Best nForce4 Ultra S939 Mobo?

[Bona Fide]

Just was wondering what you all would consider to be the best Socket 939 motherboard. I want the nForce4 chipset, and don't really need SLi. I had looked at MSI, DFI, and ASUS. DFI seems to be the crowd favorite, but frankly, I'm a bit intimidated by the openness of the BIOS. This will be my first self-built computer, so I don't want to dive into something that I won't be able to deal with.

Is the DFI strictly for seasoned overclockers and tweakers? Or can I, the newbie, find my way around it? Otherwise, I'll probably go with MSI's K8N Neo4 Platinum.

 

[Painman]

I think the MSI is a good board to get your feet wet with, for me it was definitely a plug & play type of setup. The DFI might take some research, trial & error and patience to get 100% stable with your CPU/mem controller and RAM... but if you want to dive right into the world of tweaking, the DFI will take you there.

 

[imported_Kensai]

MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum or DFI ultra-D.

 

[ChicagoPCGuy]

EPoX 9NPA+ Ultra. Inexpensive compared to the rest, and very stable and fast. You also get a lot of cool accessories, such as mosfet heatsinks.

I am surprised you would even consider the ASUS board given the number of negative threads on it.

The MSI would be the runner-up IMHO.

If overclocking is the end all and be all of what you want, then the DFI is pretty much the way to go because it will volt the VDIMM so high and has endless tweaking options--the board just screams to be paired with OCZ VX RAM and a highly OC'able San Diego 3700+. I am not sure about this boards stability on a 24x7 basis, though. I do not think you get the server-like stability that you will get with the EPoX board, just from some of the research I have done in the past. DFI may have corrected a lot of the earlier stability issues that HardOCP uncovered during a review.

 

[Bona Fide]

Well yeah, DFI would definitely be the way to go if I was gonna overclock right out of the box...which I won't be doing. I'm gonna run everything at stock speed for a short while and then get into the tweaking. So far it looks like the MSI board is the one to run with, but I'm gonna look into that EPoX board too. Thanks guys

 

[Continuity27]

The DFI BIOS is more intimidating than the rest, but it's nothing you couldn't figure out, especially not something others couldn't figure out on these forums. Think of it this way: You're going to pay $100-$130 either way most likely, why not get the motherboard with the most features? You can always ask about BIOS options you're unfamiliar with, and we'll help you. Overclocking or not, the DFI is still one of the highest quality boards there are. Moreso than MSI for sure.

 

[Bona Fide]

True...good point about the price-features comparison. DFI seems like the good one in the long run, even if the MSI may be easier on Day 1. And thanks for reminding me that the good people here can help me out with their leetness.

 

[vailr]

For a socket 939 board without the legacy parallel and serial ports, there's 2 brand options: DFI and Abit.
I'd consider looking at the several Abit AN8* versions, such as: the AN8 Ultra. The newer Q-OTES
equipped AN8's include increased memory voltage options, up to 3.55 volts.
(Note: the AN8 Ultra is not yet offered on NewEgg).