Can't decide

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Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
0
76
Parts I got:
BFG 6600GT OC PCI-E
1gb Corsair Value Select
80gb Seagate IDE 7200/8mb
Enermax EG495AX-VE
ect
ect

Need:
CPU(thinking 3000+ 9393 and o/cing it)
Zalman 7000 series(need quiet)
Mobo(can't decide)

I had my mind set on the DFI NF4 Ultra but all the errors and some boards dieing for no reason has me worried because I need a reliable board to last me till at least September. Got to looking and the Asus A8N-SLI is only like $15-20 more than the DFI and has been out for 2-3 months. Wondering has alot of bugs and stuff been fixed with this board and how does it o/c? How high has everyone been able to hit on the FSB?

Whats the difference between the Asus A8N-SLI and the Deluxe version?

Or should I still get the DFI? I like the looks of the DFI alot more since I have UV CCFL's in my system.

BTW I have no interest in Sli at all and probably never will. Also opinions on other boards are welcome.
 
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Waylay00

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2004
1,793
0
71
Hey man, I'm in the exact same boat as you, except I'm deciding between :

Mobo (ASUS A8N-SLI or DFI)
RAM (Crucial, Corsair, OCZ?)
Heatsink (Really like the looks of the 7000, but still cant decide between the XP-90 and 7000).
 
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Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
0
76
Yeah I love the looks of the DFI(alot don't) and I think it would look sweet in my case. But I would be willing to trade that for a more reliable/stable board. I do o/c though.
 
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TransientBen

Junior Member
Feb 22, 2005
18
0
0
I ended up going with the DFI simply because that was the big option. Ordered a board from ZZF and they mailed me back two days after the fact to say that it's out of stock. Had to quickly pick a new one, since I was hoping to build my system this weekend... so DFI it is. Their trackrecord lately has been great and they were in the right price point. We'll see how it goes.

For what its worth, I think there are a few explanations for why the boards are dying that credit some thought. A big one that I've seen is power supply issues (incorrectly using a 20 pin PSU and/or not plugging in all of the power jacks on the board [there is a molex and FDD power connector on the board itself]). Otherwise, there have been RAM issues, but I don't think there were enough to really raise an alarm, especially with as little information as the complaints have had.

"RAM NO WORK" doesn't necessarily equal "I tried to install the RAM, plain and simple. No OC on any parts, nothing weird, just standard setup."
 
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Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
0
76
I've heard a few stories even with ppl using 24pin PSU's having boards die for no reason. This one dude had his board die and then RMA'ed it just to have the second die the same way(within 3 hours he said). To me that says hes doing something wrong or something in his system is killing these boards.
 
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Waylay00

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2004
1,793
0
71
Any suggestiins. All I want is a stable, fast board that can later on get me overclocks of around ~240 HTT.
 
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intogamer

Lifer
Dec 5, 2004
19,219
1
76
I would personally go with the asus. Yeah I also can't decide on the zalman 7000 cu blue led or the 90.
Also I would just wait until everything is stable. Remember when the 6800 came out and everybody had problems.
 
lotus503

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
76
Originally posted by: ^Sniper^
Parts I got:
BFG 6600GT OC PCI-E
1gb Corsair Value Select
80gb Seagate IDE 7200/8mb
Enermax EG495AX-VE
ect
ect

Need:
CPU(thinking 3000+ 9393 and o/cing it)
Zalman 7000 series(need quiet)
Mobo(can't decide)

I had my mind set on the DFI NF4 Ultra but all the errors and some boards dieing for no reason has me worried because I need a reliable board to last me till at least September. Got to looking and the Asus A8N-SLI is only like $15-20 more than the DFI and has been out for 2-3 months. Wondering has alot of bugs and stuff been fixed with this board and how does it o/c? How high has everyone been able to hit on the FSB?

Whats the difference between the Asus A8N-SLI and the Deluxe version?

Or should I still get the DFI? I like the looks of the DFI alot more since I have UV CCFL's in my system.

BTW I have no interest in Sli at all and probably never will. Also opinions on other boards are welcome.
Click to expand...

Both boards have thier issues. I still can't get my Diamond Max 9 to work on my Asus.

People thought the DFI would be the end all be all, truth is none of these platforms will be completely stable for a while, they are too new and were rushed to market.

With that said I dont think you would miss with either board.

I have reached htt 270 on my board I bet it would go higher but not in 1t

DFI's seem to OC very very well.

The only thing I could recommend is get the 3000+ chip, if I had paid for my own I would have, not that the 3500+ is bad, just that the 3000+ clocks the same alot of the time.

Im am sure there are more stable non SLI boards out there

 
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Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
0
76
Originally posted by: intogamer
I would personally go with the asus. Yeah I also can't decide on the zalman 7000 cu blue led or the 90.
Also I would just wait until everything is stable. Remember when the 6800 came out and everybody had problems.
Click to expand...

Can't wait. I got everything else. I bought the BFG for $185 shipped new which is like $65 less than retail. Couldnt pass it up. So basicly no matter what board I go with it can have issues just the same as DFI? Would most the issues be fixed with a BIOS update or could it be possible they need revision/board updates?
 
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Waylay00

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2004
1,793
0
71
Hmm ASUS or DFI... hmmmmmhmmmmm. Actually, I won't hardly be doing any OC'ing, at least not until another year or so.
 
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TransientBen

Junior Member
Feb 22, 2005
18
0
0
Sniper, I think in any hardware setup, you're going to run into some issues. It just tends to happen. Personally, while I've had great experiences with Asus boards, I was not about to shell out the extra cash for a SLI board when I never ever intend to use SLI. Every NF4 board that I've looked at appears to have some compatibility issues - at least if you look through the forums. How much of that is user error and how much is the problem of having a brand new chipset is hard to say. Future bios revisions will certainly help.

As to why the capacitor is so close, I don't know. I vaguely recall someone mentioning that it may have been something that's been corrected in the boards that are available (like the SLI bridge), but I don't know. It shouldn't be a problem, as the clip for the power connector doesn't face that direction, but I can only imagine someone not paying attention and whacking that capacitor out of place.

Additionally, as Solstice said, the 3500+ is not the best choice from a "bang for your buck" perspective - which it seems to be what you're going for. When a retail 3200+ Winchester is $85-$100 less than the 3500+ Winchester, I personally found it difficult to justify the cost, even if you're not considering overclocking (I'm certainly not). Just like spending the extra $100 on RAM to get some of the TCCDs versus Corsair Value Select. But it's not always about saving money. :)
 
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Sniper82

Lifer
Feb 6, 2000
16,517
0
76
I think I'll go with the DFI. Gonna cost $290.99 on Zipzoom shipped for the CPU and mobo and $304 shipped on Newegg. Looking at resellerating .com newegg seems to have alot better support if something comes defective. At least they responed to bad feedback. Zipzoom seems to have more bad feedback and troubles sending stuff back. Also some reports that Zipzoom has shipped stuff that seemed to be used.

Worth the extra $13 to go with Newegg?
 
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TransientBen

Junior Member
Feb 22, 2005
18
0
0
Everyone I know who has ordered from ZipZoomFly has been happy. I can't help but think some of the feedback is a little unreasonable. Right now, I have my Mobo (same DFI you're getting) and Processor (3200+ to save me $100 over the 3500+) in the front office of the apartment complex from ZZF. Can't pick 'em up till tomorrow. We'll see if it looks used.

If that $13 is going to make you more comfortable, then you have your answer. However, I'd recommend looking at ChiefValue.com, which seems to be a rebranded Newegg (same products, same shipping, etc) with often better pricing. I ordered my PSU, HD, DVD/RW, RAM and Keyboard there.
 
Capt Caveman

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
I'm undecided on a mobo too. I actually got the last of my parts tonight. I currently have the Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe but I hear that you can't get above 250mhz memory using 1T. My 3200+ is a CBBID 0501DPCW. Part of me is thinking of returning the CPU and Mobo and waiting for Venice and for the NF4 mobo's to mature.

Venice's are supposed to be out next month right?
 
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