC with 2 DIMMS? The performance gains between 270 and 283 FSB might be marginal, but maybe this is just a prequel of what's to come/be expected of ATI's new chipset...AMAZING PERFORMANCE!!! hehe...j/k I know I can't wait to see some "real life" benchies from AT members/other forum members who buy an ATI Xpress 200 mobo.
So other pros of this mobo is that it supports a RAID configuration similar to nVidia's "Any-Drive" and their integrated graphics solution. I know a lot of people "will/might" be happy if ATI's on-board RAID config is anything compared to nVidia's...nuff said. ATI really did an excellent job on the integrated graphics of this mobo, I know a lot of these boards are going to be going OEM to 3rd party distributors (think of HP, Compaq...might I dare say Dell? j/k) and this is probably the defining reason why this chipset will be so successful. I know a lot of sells goto to hobbyist, such as myself and YOU, but people like HP and Compaq (or should I say HP/Compaq) are going to be jumping on this like hot cakes.
While ATI has done well, IMO stumped nVidia, as in where to go from here, I think we can look to ATI to really step it up from here on out in the chipset area. I think where nVidia is going to get screwed here, is that they just released NF4/NF4-SLI and ATI is really stealing nVidia's thunder when it comes to people thinking about buying NF4 for their next mobo. I know I am seriously considering getting an RX480/RS480 board, as in compared to 1 month ago...I just "knew" I was going to be getting an NF4 mobo...hmm... (I think ATI has accomplished #6 on the "to do list" ...lol and I know a lot of people here feel the same way.
Now all that's left is to see what nVidia's response will be, or if they even have one?!?!
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